SBIR-STTR Award

The proposed research will investigate the application of conductive high field emission microstructures encapsulated in a non-linear polymer binder material to develop a coatable, limiter technology for development of a Planar Metamaterial Limiter Coating (PMLC). The PMLC clamping, power handling, insertion losses, and critical performance parameters will be investigated. This research will serve as a feasibility demonstration for the insertion of the PMLC into MDA radars, communications, and GPS receiver systems. This research will form the basis for the development of a new, easily integrated category of inexpensive limiting solutions, formed by an applied coating that will act as the limiter. The PMLC will be completely passive, self-contained and heat dissipative. The PMLC brass board demonstration in this Phase I will demonstrate a high field emission distributed microstructure’s interaction with a non-linear material to provide maximal limiting of an incident HPM or UWB threat. The research will include but not be limited to: a brass board fabrication, a nanomaterials application, and a feasibility demonstration all of which are traceable to a production focused, surface coated limiter technology.

Keywords:
Planar Metamaterial Limiter Coating, Metamaterial, Hpm/Emp/Uwb, Limiter, Non-Linear, Material, Ferrites, Nanomaterials, High Power Jammers Protection

The proposed research promises to replace and/or complement current front end limiter technologies, which do not provide the necessary growth potential for evolving threats, with a technology that does. This would enable design engineers to support MDA GMD radar, communication, and GPS systems advancing threat requirements by applying an advanced limiter technology that counters evolving threats while not affecting the front end insertion loss. This research will provide the basis for the development of Planar Metamaterial Limiter Coating (PMLC) that will counter this problem and provide the necessary growth potential for evolving threats. During the proposed Phase II effort, PMLC technical feasibility demonstrations will be performed to demonstrate that this PMLC technology will raise the front-end RF power handling capability to well over 10x which will allow countering the estimated incident HPM/EMP field threats without transient failure or permanent damage to any RF front-end. The intended PMLC operation principle is to establish virtually instantaneous energy exchange between nonlinear PMLC coating material and incident high-power interference, thus clamping powerful HPM/EMP fields. At the same time this technology is intended to provide negligible coupling with the desired small signals thereby acting RF transparent and minimizing insertion loss. This effect will be achieved using nonlinear properties of the PMLC constituent material when influenced by the high RF fields. This research will provide a new category of inexpensive, easily integrated limiter technology that can grow with the evolving threat. Results: Several new PMLC devices will be fabricated and tested that will mitigate HPM, UWB and EMP destructive effects.

Keywords:
Pseudo-Metamaterial Limiter Coating, Hpm/Emp, Limiter, Non-Linear Material, Ferrites, Nanomaterials, Nano Fibers, X-Band