Cambridge, MA, Aug. 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
For More Information:
Charles Conway
Boston Micromachines Corporation
cac@bostonmicromachines.com
(617) 868 - 4178
NASA Awards Boston Micromachines with SBIR phase II contract for development of deformable mirrors FOR SPACE IMAGING APPLICATIONS
Cambridge, Mass., August 1, 2016 Boston Micromachines Corporation (BMC), a leading provider of MEMS-based deformable mirror (DM) products for adaptive optics systems, announced that it has been awarded a contract through NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) to develop DM technology needed for next generation space-based telescopes . The two year, ~$750k Phase II contract was awarded to BMC after the successful completion of a Phase I project where proof of concept experimentation led to advanced production methods of MEMS DMs. The Phase II project will expand upon those results.
The goal of the project is to develop new production methods that enhance the actuator yield, performance and reliability of deformable mirrors, to meet the demanding requirement of space applications. The project deliverable is a 100% functioning high reliability 2040 actuator deformable mirror. This mirror matches needs for current space telescope concepts and serves as a stepping stone towards the eventual production of a 10,000 actuator deformable mirror for applications in space-based and ground-based telescopes. Manufacturing process advancements from this SBIR project will also result in improved device performance across the BMC portfolio.
“We are excited to continue the technology development needed for future space missions. The success of this program will help bring a solution for exoplanet imaging with deformable mirrors. BMC’s MEMS technology will also help reduce the cost of future exoplanet missions due to their low size, weight, and power,” said Paul Bierden, president of Boston Micromachines Corporation. “We are pleased that NASA continues to support our mirror technology and its role in the future of flight hardware that supports direct exoplanet detection.”
The awards were part of NASA's Small Business Innovation Research programs. The highly competitive programs afford small businesses the chance to propose unique ideas that meet specific research and development needs of the government. The criteria used to choose these winning proposals include technical merit and feasibility, experience, qualifications, effectiveness of the work plan and commercial potential.
About Boston Micromachines Corporation
Founded in 1999, Boston Micromachines Corporation (BMC) is the leading provider of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) - based mirror products and a designer of adaptive optics instrumentation as well as advanced retinal imaging instrumentation. By applying wavefront correction to produce high resolution images, BMC devices can be used to enhance images blurred by the earth's atmosphere as well as for imaging biological tissue and the human retina. They are widely used to drive scientific discovery in astronomy, laser beam shaping, microscopy, vision science, and support a variety of defense applications. Customers include NASA, UC Berkeley, Lockheed Martin and Boston University. Located in Cambridge, MA, BMC is privately held and offers custom-designed manufacturing services in addition to its portfolio of standard DM products. For more information on BMC, please visit www.bostonmicromachines.com.