Summary: MEMS Deformable Mirror Technology Improvement for Space-Primarily based Exoplanet Detection

Paul Bierden/Boston Micromachines

In the seek for earth-like extrasolar planets that has turn into an essential goal for NASA, a crucial expertise growth requirement is to advance deformable mirror (DM) expertise. High-actuator-count DMs are crucial elements for practically all proposed coronagraph instrument ideas. The science case for exoplanet imaging is powerful, and fast latest advances in check beds with DMs made utilizing microelectromechanical system (MEMS) expertise have made them an enabling part.

The proposed analysis will advance the expertise readiness of the MEMS DMs elements which might be at the moment on the forefront of the sphere, and the mission shall be led by the producer of these elements, Boston Micromachines Corporation (BMC). The mission goals to display primary performance and efficiency of this part in crucial check environments whereas establishing model-based predictions of its efficiency relative to launch and area environments.

BMC MEMS DMs have been proposed in NASA space-based exoplanet mission ideas together with Extrasolar Planetary Imaging Coronagraph (EPIC), Exoplanetary Circumstellar Environment and Disk Explorer (EXCEDE), Wide Field Coronagraph Space Telescope (WFCST) and Pupil-mapping Exoplanet Cononagraphic Observer (PECO), amongst others. BMC is one in every of two producers which have fielded prototype MEMS DMs for this utility in NASA check beds. Presently BMC is the one MEMS DM expertise worldwide that has yielded absolutely useful DM elements with greater than 1000 levels of freedom.

BMC high-actuator-count MEMS DM elements have been built-in in exoplanet exploration check beds utilizing multimirror array (MMA) architectures with 331 unbiased hexagonal mirror segments supported by three underlying electrostatic actuators per section, and utilizing steady deformable mirror (CDM) architectures with compliant mirrors supported by 1020 underlying electrostatic actuators. Despite broad NASA curiosity within the expertise and regular technical progress in DM growth and use, BMC MEMS elements haven’t been examined for his or her survivability upon publicity to mechanical shock and vibration at ranges according to area launch.

The goal is to attain two interrelated expertise growth milestones that display the capability of the MEMS DMs to outlive dynamic mechanical environmental stresses related to launch and deployment in area. Without such expertise growth, a coronagraph mission utilizing MEMS DMs wouldn’t be attainable.

DM elements shall be evaluated at BMC and in three current coronagraph ted beds: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) APEP check mattress, for seen nulling with an MMA, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Vacuum Nulling Test mattress (VNT), for vacuum seen nulling with an MMA, and Princeton University, High Contrast Imaging Laboratory (HCIL) for phase-induced amplitude apodization (PIAA) nulling with a pair of CDMs.

Components shall be evaluated for his or her baseline efficiency as measured by null depth achieved in repeated closed loop experiments. Components may even be examined at BMC to quantify efficiency modifications ensuing from environmental publicity. Results shall be correlated with electromechanical fashions of MEMS DMs. After baseline measurements, the elements shall be subjected to component-level prototype environmental testing at GSFC Environmental Test and Integration Facilities (ETIF). Environmental exposures will embody random vibration, sine vibration, acoustic loading, and mechanical shock qualification.

Components subjected to ETIF dynamic mechanical assessments shall be characterised opto-electro-mechanically at BMC, after which returned to coronagraph check beds and evaluated for his or her post-test efficiency as measured by null depth achieved and null depth variance in repeated closed loop experiments. At the conclusion of the mission, every check mattress will retain the check DMs to help future growth.

Strategic Astrophysics Technology
Solicitation: NNH10ZDA001N-SAT