ALEXANDRIA, VA — July 28, 2026 — Polaris Semiconductor has been named one of eight winners of the U.S. Army’s xTech|Phantum competition, selected in the Photonics topic area for its concept “Uncooled InGaAsSb Photodiodes for Covert High-Bandwidth Free-Space Optical Communications at 2.2–2.5 µm.”
The award carries a $20,000 cash prize and makes Polaris Semiconductor eligible to submit a Phase I Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposal worth up to $300,000. The company intends to submit during the Army’s proposal window in August.
xTech|Phantum sought quantum sensing and photonics technologies from U.S. small businesses across four topic areas: quantum sensors and clocks for position, navigation, and timing; quantum radio-frequency sensors; quantum electromagnetic sensors; and photonics. Finalists pitched in person July 21–23 at the Southwest Mission Acceleration Center (SWMAC) facility in Phoenix, Arizona.
Why the 2.2–2.5 µm band is difficult
Free-space optical links carry data on a beam of light rather than over the radio spectrum, which makes them attractive where the RF spectrum is congested, contested, or monitored. Most fielded optical systems work at wavelengths where mature detectors exist. Extending to 2.2–2.5 µm is extremely technically challenging using standard indium gallium arsenide detectors, which typically serve shorter SWIR wavelengths. Detectors built for longer wavelengths are typically slower and generally need active cooling to keep their noise in check — a burden on the size, weight, and power budget of anything that has to be carried or flown. A high-speed detector that performs in this critical gap between 2.2–2.5 µm without cooling would remove that burden, while also offering significantly lower atmospheric scattering compared to SWIR systems.
A thread back to the company’s core technology
Polaris Semiconductor’s shipping products are Enhanced Linear Regulators (ELRs), which use the company’s monolithic gallium arsenide optocouplers to recycle energy that a conventional linear regulator would waste as heat. The competition concept draws on the same foundation: the design, growth, and fabrication of compound semiconductor optoelectronics — devices that move energy between light and electricity efficiently. The xTech|Phantum work extends that expertise into the antimonide material system.
That foundation predates the company. Chief Executive Officer Matthew Lumb is a co-author of Bands and Photons in III-V Quantum Semiconductor Structures, and Chief Technology Officer Kenneth Schmieder spent a decade at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory managing research in III-V optoelectronics, heterogeneous integration, and advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
“The United States has long held a scientific edge in the development of GaSb-based electronics,” said Matthew Lumb, Chief Executive Officer of Polaris Semiconductor. “We are glad to see the U.S. Army recognize the value of that edge against the next generation of challenges in contested environments.”
Acknowledgments
xTech|Phantum was delivered by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)) in partnership with the U.S. Army Directorate for Strategy & Transformation (DAMI-ST). The xTech program sits within Army FUZE, the Army’s portfolio of private-sector engagement, which spans prize competitions, the Army SBIR and STTR programs, the Technology Maturation Initiative, and Manufacturing Technology.
Polaris Semiconductor thanks the Army xTech team, Army FUZE, and DAMI-ST for running the competition, and the staff of the Southwest Mission Acceleration Center for hosting the finals.
More information on the competition is available at xtech.army.mil.
About Polaris Semiconductor
Polaris Semiconductor designs and manufactures advanced DC voltage regulators optimized for ultra-low noise, compact integration, and high efficiency across aerospace, defense, instrumentation, and high-performance computing sectors. Based in Alexandria, VA, the company’s mission is to push the boundaries of what’s possible in analog power design.
More information: www.polarissemiconductor.com