Award Data

We propose in this project to develop carbon nanotubes (CNTs) based field emission cathodes with high current density and long lifetime in pulsed and continuous beam operation for traveling wave tube applications. In phase I, we have successfully demonstrated high current density (>1 A/cm2) from our diode and triode CNT cathodes. In phase II, we will concentrate on improving our cathode design to ...

The US Air Force seeks innovative technologies to exploit available map data to provide a contextual backdrop for imagery. This contextual backdrop will allow the imagery analyst to more rapidly and accurately exploit the data for further processing. Maps provide a wealth of information, such as road delineations, road names, buildings, and other cultural features which comprise the contextual b ...

Optically interconnected systems provide a number of additional benefits. For example, by removing metallic traces, many signal integrity issues are also eliminated as the parasitic capacitance and inductance associated with high-speed lines are removed, which further improves systems performance. Additionally, such systems typically require less power and experience less leakage, or wasted power ...

Leveraging Spectrum Magnetics’ expertise in large scale fabrication of nanomaterials together with University of Delaware’s know-how in the research of magnetodielectric materials with simultaneously large permittivity and permeability, we propose to design and fabricate RF polymers that promise applications in antenna with much improved functionalities in miniaturization, impendence matching, ...

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is responsible for millions of acres across the United States. At some DoD-owned sites (and those known as formerly used defense sites (FUDS)), it has been determined that subsurface contaminants exist. At many of the sites, trichloroethylene is a subsurface soil and/or groundwater constituent. Under aerobic conditions, TCE does not readily degrade a ...

Photonic crystals have led the way for miniaturizing application specific optical integrated circuit (ASOIC) to a scale comparable to the wavelength of light which in turn made them a good candidate for next generation high-density optical systems and interconnects. Polymer based Photonic Crystal structures have potential applications in optical integrated circuits, optoelectronics, optical switch ...

Within our Phase I effort, a radically new kind of neural network based control system that broadly emulates the contemplative capacity of the human brain has been successfully tested aboard a complex hexapod robot. In the course of this preliminary investigation, this neurocontrol system was able to bootstrap its own locomotive behaviors on demand, integrate camera images and sonar returns to bui ...

State-of-the-art radar combat ID (CID) must address target identification in complex environments, often with very limited measured training data. Consequently, the algorithms frequently rely on data computed via numerical models, as a function of required sensor conditions (bandwidth, target-sensor orientation, polarization, etc.). Such data are usually computed using approximate high-frequency ...

In this Phase I project, we will incorporate carbon nanotubes into a molded carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminate for EMI shielding of electronic enclosures. The nanotubes will be incorporated into the epoxy matrix and also as a coating on the laminate surface. In addition to enhanced conductivity, we expect increased thermal and mechanical performance as compared to conventional metal enclo ...

The Phase I work has shown the technical feasibility of creating new, equivalent-accuracy algorithms for optical simulation with smaller operations counts than existing Fourier methods. These will be helpful in speeding up extended scene imaging simulations used in laser weapons' systems performance evaluations. However, the computational efficiency advantage of these new algorithms over Fourier ...