Chip Scale Combinatorial Atomic Navigator (C SCAN) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

DARPA's Chip Scale Combinatorial Atomic Navigator (C SCAN) opportunity (DARPA BAA 12-44, Microsystems Technology Office) is a research solicitation focused on building a next-generation, micro-scale inertial measurement unit (IMU) by tightly combining multiple inertial sensors that operate on different underlying physics. The core idea is that no single chip-scale inertial sensing approach fully solves the practical navigation problem: solid-state MEMS-class sensors can be small and fast to start, but they tend to drift over time, while atomic or quantum-based sensors can offer superior long-term stability but are traditionally larger, more power-hungry, and slower to start. C SCAN is trying to bring the strengths of both into one miniature package, then fuse their outputs with new algorithms and architectures so the full system performs far beyond what is typical for chip-scale navigation hardware.

The technical problem DARPA highlights centers on three persistent limitations in chip-scale inertial navigation components used for positioning, targeting, navigation, and guidance: long-term drift (bias stability and scale factor drift that accumulates error), dynamic range (maintaining accuracy over both small and large motions), and start-up time (how quickly a device can become operational from a cold start). C SCAN seeks to address these issues through co-integration of dissimilar sensor modalities in a single microsystem, rather than treating them as separate subsystems connected at the box level. In practice, this means not only placing sensors near each other, but exploring true miniaturization and co-fabrication approaches where atomic sensor elements and high-performance solid-state inertial sensors are integrated into one small, engineered ensemble.

DARPA states two main objectives. First is the miniaturization and co-fabrication of atomic sensors with high-performance solid-state inertial sensors. This points to research spanning microfabrication, packaging, materials, photonics or optics (where relevant to atomic sensors), thermal management, vacuum or vapor-cell approaches, and overall microsystem engineering. Second is the development of combinatorial algorithms and system architectures that can "seamlessly" integrate sensors with dissimilar physics of operation. That emphasis signals that proposals are expected to go beyond hardware demonstrations and include robust sensor fusion, calibration, error modeling, and architecture-level approaches that exploit complementary strengths, such as using atomic references to correct long-term bias while retaining the fast response and wide bandwidth of solid-state sensors.

The program deliverable is explicitly defined: a miniature IMU that co-integrates atomic and solid-state inertial sensors in a single microsystem with a total volume no greater than 20 cubic centimeters and power consumption no greater than 1 watt. DARPA also provides ambitious performance targets that describe what "success" should look like. The expected performance includes very high motion detection resolution, cited as 10^-4 degrees per hour for rotation and 10^-6 g for linear acceleration, along with exceptional long-term bias and scale factor stability on the order of 1 part per million relative to the full-scale operating range. Just as importantly, DARPA wants start-up times that are orders of magnitude better than typical atomic sensor systems: less than 10 seconds from a cold start, implying rapid availability in real operational scenarios where GPS may be denied or intermittent and systems cannot afford long warm-up periods.

From a contracting and administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed as discretionary R&D funding under CFDA 12.910 (Research and Technology Development). DARPA indicates multiple possible award instruments, including cooperative agreements, grants, other transactions, and procurement contracts, giving the government flexibility in how it structures agreements based on the nature of proposed work and performers. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning the solicitation is broadly open to qualified entities (subject to any specific constraints contained in the full BAA text). No cost sharing or matching requirement is indicated. Award ceiling and floor are not specified in the synopsis (both shown as 0), which typically means funding levels are determined by the proposals received, program priorities, and negotiations rather than a fixed published range.

This posting includes an Amendment 01 whose purpose is purely administrative: it revises the proposal due date. The synopsis indicates the original closing date was July 10, 2012, and the revised (current) closing date became July 13, 2012, with the conformed DARPA BAA document showing the change highlighted. The opportunity was posted April 16, 2012, created June 14, 2012, and later archived January 15, 2013. The technical description itself remains the same in the amendment language provided; the change is centered on schedule.

DARPA points applicants to the MTO solicitations page for full details and notes a contact point for access issues: Dr. Andrei Shkel, Program Manager, with an MTO BAA Coordinator referenced as well. Overall, C SCAN is best read as a push toward a practical, deployable chip-scale inertial navigation technology that combines atomic-grade stability with solid-state responsiveness, packaged within strict size and power limits and supported by sophisticated fusion algorithms that turn a heterogeneous sensor ensemble into a single, high-performance IMU.

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