ASI Technology Plasma Experience

What is Plasma?
On earth we live upon an island of "ordinary" matter. The different states of matter generally found on earth are solid, liquid, and gas. Sir William Crookes, an English physicist identified a fourth state of matter, now called plasma, in 1879. Plasma is by far the most common form of matter. Plasma in the stars and in the tenuous space between them makes up over 99% of the visible universe and perhaps most of that which is not visible. Plasmas carry electrical currents and generate magnetic fields.

Plasma Sponsored Work & Experience
We were a pioneer in developing plasma antenna technology which we sold in 2003. Plasma antenna technology employs ionized gas enclosed in a tube (or other enclosure) as the conducting element of an antenna. This is a fundamental change from traditional antenna design that generally employs solid metal wires as the conducting element. Ionized gas is an efficient conducting element with a number of important advantages. Since the gas is ionized only for the time of transmission or reception, "ringing" and associated effects of solid wire antenna design are eliminated. The design allows for extremely short pulses, important to many forms of digital communication and radars. The design further provides the opportunity to construct an antenna that can be compact and dynamically reconfigured for frequency, direction, bandwidth, gain and beamwidth. Plasma antenna technology will enable antennas to be designed that are efficient, low in weight and smaller in size than traditional solid wire antennas. Plasma antenna technology has been studied and characterized by ASI Technology Corporation revealing favorable attributes in connection with antenna applications. Government sponsored work has included:

• ONR contract N66001-97-M-1153 May 1997 - The major objective of this program was to determine the noise levels associated with the use of gas plasma as a conductor for a transmitting and receiving antenna. Both laboratory and field-test measurements were conducted.

• ONR contract N00014-98-C-0045 November 1997 - The major objective of this effort was to characterize the GP antenna for conductivity, ionization breakdowns, upper frequency limits, excitation and relaxation times, ignition mechanisms, temperatures and thermionic noise emissions and compare these results to a reference folded copper wire monopole. The measured radiation patterns of the plasma antenna compared very well with copper wire antennas.

• MDA Phase I SBIR Contract DASG60-01-P-0063 May 2001 - This six month work (expanded for an additional three months by MDA) focused on using plasma rather than solid metal as the current medium for an antenna. We illustrated the use of controllable apertures (open plasma windows) for far field antenna radiation. Experiments verified a new plasma windowing concept.

• MDA Phase II SBIR Contract DASG60-02-C-0055 April 2002 - This 24 month contract focused on developing a feasibility prototype high power antenna based on our windowing concept and to design and develop a high power phased array using plasma phase shifters to steer the beam. Malibu Research Associates is our subcontractor on this project.

• MDA Phase I SBIR Contract DASG60-02-P-0033 April 2002 - This 6 month contract focused on using plasma as a replacement for metal in a frequency selective surface (FSS) used to filter electromagnetic waves. A tunable FSS can absorb frequencies above the resonant frequency and reflect those above to reduce radar vulnerability to countermeasures. Plasma is an excellent shield and filter for antenna systems.

• Navy Phase I SBIR Contract N00178-03-C-1013 January 2003 - This contract was to develop a gas plasma antenna array architecture capable of meeting the broad Navy objectives for future shipboard radar systems. We proposed a compendium of plasma technologies that could be integrated into existing radar suites or be designed into future revolutionary radars. These technologies are plasma windowing, plasma waveguides, plasma Frequency Selective Surfaces and flat parabolic arrays (FLAPS).

In August 2002 ASI was awarded a twelve month Phase I contract by the U.S. Air Force to evaluate ASI's method of generating atmospheric pressure plasmas and their use in decontamination. Eastern Virginia Medical School was a subcontractor on this effort.

ASI Technology Corporation developed under contract with General Dynamics Electric Boat Division and in conjunction with the Plasma Physics Laboratory at the University of Tennessee, an inflatable plasma antenna. This antenna operated at 2.4 Ghz and was designed to mount on the mast of an attack submarine. We have also demonstrated prototype plasma waveguides and plasma reflectors to General Dynamics.