Potomac Photonics to manufacture diffractive optics for NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently awarded a $600,000 SBIR Phase II contract to Potomac Photonics Inc. (Lanham, MD) for rapid fabrication of diffractive optical elements. During the Phase I contract, the company demonstrated fabrication of simple diffractive optics using ultraviolet laser-ablation techniques. The current contract calls for Potomac to further develo¥the laser micromachining workstation and increase the complexity of the optics produced. Potomac suggests that this approach may reduce fabrication time and cost by an order of magnitude over conventional lithographic methods.