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Message: The Thinker blogs about POET - follow the money
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If a dead horse like AOL can get $1.1 Billion for it's patent portfolio from Microsoft, then the valuation of POETseems laughably low at $1.3 B.

Like Kathleen Turner said in V.I. Warshawski, if you want to get to the bottom of something you have to "follow the money".

In the case of ODIS/POET, there is plenty to follow already, in the form of contracts issued by NASA and DoD to help fund the realization of POET technologies to achieve some specific goals.

To understand the SBIR program, take a look here, it will explain what the dollar caps per SBIR type are, as you'll notice these reflected in the funding (apparently to the 75% level of the max for each type).

If you were to do a search of the SBIR/STTR site, you'd find quite a laundry list. The list is below (I think it's complete), and it seems to amount to a number of challenges put forth to ODIS to advance their work in useful directions.

The SBIR's below total are $5.28M, and it's interesting to watch the "Number of Employees" entry grow/change over the years.

Phase 1 SBIR's on Phased Array RADARs


Tracking #: MDA02-028
Client: MDA
Phase: 1
Amount: $69,224.00
Year: 2002
Discussion: This discusses the development of a unique approach to analog-to-digital conversion at the low noise amplifier of a radar receiver - unique in that they postulate that if the bitrate were high enough, traditional AD techniques wouldn't be needed - just do a conversion to optical digital and send it down a fibre to be processed. Although there was no apparent Phase 2 SBIR for this one, a similar Phase 1 SBIR was issued 6 years later (MDA07-038, below)


Tracking #: SB043-047
Client: DARPA
Phase: 1
Amount: $98,838.00
Year: 2004
Discussion: I guess it was DARPA's turn to fund the research this time. In this version, they are looking to produce a wafer (a disc of uncut chips, in this case 256 of them). It's not entirely clear, but they appear to also want them to interconnect (or stay connected as a wafer); which makes sense in a phased array config.

Tracking #: AF05-040
Client: AF
Phase: 1
Amount: $99,982.00
Year: 2005
Discussion: Basically a Phased Array RADAR controller/receiver on-a-chip, which seems to build on MDA02-028 from 2002, and is followed by MDA07-038 in 2008.

Title: Photonic control technology for Phased Arrays
Tracking #: MDA07-038
Client: DOD / MDA
Phase: 1
Amount: $99,852.00
Year: 2008
Discussion: In reading the more recent NR's it appears the goals of creating Thyristor/HFET circuits was accomplished. They also mention an application to create a single chip design just after the Low Noise Amplifier in the receive antenna to do the analog-to-digital (optical) conversion. If you had an array of radars (or any detector, really) that was producing high data rates (which all do), and was bigger than a breadbox (which almost all are), then sending those signals via optical is a big win. There was no apparent Phase 2 SBIR for this one, but these appear to be mostly foundational work.



Tracking #: 104273
Client: NASA
Phase: 1
Amount: $99,887.00
Year: 2011
Discussion: Why stop at what the Air Force asked for in 2005 (AF05-040, above), when you can RF, too? The short version of this is that it appears that NASA wants a single RADAR and LIDAR unit with a single aperture, which in the realm of very restrictive payload weights, sizes, and power requirements makes sense. I did a quick background read on this and while I can see how to do RF beam steering across a phased array, so doing the same true-time-delay with optical across the array should also work - at least on the receive side. I guess NASA felt so, too, since they dropped almost $100k on this.




A Pair of Phase 1+2 SBIR's on Radar clocks



Tracking #: BMDO02T-00
Client: MDA
Phase: 1
Amount: $69,167.00
Year: 2002-2003
Discussion: The use of optics as a stable clock source, and some of the goodness expected from that approach.



Tracking #: BMDO02T-00

Client: MDA
Phase: 1

Amount: $69,167.00

Year: 2002-2003
Discussion:

Tracking #: AF05-043
Client: AF
Phase: 1
Amount: $99,982.00
Year: 2005-2006
Discussion: This happens concurrently in the prior 2005 SBIR's on Phased Array RADARs, and is to investigate using the POET method to produce an integrated chip to reduce the size/bulk of an optically sourced timer/oscillator for RADAR use.
Tracking #: AF05-043
Client: AF
Phase: 2
Amount: $749,952.00
Year: 2006-2008
Discussion: Build the chip specified in Phase 1.



Other Phase 1 SBIR's



Tracking #: F073-004-1091
Client: DOD / USAF
Phase: 1
Amount: $99,996.00
Year: 2008-2009
Discussion: The SBIR talks about a high data rate transmit / receive circuit; nothing interesting here, except that it'sreally fast. To me the nifty bit is that this is an RF application, and the optical elements (the on-chip laser) are used to create or detect the high frequency energy. I didn't see a Phase 2 SBIR in the extended list for this, however I think it's linked to the satellite communications SBIR's.


Tracking #: N102-123-1343
Client: DOD / NAVY
Amount: $79,945.00
Year: 2010
Discussion: Navy, huh? I guess the branches of the US Military really do talk to each other after all. And although the $ amount is low, this has a contract # on it. There was no direct follow up Phase 2 SBIR for this tracking number.
The puzzling thing to me is why the Navy would be talking about FTTH... "Fibre To The Home". I guess if you operate large bases, big boats, or global networks, it's the same challenge. I remember taking a Cisco firewall class years and years ago, and the US Navy had a good contingent there.
This is yet another application where POET would use the objective of monolithic packaging to drive down costs. If you don't recognize the acronym 'WDM' - that's "Wave Division Multiplexing", a method of (usually) using prisims to take different frequencies of light from different optical drivers and sending them down (or receiving them from) the same fibre strand.
Strange that they'd be talking about media access that is by definition a different approach to the shared media method described by CDMA (code division multiple access)... unless they really have bee in their bonnet about encryption. Let's see - Navy + Encryption ... yep, makes sense.
So they are talking about a WDM-friendly (optical) implementation where each injected lambda can be CDMA carried and encrypted. The obvious benefit is that the encryption is done at wire-speed, of no overhead to the sender/receiver, and because it's done in firmware on the chip it the CDMA sequence could be changed at will. It's been a while since I formally wore my 'Security Guy' hat, and a quick check of CDMA security issues seemed to focus more on wireless CDMA fraud and eavesdropping, but the code key lengths were pathetically short. An on-chip / software encryption would let the user specify some extensions to this, or even roll their own security spec on top of it.
Tracking #: AF093-082
Client: DOD / USAF
Phase: 1
Amount: $99,885.00
Year: 2010-2011
Discussion: This SBIR contains some brief statements about the current generation of static memory not being all that great on a satellite in a space environment. They go on to describe how POET would be a way to enable an ultra low power memory at high densities. I'll have to do more homework on this, because I'm not familiar enough with the structure sizes to make a judgement call on this aspect. There was no apparent Phase 2 SBIR for this.
I do know that HP has made comments about the costs of memory in terms of electricity, so a POET style lower power memory with fast response and an optical bus connection is right on point here, and in fact someone mentions Opel down in the comments below the article, which is how I found it.




Phase 1 + Phase 2 SBIR's


The entries below are grouped into matching SBIR reference numbers; ie there was Phase 1 work followed by a Phase 2 award.

Satellite Communications by Optical or RF methods




Tracking #: BMDO01-011
Client: MDA
Phase: 1
Amount: $64,978.00
Year: Awarded 2001 (2001-2002)
- and -
Phase: 2
Amount: $999,112.00
Year: Awarded 2003 (2002-2004)
Discussion: This was to investigate the use of a POET implemented laser/RF link for satellite communications at very high bandwidths (>10Ghz). Tons of applications for this one.
Tracking #: AF02-233
Client: AF
Phase: 1
Amount: $99,270.00
Year: 2002
Discussion: This is another iteration of the single aperture RADAR/LIDAR units.
Tracking #: AF02-233
Client: AF
Phase: 2
Amount: $749,776.00
Year: 2003
Discussion: The text of the SBIR is missing, however based on similar Phase 1+2 SBIR's it's likely this was to realize the idea in functioning hardware.


Tracking #: AF04-043
Client: AF
Phase: 1
Amount: $99,982.00
Year: Awarded 2004
Discussion: This looks to investigate the build of a satellite optical (laser) transponder that uses very little power (30mW) but is VERY fast, even by 2012 standards (40GB/s) - (note: although there are a lot of errors in the SBIR's - I don't think they are always transcribed with correct units - in this case I do believe they have it correct - 40 gigabytes/sec. The reference to GB means bytes, as opposed to gb or Gb. It just looks right.)
Tracking #: AF04-043
Client: AF
Phase: 2
Amount: $749,807.00
Year: Awarded 2005
Discussion: This looks to actually build the transponder from the Phase 1 SBIR. Of note is the larger power requirement, up from 30mW to 100mW @ 40GB/s.


Tracking #: AF083-207
Client: DOD / USAF
Phase: 1
Amount: $99,992.00
Year: 2009
Discussion: This SBIR speaks more towards future applications than a single goal or project. It appears they are specifically funding additional research in the use of GaAs (gallium arsinide). It's also interesting that the wikipedia page on gallium arsinide seems to have been edited by the silicon industry; at least that's how I read it. Hopefully one day soon we'll be able to edit the last sentence "GaAs is often used as a substrate material for the epitaxial growth of other III-V semiconductors including: InGaAs and GaInNAs." to include a more direct reference to POET.

The Phase 2 SBIR that matches this is below.

Tracking #: AF083-207
Client: DOD / USAF
Phase: 2
Amount: $749,904.00
Year: 1/4/2010-1/30/2012
Discussion: Although the SBIR details talk about commercial aspects of these developments, really I can see the USAF wants a single on-chip IR imager. Building absolutely huge UAV's to lift all the electronics while sacrificing weapons payload must be a real pain-in-the-brass. But I'll leave my politics out of this discussion.


Tracking #: AF083-209
Client: DOD / USAF
Phase: 1
Amount: $99,992.00
Year: 2009-2010
Discussion: This one really has my interest; the creation of optical-electrial switch fabrics with POET. It's also interesting that the SBIR is written as if POET was a fait accompli - which hints that the confidence level that this is going to work is pretty dang high. And since there is a Phase 2 award, it looks like the author was right.

This SBIR also directly mentions how they expect POET to perform the switching - ie an on-chip optical-electrical coupler. What they don't talk about is how this might be implemented in a commercial grade device. I'll hold off on my own wish list for the moment, but I will hint that is is NOT to simply re-chip something like the Cisco Nexus 7000 family to drive down cost. That's a possibility (maybe even a near term noble goal), but it's wrong-headed in the longer term because there are other, bigger wins to be had.

The last sentence is interesting: "This approach to switching fabrics will establish a new direction in the industry." Well, duh. At least we agree that there is about to be a shake-up in the networking world.


Tracking #: AF083-209
Client: DOD / USAF
Phase: 2
Amount: $749,972
Year: 4/14/2010-6/13/2012
Discussion: This is the follow on Phase 2 SBIR. Since I think this is one of the bigger commercial applications, I'm glad this was additionally funded.




Tracking #: AF05-029
Client: DOD / AF
Phase: 2
Amount: $1,497,216
Year: 2006-2009
Discussion: Where to start with this one... basically a broad spectrum imaging and communications chip, capable of imaging both heat and visible light, and also to be able to transmit, presumably to similarly equipped hardware, enabling free-air communications with light. And do it on a single chip, with a single aperture, too. It's also interesting that there doesn't appear to be a Phase 1 SBIR, although with the evidence of prior Phase 1's that are similar, there may not have been a need.

direct link: http://opticalthoughts.blogspot.com/?view=magazine
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