Photonsystems, Inc

This Proposal Addresses the Need for an Ultra-compact Deep Uv (DUV) Source Emitting in the 230 NM to 240 NM Spectral Range to Enable New Ultra-compact Trace Organic Chemical&water Ice Imaging and Point Detection Raman&fluorescence Instruments for Lander Missions to Ocean Worlds of the Outer Solar System and Small to Medium Class Discovery/new Frontiers Lander Missions to Primitive Bodies Dwarf Planets and Asteroids. Detection of Organics Prebiotic and Biological Material and Water Ice and Their Spatial Distribution Are Fundamental Capabilities Required to Meet Nasa Strategic Goals. the New Source Is Called a Light Emitting Triode (LET) Which Generates Intense Duv Light at Wavelengths That Separate the Spectral Regions in Which Raman and Fluorescence Emissions Occur. the Result Is No Spectral Overlap or Obscuration of Raman Bands by Fluorescence and No Alteration of Fluorescence Emission Spectra by Strong Raman Bands Thus Enabling Two Independent and Orthogonal Sets of Spectral Information to Enhance Identification of Trace Material on Targeted Surfaces. Deep Uv Native Fluorescence Is the Only Known Measurement Technique That Can Provide Sub-parts-per-billion Sensitivity for Organic Compounds Without Any Sample Acquisition Processing or Use of Reagents. Fluorescence Provides Valuable Scientific Information About the Overall Electronic Configuration of Compounds Enabling Detection and Differentiation of Aromatic Ring Structures of Varying Ring Numbers and Conformational Arrangements. in Addition Organic Compounds on Low Temperature Icy Planetary Bodies Exhibit Molecular Vibrational Features Similar to Raman Scattering of Organic Compounds But With the Sensitivity of Fluorescence That Provide Structural Details Such as the Arrangement of Methyl Groups and the Presence and Variability of Functional Groups (P. Johnson 2011). Deep Uv Fluorescence Has Also Been Demonstrated to Uniquely Differentiate Organic Compounds From Composite Materials Such as Microbial Spores or Cells (bhartia Et.al. 2008). the Key Enabling Requirement of All of These Instrumental Capabilities Whether Point Detection Mapping or Imaging Is the Availability of a Deep Uv Light Source Emitting in the 230 NM to 240 NM Spectral Range With High Source Radiance and Relatively Narrow Emission Bandwidth. the Focus of This Proposal Is Therefore to Develop a Duv-let Emitting in the 230 NM to 240 NM Spectral Range Which Has a Size About 1 CC a Weight About 5 G and Power Consumption Less Than About 100 MW. This Duv Source Is Over 250 Times Smaller and Lighter Than the Duv Laser Which Currently Powers the Mars 2020 Sherloc Deep Uv Raman and Fluorescence Instrument and Can Have a Significant Impact on Future Overall Instrument Sizes and Weights. the Duv-let Source Employs a Subminiature Electron Beam Pumped Algan Semiconductor With About 75% Al in the Multiple Quantum Wells to Provide Emission at 235 NM. the Term Light Emitting Triode (LET) Derives Because It Has a Grid Between the Cathode and Anode of the Source and to Differentiate It From Traditional Pn-junction Light Emitting Diodes (leds). Electron Beam Pumping Avoids the Essentially Insurmountable Problems With the PN Junction Technology of Leds Such as Realization of Both a High Hole Concentration and Low-resistivity P-type Algan With High Enough Aln Mole Fraction to Separate Raman and Fluorescence Spectral Regions. Another Feature of the Let Is That It Is Insensitive to High Energy Ionizing Radiation Expected in the Regions of Many Celestial Bodies of Interest. the Core Technology That Enables the Proposed Duv-let Is a Patented (usp 7 590 161 2009) SUB-250 NM Narrow Linewidth Deep Uv Source Which Was Initially Developed With Funding From Nasa/astid and Dod/darpa Contracts Which Brought the Basic TRL Level Up About 2. This Proposed Effort Will Further Improve Upon These Prior Nasa and Dod Funded Efforts to Demonstrate a Functional 1 CC Duv-let at TRL Level Between 3 and 4.