SBIR-STTR Award

This study is proposed to determine an optimum thermodynamic cycle for a fast cooldown joule-thomson microminature refrigerator for operation of 20k and below which will maintain an extremely uniform temperature difference across the cold stage. It is proposed to design and fabricate a miniature cooler to meet these specifications and to characterize its performance at 20k and below.

The purpose of the program is to develop a new class of microminiature joule-thomson refrigerator and vacuum package for infra-red seekers. Using a new technology, these will be of high efficiency, capable of rapid cooldown of 20k or below and yet will maintain an extremely uniform and constant temperature on the cold stage once operating temperature is reached. It is proposed to utilize recent advances in material science to improve substantially the methods of fabrication and the strength of the materials so that the cooler and the rugged package containing it will be able to withstand extremely high accelerations during launch and maintain vacuum integrity for many years.