Critical Low-risk Electro-optic Alternatives for Resilience (CLEAR) N001641990001
Summary
AI-generated · Jun 11, 2026Identify and evaluate alternative domestic materials to replace or supplement germanium- and gallium-based components in electro-optic/IR imaging optics used for cameras across SWIR, MWIR, and LWIR, enabling improved resilience for situational awareness, surveillance, and targeting applications.
This effort addresses export-license constraints and rising costs since 2023 for germanium, gallium, antimony, heavy rare earth elements, tellurium, indium, and related materials by seeking domestic options that can meet IR optical performance, manufacturability, and cost requirements for EO/IR systems.
Electro-optic (EO, VIS) and infrared (IR) video imaging sensors (i.e., cameras) are widely used for situational awareness, surveillance, and targeting. The Department of War (DoW) deploys such cameras in multiple spectral bands, including short-, mid-, and long wave IR, a.k.a. SWIR, MWIR, and LWIR respectively. In IR, especially the MWIR and LWIR spectral bands, germanium has advantageous optical properties such as high index of refraction, higher transmission, and lower dispersion compared to other available materials. Gallium-based materials are also highly used in IR optical components. Since 2023, China has heavily increased regulations on export of critical materials to the United States. Now export licenses are required for germanium, gallium, antimony, heavy rare earth elements, tellurium, indium, and more. Optical components reliant on germanium and gallium are especially costly and availability is critically threatened. It is therefore necessary to establish alternative domestic materials for EO/IR systems.
From Special Notice posted on Jun 10, 2026Notice history
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