Current DARPA projects

3-D MERFS (3-D Micro Electromagnetic Radio Frequency Systems) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. John Evans

The 3-D Micro Electromagnetic Radio Frequency Systems (3-D MERFS) program was launched in mid-2004 to revolutionize the performance, cost, and form factor for advanced RF and MMW radar and communications systems, thereby fulfilling the unmet military & national security need for widely... (more information)

Thrusts

• Mems

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A-to-I (Analog to Information) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dennis Healy

Military signals analysis today is expensive in hardware, time, operator effort, and computation. Are there smarter ways to glean information from the complex soup of broadband electronic signals bouncing through the atmosphere? What are the fundamental limits of our current methods based on analog-to-digital conversion... (more information)

Thrusts

• Architectures
• Electronics

ADHELS (Architecture for Diode High Energy Laser Systems) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Joseph Mangano

Optically-pumped solid-state HEL systems use arrays of diode lasers to pump the final laser gain medium. Existing DARPA programs, like SHEDS, aim to increase the individual wall plug efficiency of each of these diodes thus reducing the waste heat that must be removed from the lasing material and leading to improved... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures
• Electronics

ADR (Advanced Digital Receiver) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dennis Healy

Military sensing and communication systems operate in challenging electromagnetic environments where very high linear dynamic range is required to detect small target signals obscured by a strong background of interference, jammers, and clutter. The difficulty is compounded by the increasing tendency to require that these same systems... (more information)

Thrusts

• Architectures
• Electronics

AFPA (Adaptive Focal Plane Array) Preview

Program Manager: Mr. Raymond Balcerak

The overall goal of the Adaptive Focal Plane Array (AFPA) program is to demonstrate a high-performance focal plane array (FPA) that is widely tunable across the relevant wavebands in the infrared (IR) spectrum (including the short-wave infrared (SWIR), mid-wave infrared (MWIR), and long-wave... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures
• Photonics
• Mems

AMTP (Advanced Microsystems Technology Program) Preview

Program Manager: Mr. Raymond Balcerak

This program will explore several advanced technologies and microsystem concepts. The program comprises technologies for fabrication of complex three dimensional integrated circuits; heterogeneous integration using bonding; new materials, processes, and devices for avalanche photo detectors in the infrared range using the Geiger mode; advanced... (more information)

Thrusts

• Architectures
• Electronics
• Photonics

APPLE (Adaptive Photonic Phase-Locked Elements) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Joseph Mangano

The Adaptive Photonic Phase-Locked Elements (APPLE) program will enable all-electronic combining of high power laser beams within an agile conformal, aperture. The APPLE vision is a coherently-phased array of optical apertures that directly addresses the long standing DoD need for flexible, multi-function... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

APROPOS (Advanced Precision Optical Oscillators) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Steve Pappert

The Advanced Precision Optical Oscillator (APROPOS) program will leverage advances in materials and lasers to develop new precision microwave-stable local oscillators with extremely low phase noise (up to 50 dB better than the current state-of-the-art) at small offsets from microwave carrier frequencies. This capability will enhance performance of radar, electronic warfare and... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

ASP (Analog Spectral Processors) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. John Evans

There exists an unmet military need for flexible, affordable, hand-held military communications systems. Programs such as JTRS and various software-defined radio efforts have attempted to address this need, but have encountered difficulty in obtaining small, high performance RF tunable filters and filter banks. The absence of these components... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures
• Electronics
• Mems
• Photonics

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C2OI (Chip-to-Chip Optical Interconnects) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Michael Haney

The overall goal of the C20I program is to demonstrate optical interconnections between multiple silicon chips that will enable data communications between chips to be as seamless as data communication within a chip. For electrical technology, the primary limitations to implementing high-speed interconnections are achieving high packing... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

CAD-QT (Cognitively Augmented Design for Quantum Technology) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dennis Healy

The Cognitively Augmented Design for Quantum Technology (CAD-qt) program is developing and demonstrating revolutionary robust optimization-based methodologies for the design of electronic and photonic devices whose novel functional capabilities derive from operation within the quantum regime. This program will transform the device... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures
• Photonics

CERA (Carbon Electronics for RF Applications) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Michael Fritze

The Carbon Electronics for RF Applications (CERA) program will develop wafer-scale graphene synthesis approaches and ultra-high-speed, low-power graphene-channel field effect transistors for RF/mm-wave circuits... (more information)

Thrusts

• Electronics

CHEMS (Chemical Engineering Molecular Scale) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dennis Healy

The CHEMS Program will develop product/process design tools and novel process control enabling manufacturing of nano-structured devices and materials at affordable levels of yield and throughput. Precise control over assembly at the level of individual bonds between atoms will allow us to make molecules and compounds that were not possible by... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Photonics

CLASS (Clockless Logic) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dean Collins

The Clockless Logic, Analysis, Synthesis and Systems (CLASS) program will enable the continued advances of complex electronic systems by eliminating the requirement for a system clock and thereby reducing the development costs of high performance integrated circuits closer to that of general processors. In addition to drastically reduced design... (more information)

Thrusts

• Architectures
• Electronics

COCHISE (Coherently-Combined High-Power Single-Mode Emitters) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Joseph Mangano

Coherently-Combined High-Power Single-Mode Emitters (COCHISE) aims to develop breakthrough technologies to dramatically improve diode bar lifetime , reliability and beam quality. Additionally, these technologies will lead to high power, coherently-combined, laser architectures that are up to three times more efficient than existing diode-pumped... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

COSMOS (Compound Semiconductor Materials On Silicon) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Mark Rosker

The development of CS electronics has been motivated by their unique materials properties relative to those of silicon. However, the advantages of the incumbency of Si integrated circuits (ICs), the enormous investment that has been made in such technologies, the remarkable progress in VLSI integration and device scaling, and the dramatic cost reductions for Si ICs have combined to limit the market penetration of CS technologies... (more information)

Thrusts

• Electronics

COUGAR (Compact Ultra-Stable Gyro for Absolute Reference) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Steve Pappert

Many future military applications require a revolutionary navigation system for the missions in GPS-denied environments. One of the major technical challenges in navigation without GPS, or its aid, is that position errors caused by gyro drift grow with the cube of time during a mission. Therefore, it is urgent and crucial to develop a highly precise gyro technology that will support required accuracies comparable to GPS-aided inertial navigation systems. The COmpact Ultra-Stable Gyro for Absolute Reference (COUGAR) program will develop a novel fiber optic resonator gyroscope architecture that removes performance barriers of the past and... (more information)

Thrusts

• Electronics

CSAC (Chip-Scale Atomic Clock) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Amit Lal

The development of chip-scale atomic clock will enable ultra-miniaturized (wristwatch in size) and ultra low power time and frequency references for high-security UHF communication and jam-resistant GPS receivers. The use of these ultra-miniature time reference units can greatly improve the mobility and robustness of any military systems and... (more information)

Thrusts

• Architectures
• Electronics
• Mems
• Photonics

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DOD-N (Data in Optical Domain - Network) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Michael Haney

The objective of this program is to demonstrate technology for a dynamic routing and packet switching optical Network that keeps Data in the Optical Domain (DOD-N), thus eliminating the need for any Optical-to-Electrical-to-Optical (OEO) conversions, as well as removing other bottlenecks in the current communications systems. (more information)

Thrusts

• Architectures
• Photonics

DUVAP (Deep Ultraviolet Avalanche Photodetectors) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Henryk Temkin

The US military has a pressing requirement for compact, reliable, and cost-effective photodetectors. Avalanche photodetectors offer high gain, low dark count, high reliability and robustness, and small form factor needed in military applications. The Deep Ultraviolet Avalanche Photodetectors (DUVAP) program will demonstrate avalanche photodiodes... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

DMT (Disruptive Manufacturing Technologies) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. John Evans

The goal of the Disruptive Manufacturing Technologies (DMT) program is to achieve significant and pervasive cost savings, and/or decreases in cycle time, for existing and planned military procurements. One such opportunity for cost savings exists with... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures
• Electronics
• Mems
• Photonics

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ECHiPPS (Embedded Configurable High Performance Processing of Signals) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dean Collins

The objective of the Embedded Configurable High Performance Processing of Signals (ECHiPPS) program is to demonstrate that novel, reconfigurable integrated circuits (IC) can provide significant advances in performance over what is available today in both programmable and reconfigurable compute intensive IC technology. (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures

EMIL (Efficient Mid-Wave Infrared Lasers) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Mark Rosker & Dr. Henryk Temkin

The Efficient Mid-Wave Infrared Lasers (EMIL) program goal is to demonstrate high-power (≥1W) mid-infrared (MIR) lasers operating between 3.8 and 4.8 μm in continuous wave (CW) at room-temperature, with good beam quality, and achieving revolutionary wallplug efficiency of 50%.

EMPiRe (Electro-Magnetic Pulse Tolerant Microwave Receiver Front-End) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Steven Pappert

The Electro-Magnetic Pulse Tolerant Microwave Receiver Front End (EMPiRe) program will develop a novel, robust, and sensitive microwave receiver front-end capable of surviving and operating in high energy electromagnetic environments while maintaining high sensitivity, bandwidth, and dynamic range... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

EPIC (Electronic & Photonic Integrated Circuits) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Jagdeep Shah

The EPIC program requires research to develop innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, and/or systems in the following areas: 1) CMOS-Compatible High Performance Si Nanophotonic Devices The first major interest of the EPIC program is the development and demonstration of a complete suite of high performance... (more information)

Thrusts

• Electronics
• Photonics

ESE (Energy Starved Electronics) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dean Collins

The objective of the Embedded Configurable High Performance Processing of Signals (ECHiPPS) program is to demonstrate that novel, reconfigurable integrated circuits (IC) can provide significant advances in performance over what is available today in both programmable and reconfigurable compute intensive IC technology. (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures
• Electronics

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FCRP (Focus Center Research Program) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Robert Leheny, Acting Director

The Semiconductor Technology Focus Center Research Program is a collaborative effort between the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Science & Technology (DUSD/S&T), and the Microelectronics Advanced Research Corp. (MARCO) which will establish new Focus Centers in “Materials, Structures & Devices” and in... (more information)

Thrusts

• Architectures
• Electronics

FLARE (Feedback Linearized Amplifier for RF Electronics) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Sanjay Raman

The Department of Defense (DoD) has a wide range of applications that will benefit from sensitive and comparatively low-power, low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) with ultra-high linearity, such as radar, communication, and electronic warfare systems. Increased radio frequency (RF) spectrum utilization/crowding leading to more severe friendly or hostile signal interference challenges necessitates... (more information)

Thrusts

• Electronics

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HARDI (Hemispheric Array Detector for Imaging) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Devanand Shenoy

State-of-the-art cameras, on UAVs for example, are a trade-off between field of view and weight. In addition they have insufficient spectral range and non-uniform illumination over the focal plane for a large field of view. This is due to their need for multiple lenses to correct for... (more information)

Thrusts

• Electronics

HERMIT (Harsh Environment Robust Micromechanical Technology) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Amit Lal

HERMIT seeks to attain micromechanical devices capable of operating under harsh conditions-e.g., under large temperature excursions, large power throughputs, high g-forces, presence of corrosive substances, etc.-while maintaining unprecedented performance, stability, and lifetime (including storage lifetime). Although HERMIT realizations of micromechanical RF switches are... (more information)

Thrusts

• Mems

HI-MEMS (Hybrid Insect Mems) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Amit Lal

Animal world has provided mankind with locomotion over millennia. For example we have used horses and elephants for locomotion in wars and conducting commerce. Birds have been used for sending covert messages, and to detect gases in coal mines, a life-saving technique for coal miners. More recently, olfactory training of bees has been used to locate mines and weapons of mass destruction. (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Mems

HOTMWIR (High Operating Temperature Mid-Wave Infrared) Preview

Program Manager: Mr. Raymond Balcerak

The primary goal of this program is to establish the technology for high-speed sampling and high spatial resolution infrared focal plane arrays that operate without cryogenic cooling, and have response in the three-to-five micron spectral band, and broadband response as required by the application. Applications include affordable sensor arrays for both threat detection and imaging. (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures
• Photonics

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ISIS (Integrated Sensor IS Structure) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Mark Rosker

The goal of the ISIS program is to develop a stratospheric airship based autonomous unmanned sensor with years of persistence in surveillance and tracking of air and ground targets. It will have the capability to track the most advanced cruise missiles at 600 km and dismounted enemy combatants at 300 km. The ISIS program will develop the technologies that enable... (more information)

Thrusts

• Architectures
• Electronics
• Mems

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L-PAS (Laser Photoacoustic Spectroscopy) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Henryk Temkin

The U.S. military has a pressing requirement for compact, rapid, reliable, and cost-effective chemical agent point sensors. This need is made clear by the growing specter of the potential use of weapons of mass destruction by either global terrorist organizations, or unfriendly nations. This is the motivation behind DARPA’s Laser-induced photoacoustic spectroscopy (L-PAS) program. (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

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MCC (Micro Cryogenic Coolers) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dennis Polla

The Micro Cryogenic Coolers program aims to develop innovative technologies in the area of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) implementations of Micro Cryogenic Coolers, with the ultimate objective being the realization of micro-scale devices and sub-systems with unprecedented performance, attained via micro-scale targeted cryogenic cooling of only the needed... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures
• Mems

MEMS/NEMS S&T (MEMS/NEMS Science & Technology Fundamentals) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dennis Polla

The MEMS/NEMS S&T Fundamentals effort seeks to create focus centers dedicated to advancing a number of core technologies considered essential to the advancement of MEMS/NEMS technology. Research investigates innovative approaches capable of having a pervasive impact on continuing technology advances with significant potential for contributing... (more information)

Thrusts

• Mems

MGA (Micro Gas Analyzers) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dennis Polla

The MGA program seeks to attain tiny separation analyzer-based chemical warfare agent (CWA) sensors capable of orders of magnitude reductions in analysis time, detection limit, and power consumption, over equivalent bench top systems, while maintaining true and false alarm rates on par with bench top gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) systems. (more information)

Thrusts

• Mems

MIATA (Microantenna Arrays: Technology and Applications) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Thomas Kenny

The Microantenna Arrays: Technology and Applications (MIATA) program is developing microantenna array technology having sensitivity and uniformity equal to that of conventional passive mmW/IR imagers without the need for RF amplifiers. This program is reducing the size, weight, and power consumption of FPA millimeter wave/IR imagers, with special emphasis on technology to combine... (more information)

Thrusts

• Architectures
• Electronics

MINT (Micro Inertial Navigation Technology) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Amit Lal

MINT seeks the creation of micro and nano scale low-power navigation sensors that allow long term (hours to days) GPS denied precision navigation. The goal of the MINT program is to create high-precision navigation aiding sensors that directly measure intermediate inertial variables, such as... (more information)

Thrusts

• Mems

MIPS (Micro Isotope Power Sources) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. John Evans

Long lasting micro power sources are critical for a large array of military unattended sensor applications, including perimeter defense networks, detection of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and environmental protection sensors. The Micro Isotope Power Sources (MIPS) program is investigating a range of approaches to achieving compact, mW-level power sources, including alphavoltaic... (more information)

Thrusts

• Mems

MISI (Micro Imagers for Sensing) Preview

Program Manager: Mr. Raymond Balcerak

Content Forthcoming... (more information)

Thrusts

MONTAGE (Multiple Optical Non-redundant Aperture Generalized Sensors) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dennis Healy

Emerging DoD and commercial scenarios envision large-scale deployment, coordination, and monitoring of ubiquitous imaging systems to keep an eye on complex environments. Stringent challenges in cost, platform related volume, weight, and form factor constraints, and the effective exploitation of the resulting large volume of imagery motivate a principled re-examination of the structure, function, and... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Photonics

MORPH (Supermolecular Photonics Engineering) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Devanand Shenoy

The Super Molecular Photonics (MORPH) program is an exploratory effort to demonstrate that engineered molecular "Nano-Systems" can achieve spectacular increases in optical non-linearity. Specifically, high performance electro-optic materials leading to greater than 100x reduction in operating voltages for RF light wave modulation, and new classes of photorefractive materials which will result in greater than 1000x... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

MX (MEMS Exchange) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Amit Lal

Provide flexible access to complex Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) fabrication technology in a wide variety of materials and to a broad multi-disciplinary user base via the MEMS Exchange service. In addition, insure self-sustained operation of MEMS Exchange after the end of the program by adding several process modules to the existing repertoire and increasing... (more information)

Thrusts

• Mems

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NACHOS (Nanoscale Architecture for Coherent Hyper-Optic Sources) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Henryk Temkin

Nanoscaled lasers will enable close integration of photonic and electronic devices needed in emerging high-speed processing-intense computing and communication platforms. In addition to reduced size, these lasers are expected to be ...

(more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

NANOWRITER (Maskless Nanowriter) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Joseph Mangano

Content Forthcoming... (more information)

Thrusts

NEMS(Nano Electro Mechanical Computers) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Amit Lal

Content Forthcoming...

NGIMG (Navigation Grade Integrated micro Gyroscopes) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Amit Lal

The Navigation-Grade Integrated Micro Gyroscope program seeks to attain tiny, low-power, rotation rate sensors capable of achieving performance commensurate with requirements for GPS-denied navigation of small platforms, including individual soldiers, unmanned (micro) air vehicles, unmanned underwater vehicles, and even tiny (e.g., insect-sized)... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures

NLMMSM (Non-Linear Mathematics for Mixed Signal Microsystems) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dennis Healy

Dealing with non-linearity: Military sensing and communication systems operate in challenging environments where very high linear dynamic range is required to detect small targets or signals in the presence of electromagnetic interference and clutter. Taken together with the simultaneous trend towards very high instantaneous bandwidths, this requirement poses significant... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms

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PCAR (Photon Counting Arrays) Preview

Program Manager: Mr. Raymond Balcerak

This program supports revolutionary advances in imaging technology, which operates at extremely low levels of ambient illumination, from the visible through the short wave infrared. Imaging at extremely low levels of illumination, where images are obtained with only a few photon events, allows operation in a wide variety of difficult environments, and imaging in conditions where current... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

PHASER (Photonic Analog Signal Processing Engine with Reconfigurability) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Michael Haney

Content Forthcoming... (more information)

Thrusts

PHOBIAC (Photonic Bandwidth Compression for Instantaneous Wideband A/D Conversion) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Steve Pappert

The Photonic Bandwidth Compression for Instantaneous Wideband A/D Conversion (PHOBIAC) program will develop revolutionary technologies to enable Analog to Digital Converters (ADCs) with high-resolution and large instantaneous bandwidth, while maintaining power consumption that is commensurate with user community requirements. It is expected that such ADCs would have a dramatic impact on SIGINT... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

PHOR-FRONT (Linear Photonic RF Front-End Technology) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Steve Pappert

The objective of Lineaer Photonic RF Front-End Technology (PHOR-FRONT) is to provide a universal photonic radio frequency (RF) front-end that helps bring the vision of high dynamic range and high instantaneous bandwidth (IBW) RF-to-bits receivers to fruition. More specifically, the PHOR-FRONT program will develop and... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

POPS (Parametric Optical Processes and Systems) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Henryk Temkin

Parametric Optical Processes and Systems (POPS) aims to demonstrate all optical processing based on Four Wave Mixing (FWM) in optical fibers and silicon waveguides to achieve data rates of 100 Gb/s - 1Tb/s. This will require development of components such as... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

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RHBD (Radiation Hardening by Design) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Michael Fritze

The objective of the Radhard by Design Program is to develop and demonstrate design and layout techniques to support the fabrication of strategically radiation hardened integrated circuits from pure design approaches; no changes in fabrication or materials. The program is focused on foundry-type silicon technologies, ultra-deep submicron (e.g. < = 130 nm technology) geometries, and digital... (more information)

Thrusts

• Electronics

RIEDAR Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Devanand Shenoy

The goal of the RIEDAR program is to develop a revolutionary approach to detect hazardous materials from a large distance in sub-second time scales using laser-based optical techniques. To achieve this goal, RIEDAR will demonstrate a novel, compact, high-power UV-tunable nanosecond and NIR femto-second pulsed lasers....

(more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

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SAIL (Semiconductor AlGaN Injection Lasers) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Henryk Temkin

The US military has a pressing requirement for compact, reliable, and cost-effective detection of bio-agents. Semiconductor lasers, with their intrinsic high brightness and power, will enable stand-off detection applications, such as bioLIDAR, and will greatly enhance point-detection of aerosolized bio-agents. This program will demonstrate semiconductor injection lasers based on heterostructures of AlGaN. In addition to demonstrating... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

SHEDS (Super High Efficiency Diode Sources) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Joseph Mangano

It is the goal of the Super High Efficiency Diode Sources (SHEDS) Program to achieve 80% electrical-to-optical efficiency in the generation of light from stacks of semiconductor diode laser bars. The spectral range of interest for this program is 880nm to 980nm, the range for pumping directly into the upper laser level of Nd and Yb:YAG lasers. Aluminum-free materials are considered the best to use for these devices. Due to the... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

SMART (Scalable Millimeter-Wave Architectures for Reconfigurable Transceivers) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Mark Rosker

The Scalable Millimeter-wave Architectures for Reconfigurable Transceivers (SMART) program will develop an integrated, surface-emitting panel architecture for millimeter wave (MMW) transceiver arrays. The program will culminate in an objective demonstration of a large (at least 400 element), coherent, active electronically steerable array (AESA) achieving an output power density of 5W/cm2 and a total layer thickness of less than 1cm. Taken together... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures
• Electronics
• Mems

SPI (Stand-off Solid Penetrating Imaging) Preview

Program Manager: Mr. Raymond Balcerak

Content Forthcoming... (more information)

Thrusts

STAP-BOY (Space Time Adaptive Processing) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dennis Healy

Putting teraflop computing into the hands of the individual soldier will enable local control over sophisticated sensing like high-resolution radar imaging, space-time adaptive processing (STAP), urban structure mapping and occupant tracking, and multi-dimensional automatic target recognition (ATR). But, today's general purpose military processor units are too expensive, too big, and use too much power to bring such a vision to reality. (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures

STEEP (Steep-Subthreshold-slope Transistors for Electronics with Extremely-Low Power) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Michael Fritze

The Steep-subthreshold-slope Transistors for Electronics with Extremely-low Power (STEEP) program’s goal is to develop novel transistor technologies for logic circuits with extremely low power consumption, without sacrificing performance. Due to leakage power issues, advanced silicon CMOS transistor technologies will not be suitable for... (more information)

Thrusts

• Electronics

SWIFT (Sub-Millimeter Wave Imaging Focal-Plane Technology) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Mark Rosker

The sub-millimeter (sub-MMW) spectral region is largely unexploited for both DoD and commercial applications. However, the sub-MMW offers unique opportunities for sensors and communications systems. For example, sub-MMW sensors can achieve high resolution, all-weather imaging with favorable aperture sizes. The Sub-millimeter Wave Imaging Focal-plane Technology (SWIFT) program will demonstrate an active sub-aperture operating at 340GHz, enabling systems... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures
• Electronics

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TACOTA (Technology for Agile Coherent Transmission Architecture) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Steve Pappert

Coherent optical modulation and detection offers the highest degree of flexibility and agility in dynamic mobile networking environments and for meeting future information transfer demands. TACOTA strives to integrate state-of-the-art mixed-signal electronics and DSP technology into advanced coherent optical transmitter and receiver designs. TACOTA will also explore innovative beyond state-of-art approaches in coherent optical frequency (wavelength) translation, with the... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Electronics

TBN (Tip-Based Nanofabrication) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Thomas Kenny

Content Forthcoming... (more information)

Thrusts

TFAST (Technology for Frequency Agile Digitally Synthesized Transmitters) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Steve Pappert

The Department of Defense (DoD) focuses on a wide array of applications for high-performance mixed-signal (combined analog and digital) circuits. The Technology for Frequency Agile Digitally Synthesized Transmitters (TFAST) program's ultimate goal is to develop high frequency digital synthesizer and related circuits with high dynamic range, low phase noise, low direct current (DC) power, and wide bandwidth. The preferred transistor technology for such circuits needs to have extremely high speed (high unity cut off... (more information)

Thrusts

• Electronics

TGP (Thermal Ground Plane) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Thomas Kenny

The objective of the Thermal Ground Plane (TGP) program is to develop a practical, high-performance thermal substrate that can improve the performance of almost all DoD systems, with a focus on the development of high-thermal conductivity substrates for multi-chip modules (MCM). The program will investigate innovative uses ofContent Forthcoming... (more information)

Thrusts

• MEMS
• Architectures

TIFT (Terahertz Imaging Focal-plane Technology) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Mark Rosker

The Terahertz Imaging Focal-plane Technology (TIFT) program will demonstrate a large, multi-element detector receiver focal plane arrays that respond to radiation in the THz band (> 0.557 THz). The sensor system will be able to operate effectively at standoff range with a high spatial resolution limited only by beam diffraction. The system developed will be consistent with man-portability. The imaging receiver will produce a two-dimensional (2D) image in which each pixel records the relative intensity of the... (more information)

Thrusts

• Architectures
• Electronics

TRUST (TRUST in Integrated Circuits) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Dean Collins

At the present time, the United States does not have a comprehensive program to certify that the integrated circuits that are going into U.S. weapons systems do not contain malicious circuits. In response to these concerns, DARPA has initiated the TRUST in Integrated Circuits program... (more information)

Thrusts

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ULTRA-TR (Ultra-Wideband Multifunction Photonic Transmit/Receive Module) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Ronald Esman

Ultra-Wideband Multifunction Photonic Transmit/Receive Module (ULTRA-T/R) objectives are to develop a wideband microwave antenna interface and corresponding antenna elements that would replace the conventional electronic transmit/receive (T/R) module-antenna combination and offer multiple modes of operation, such as simultaneous transmit and receive (STAR) or switched mode. Additionally, the fiber interface to/from digital or analog beamformers offers a significant... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

UPR (University Photonics Research Centers) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Jagdeep Shah

Autonomous and semi-autonomous platforms are being increasingly used for surveillance and precision weapons delivery. Such platforms operate under severe constraints on the size, weight and power consumption of the sensing, processing and communication systems they carry. Furthermore, these platforms usually operate in harsh conditions where mechanical ruggedness and thermal stability... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

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VIGIL (Visible InGaN Injection Lasers) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Henryk Temkin

Visible InGaN Injection Lasers (VIGIL) aims to demonstrate injection lasers emitting in green, at l=500 nm. Specific program goal is to demonstrate green injection lasers operating continuous wave at... (more information)

Thrusts

• Photonics

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WBGS-RF (Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Technology Thrust I) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Mark Rosker

Enable new RF applications and capabilities through the development and exploitation of the material, device, and circuit properties of wide bandgap semiconductors. Specific goals include the demonstration of: (a) > 100 mm semi-insulating, high quality substrates (Phase I), (b) epitaxial material technologies with better than + 1% composition, thickness, and doping control (Phase I)... (more information)

Thrusts

• Electronics

WBGS-HPE (Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Technology Thrust II) Preview

Program Manager: Ms. Sharon Beermann-Curtin

Revolutionize high power electrical energy control, conversion, and distribution by establishing a new class of solid state power switching transistors employing wide bandgap semiconductor materials. Specific goals include... (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Electronics

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YFA 2007(The Young Faculty Award) Preview

Program Manager: Dr. Thomas Kenny

The Young Faculty Award (YFA) program is designed to seek out ideas from non-tenured faculty in order to identify the next generation of researchers working in microsystem technology. The funded researchers will focus on concepts that are innovative, speculative, and high-risk.. (more information)

Thrusts

• Algorithms
• Architectures
• Electronics
• Mems
• Photonics

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