Award Data

From 2012-2015 the world’s first printed amperometric gas sensors were developed at KWJ Engineering Inc. as the subject of an NSF SBIR. The patented technology was used to found SPEC-sensor LLC and obtain commercial funds. More than one million sensors have been sold using SPEC’s patented designs, which led to the recent acquisition by Interlink Electronics, Inc. The next challenge is to grow ...

Over a decade ago, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invented a cold cathode electron field emitter with the potential to disrupt the state of the art for imaging and communications systems. NIST showed that these devices, comprising nanoporous silicon carbide structures of various hierarchical shapes, can emit electrons from their surfaces purely by applicati ...

An area significantly lacking in first responder situational awareness is accurate responder location within various types of building structures above ground and underground such as tunnels and basements where GPS coverage is unavailable. GPS alternatives that rely on pre-deployed infrastructure such as indoor WiFi or mobile wireless networks or require the deployment of uncrewed aerial vehicles ...

This proposal seeks to extend the Company’s existing ability to manufacture 100 nm polystyrene latex (PSL) size standards to include 200 and 400 nm latexes. We also propose to add accurate particle concentration data to all the size standards. A given, dual-function product will serve as both a size standard and a particle concentration reference material. Both these end uses require the latex p ...

NanoElectronic Imaging, Inc. (NEI) will develop a thickness mapping system for the transmission electron microscope (TEM). This development will extend TEM’s usual 2D, subnanometer imaging resolution into the third dimension with comparable precision to provide a fully 3D, high-resolution imaging capability. The technique is based on an new mode of scanning TEM (STEM) electron beam-induced curre ...

In this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) effort, Nikira Labs Inc. proposes to develop a compact Raman fiber optic probe with inline spectral filtering that improves fiber-coupled Raman measurements by filtering out Raman scattering from the excitation fiber and elastically scattered laser light from the collection fibers. The technology will enable compact fiber probes for Raman studies i ...

The QIF standard shows the promise of offering an environment where best-in-class metrology applications can be linked to yield solutions that are automated, optimized, adaptive, and traceable, maintaining the agility required to ensure U. S. global competitiveness. While the QIF standard has reached a substantial level of comprehensiveness and maturity, the embodiment of the standard in actual, c ...

In this SBIR effort, Nikira Labs Inc. proposes to develop and deliver a high-resolution (< 1.2 micron) microscope that can rapidly (< 60 seconds) image a large field of view (> 1 cm2). The instrument will provide a wide array of imaging modalities, including brightfield, darkfield, fluorescence, quantitative phase, and Rheinberg imaging. In Phase II, Nikira Labs will fabricate, test, and deliver a ...

The Air Movement Efficiency Monitor is composed of small, inexpensive Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensors, connected wirelessly to the Internet, and distributed through a building to measure pressure readings at key points. We consider this a “FitBit” for a building’s air-movement efficiency, employing many of the sensors used by a fitbit – temperature, humidity, acceleration. We ...

During Phase I, Symbio Robotics conducted initial development of a robust, real-time, high-performance, low-cost perception engine made possible by recent advances in deep learning. This system identifies parts in 2D or 3D images and determines their six degree-of-freedom poses, producing a full description of a scene in a fraction of a second. For this technology to be practically useful in manuf ...