Company

Breakthrough Energy Reduction for Superior Indoor Air Quality using a Novel Solid State Far-UVC Light Source

Amount: $200,000   Topic: C58-14e

Improvement of indoor air quality (IAQ) from 1 air change per hour (1 ACHe) to 4-6 air changes per hour (4-6 ACHe) is the most important step society can take to minimize its ongoing airborne disease burden and to reduce risk of future pandemics. Unfortunately, if the US is to achieve these reasonable targets for IAQ, it will require a massive increase in energy use ľ if implemented via HVAC systems improvements as recommended by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers). Germicidal UV, specifically, Far UVC, presents an attractive alternative to improve IAQ without major energy requirements. Far UVC light (wavelength < 230 nm) is not only extremely effective at inactivating/killing airborne (aerosolized) pathogens, but is also completely human safe. The potential energy savings of Far-UVC instead of only HVAC interventions to indoor air quality targets promise the avoidance of up to 0.9 GTon emissions over the coming 25 years. Unfortunately todayĺs existing Far UVC light sources, excimer bulbs, are inadequate to support this expansion, and light emitting diodes (LEDs) have no path to efficiency at Far UVC wavelengths. Uviquity has conceived and patented a solution: generate Far UVC light by frequency doubling using nonlinear optical materials (aka second harmonic generation, SHG, of) ~440 nm laser light from widely available, high power blue laser diodes By reducing the cost, increasing the efficiency and delivering it in an LED-sized package, our technology can unlock the market for Far UVC and, importantly, provide a route to realizing IAQ goals without imposing massive energy costs on US buildings. In this project we will develop a hybrid light engine with two main stages: an active, blue laser emitting light between 400 and 450 nm and a second, passive stage that converts the blue laser light into Far UVC light (200 to 225 nm). Based on feedback from Fortune 100 customers / partners these hybrid light engines will gain significant market traction.