Award Data

As semiconductors heat up, thermal expansion induces mechanical stresses and these stresses can either cause failure, or a change in the performance due to changes in electron transport. Understanding these e ects is challenging due to the coupled physics nature of the problem. General statement of how this problem is being addressed This problem is being addressed by solving for each of the separ ...

In order for Moores law (exponential growth of compute capability) to continue to hold, the bandwidths of interconnects will need to be increased by 10x or moreto well beyond 100Gbs. This represents a formidable challenge to Integrated Circuit (IC) manufacturers because higher frequency will exacerbate already strained power dissipation of traditional copper interconnects. As a result, server and ...

DHS requires the ability to respond to an attack with biological agents. Specifically, it requires a decontaminant to kill anthrax spores on building exteriors and interiors, and even large outdoor areas. In this proposal we describe an innovative bio-agent decon technology that is particularly suitable for decon over wide areas; and as far as we are aware, no other technology in development can ...

Larger, taller wind turbines could significantly reduce the cost of wind energy and enable much broader deployment, but traditional tower designs cannot cost-effectively scale up due to the size constraints associated with road and rail transportation. Wind turbine towers face a critical bottleneck in the form of the 14-foot diameter limit imposed by over-road transport. With current designs, to ...

There is a need for condition monitoring sensors capable of functioning in the harshest environments associated with advanced power systems that will: directly contribute to improving system control, protect capital equipment investment, and promote safety through prevention of catastrophic equipment failure. These harsh environments include extreme temperatures (800-1800C), high press ...

The electricity produced from fossil fuels is essential to the worlds prosperity and security. On the other hand, increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration caused by the fossil fuel combustion are causing concerns regarding global warming. Although there are several methods for separating CO2 from the flue gases at existing coal-fired power plants, all of them have significant drawbacks, includin ...

Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) offers to tap almost unlimited sources of inexpensive energy. While ICF has been demonstrated at the Department of Energy (DOE) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), its commercialization to inertial fusion energy (IFE) is impeded by the lack of an efficient and economical laser driver. Drivers for todays ICF facilities generate only a few pulses per day ...

To dramatically reduce CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants, and mitigate their impact on global climate change, DOE has called for technologies that can capture at least 90% of CO2 emissions from an existing coal-fired power plant with no more than a 35% increase in the cost of electricity. One process design approach with the potential to achieve these goals is through the use of advanced ...

Advancements are needed to improve and optimize the performance of existing and future nuclear power plants and nuclear power systems by developing and improving the reliability of advanced instrumentation. A need has been identified for an improved control rod position sensor for fault-free confirmation of control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) function, improving long term reliability, maximizing SC ...

Innovative, energy-savings lighting controls methods such as occupancy sensing, personal control, and daylighting have realized a market that is only a fraction of the potential lighting market. With the increasing market penetration of solid-state lighting technology, there is an opportunity to re-invigorate the adoption of energy-savings lighting controls. Along with the recent growth of solid ...