OUSD (R&E) CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): FutureG The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. OBJECTIVE: Develop a single sensor/camera that captures visible (VIS) color and short-wave infrared (SWIR) bands in daylight, haze, and low light conditions with real time video output. DESCRIPTION: Future submarine periscopes or future submarine off board systems will employ multiple imaging sensors with different imaging modalities and bands. The size of new masts will be similar in size to existing traditional submarine periscopes or smaller and similar for off board systems. The need to add additional capabilities drives the design toward reducing the size, weight, and power (SWaP) of sensors and internal components. Imaging sensors are needed for situational awareness and navigation. Visible band sensors are employed to differentiate navigation lights to quickly determine a ship's aspect at night and identify navigation markers and buoys. Short wave infrared cameras are a low-cost alternative to costly thermal sensors for low light leveling situational awareness and navigation. To reduce SWaP while maintaining the benefits of both imaging bands, the Navy desires the development of a single sensor to capture imagery in the VIS color and SWIR bands. Combining both imaging bands into one compact sensor while maintaining the performance of each is challenging. Silicon based complementary metal-oxide semiconductors (CMOS) are the most available visible band focal plan arrays photodetectors, while indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs), Germanium (Ge), and more recently colloidal quantum dot (CQD) are common for SWIR focal plane array photodetectors. Two focal plane array approaches have been explored utilizing a beam splitter along with the deposition of CQDs onto silicon for simultaneous imaging of visible and SWIR light. Existing visible to SWIR dual band imagers are commercially available but are monochromatic and fail to provide the user the required situational awareness provided by a color screen. Development is needed to achieve a VIS color to SWIR solution. The final single sensor should also provide three outputs: visible, SWIR, and a fused visible-SWIR image. The fused image can be implemented separately from the sensor via post processing. The following capabilities are desired for the dual band color VIS and SWIR sensor: - Pixel pitch: VIS 5 microns, SWIR 12 microns - Pixel Density: VIS 1920x1080, SWIR 1920x1080 - Frames per seconds: 30-60 - Spectral Range: VIS 0.4-0.7 microns, SWIR 0.9-1.7 microns - Noise Equivalent Illumination/Irradiance: VIS 0.144m Lux s, SWIR 2x10^9 photons/cm^2 s - Bad pixels: SWIR dark or light response better than +/- 25% of array response - Read noise: SWIR 60e - Dark Current: SWIR 5nA/cm2 at 25 C - Quantum Efficiency: VIS 80%, SWIR 60% - Spatial Alignment: VIS-SWIR co-bore sighted - Temporal Alignment: Within one or two frames The Navy requires the technology to enable the insertion of a dual band VIS-SWIR sensor into submarine mast systems to reduce space requirements where a mast must be smaller. To modernize key capabilities for advance naval operations, from the perspective of sensing and navigation, the Navy must manage the operational environment, as well as develop advance capabilities that exploit novel principles to bring new and affordable capabilities to the warfighter. The technology identified in this SBIR topic will enable faster situational awareness; enhance enemy, friendly, and neutral ship detection and classification; and improve safety of ship navigation. Work produced in Phase II may become classified. Note: The prospective contractor(s) must be U.S. owned and operated with no foreign influence as defined by 32 U.S.C. 2004.20 et seq., National Industrial Security Program Executive Agent and Operating Manual, unless acceptable mitigating procedures can and have been implemented and approved by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) formerly Defense Security Service (DSS). The selected contractor must be able to acquire and maintain a secret level facility and Personnel Security Clearances. This will allow contractor personnel to perform on advanced phases of this project as set forth by DCSA and NAVSEA in order to gain access to classified information pertaining to the national defense of the United States and its allies; this will be an inherent requirement. The selected company will be required to safeguard classified material during the advanced phases of this contract IAW the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM), which can be found at Title 32, Part 2004.20 of the Code of Federal Regulations. PHASE I: Define and develop a conceptual design for an extended range or dual band color VIS/SWIR sensor/camera that meets the requirements described above. Demonstrate the feasibility of achieving daylight through low light color imagery and show that the concepts can be feasibly developed into a useful product for the Navy. Material testing and analytical modeling will be analyzed to establish design feasibility. The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include a design layout and capabilities for the Phase II prototype. PHASE II: Develop an extended range or dual band color VIS/SWIR sensor/camera prototype for evaluation. The prototype will be evaluated to determine its capability in meeting the performance goals defined in the Phase II Statement of Work (SOW) and the Navy requirements for nighttime navigation. System performance will be demonstrated through prototype evaluation and modeling over the required range of environmental parameters including lighting conditions and maritime navigational cues. Evaluation results will be used to refine the prototype into an initial design that meets Navy requirements and will be delivered at the end of Phase II. Prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology for Navy use. It is probable that the work under this effort will be classified under Phase II (see Description section for details). PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Support the Navy in transitioning the technology for Navy use for the Submarine Electromagnetic Systems program. Develop an extended range color VIS/SWIR sensor for evaluation to determine its effectiveness in an operationally relevant environment. Support integration and testing aboard operational platforms. Commercial use of this technology includes surveillance systems, commercial navigation systems, and imaging for search-and-rescue. These are examples of a few systems that must operate in a variety of lighting and sometimes hazy conditions, and which may also require distinction between specific colors. REFERENCES: 1. Goldstein N. et al., "Fabrication And Testing Of A UAS Based Visible To Extended-SWIR Hyperspectral Sensor." 2019 10th Workshop on Hyperspectral Imaging and Signal Processing: Evolution in Remote Sensing (WHISPERS), Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2019, pp. 1-5. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8921001 2. Honda, T.; Hamamoto, T. and Sugimura, D. "Low-Light Color Image Super-Resolution Using RGB/NIR Sensor." 2018 25th IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP), Athens, Greece, 2018, pp. 56-60. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8451274 3. Tang, Xin et al. Colloidal Quantum-Dots/Graphene/Silicon Dual-Channel Detection of Visible Light and Short-Wave Infrared. ACS Photonics, July 2020, pp. 1117-1121. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsphotonics.0c00247 4. National Industrial Security Program Executive Agent and Operating Manual (NISP), 32 U.S.C. 2004.20 et seq. (1993). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-B/chapter-XX/part-2004 KEYWORDS: Low light; color imager; high dynamic range; Short-Wave Infrared; SWIR; dual band; maritime navigation; Electro-Optical/Infrared; EO/IR
