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A FULLERENE BASED HIGH RESPONSIVITY, LOW NOISE SUPERCONDUCTING BOLOMETER

Award Information
Agency: National Science Foundation
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 27361
Amount: $65,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1994
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
10960 N Stallard Pl
Tucson, AZ 85737
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Theodore A Miller
 (602) 575-8013
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

THE RECENT AVAILABILITY OF THE CARBON ICOSOHEDRAL MOLECULES, THE FULLERENES, AND THE DISCOVERY OF SUPERCONDUCTIVITY IN ALKALI DOPED FULLERENE DERIVATIVES OPENS NEW AVENUES OF INVESTIGATION INTO SUPERCONDUCTING DEVICES. IN PARTICULAR, THE FULLERIDES ARE PREDICTED TO ACHIEVE HIGH PERFORMANCE AS SUPERCONDUCTING BOLOMETERS. MOST OF THE CURRENT SUPERCONDUCTING INFRARED SENSORS HAVE UTILIZED BOLOMETRIC MECHANISMS, INCLUDING MOST OF THOSE DEVELOPED RECENTLY FROM THE HIGH-TC CERAMICS. THE BOLOMETRIC MECHANISMS ARE WELL UNDERSTOOD, AND A SIMPLE THERMAL MODEL ADEQUATELY PREDICTS THE BOLOMETRIC BEHAVIOR. USING THAT MODEL, THE FULLERENE BASED SUPERCONDUCTORS ARE PREDICTED TO ACHIEVE A ONE-TO-TWO ORDER OF MAGNITUDE IMPROVEMENT IN RESPONSIVITY (CHANGE OF SIGNAL FOR A GIVEN CHANGE IN POWER) IN COMPARISON TO THE SUPERCONDUCTING CERAMICS. ADDITIONALLY, THE SAME INTRINSIC PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE FULLERENES PREDICT A REDUCTION OF THE NOISE-EQUIVALENT-POWER (NEP) BY AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE AS WELL. THE COMBINATION OF BENEFITS CAN YIELD A THREE ORDER OF MAGNITUDE IMPROVEMENT IN THE SPECIFIC DETECTIVITY, D(*). RESEARCHERS ARE TESTING THE IR RESPONSIVITY OF FULLERIDE FILMS USING ENVIRONMENTALLY PROTECTING TEST CELLS IN PREPARATION FOR COMMERCIAL DEVICES AND ARRAYS.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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