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Description

1. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

DARPA is soliciting innovative research and development (R&D) proposals to advance the production of Gradient Index (GRIN) lenses from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 to Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) 8. Proposed R&D should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary and fundamental advances in the design and fabrication of 3-dimensional GRIN lenses with arbitrary design flexibility for both imaging and non-imaging systems.

1.1. PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Optical elements (lenses) perform a variety of functions in military systems, ranging from image formation to light projection or light collection. The performance of these systems is frequently limited by their optical elements, which dominate system weight and cost, and force tradeoffs between system parameters such as focal length, field of view (or acceptance angle), resolution, and range.

Conventional lenses are ultimately limited by geometry. Available design parameters are a single bulk index of refraction (n) per lens element and variations in the element surface profile, including continuous surfaces (lens curvature) and/or discontinuous surfaces (diffractive optics). Light rays undergo refraction at the surfaces of each element, but travel in straight lines within the lens. Since the design space of conventional optics is limited to a combination of bulk refractive index and surface structure, correcting for aberrations (for example through the use of achromatic or diffractive optics) leads to large, heavy, complex designs, and/or greater losses, lower image quality, and manufacturing difficulties.

GRIN lenses, as the name implies, are optical elements whose index of refraction varies within the lens. Control of the internal refraction allows the steering of light in curved trajectories through the lens. GRIN optics thus increase the design space to include the entire volume of the optical elements, providing the potential for dramatically reduced size, weight, element count, and assembly cost, as well as opening up new trade space between performance parameters. However, past efforts to make large aperture GRIN lenses have had limited success due to restricted refractive index change, poor control over index profiles, and/or severe limitations in lens diameter.

Recent breakthroughs in material science have led to at least one method for developing large (>10 mm) GRIN lenses with 3-dimensional gradient index profiles. The feasibility of adding additional capabilities to the GRIN lenses, including controlled expansion, contraction, and shear (for variable focus lenses or asymmetric optical variations) has also been demonstrated. Additionally, recent advances in transformation optics and computational power provide DARPA with a unique opportunity to assemble design and fabrication elements within integrated teams to advance the utility and availability of GRIN lenses across the full range of military optics-dependent systems.

The Manufacturable GRIN Optics (M-GRIN) program seeks to advance GRIN design and fabrication technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 to Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) 8 (see Appendix 2). This program will develop new lens design methods and tools coupled to fabrication processes and manufacturing tolerances that will provide a pathway to a scalable manufacturing system which can flexibly produce lenses in units of 1 to thousands.

To meet the program goals, DARPA seeks innovative proposals for the M-GRIN program to design, fabricate, and demonstrate manufacturing feasibility of GRIN-based optical assemblies for a high-performance color camera lens and a two-color solar concentrator (see section 1.2 for performance specifications). Proposals are expected to address all of the following technology areas: 1) materials development, 2) optical element design, 3) test and evaluation methods (metrology), and 4) manufacturing.

See Attached File for complete BAA. Additionally, DARPA-SN-10-23 announced the industry day information

Contracting Office Address:
3701 North Fairfax Drive
Arlington, Virginia 22203-1714

Primary Point of Contact:
DARPA-BAA-10-31@darpa.mil