Award Data

In this Phase I SBIR proposal, SandBox Semiconductor™ proposes to develop an Advanced Manufacturing and Material Measurements software tool called Weave ™ for accelerating and automating SEM image analysis for the semiconductor industry. During the development of a new manufacturing process line for a semiconductor device, tens of thousands of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images are take ...

The development of a greatly enhanced receiver for the WWVB signal is targeted, as well as possible modifications in the transmitted signal, which would both offer significant improvements in its effective coverage. This is to be achieved while allowing the replacement of the bulky, expensive, ferrite-based antenna, commonly used in the receiver, with a novel lower-cost antenna. Furthermore, the p ...

There is compelling value to feeding live algae in fish hatcheries as the current survival rate oflarvae fed frozen paste is relatively low resulting in higher costs.However the complexity andcosts of existing photo-bioreactors and the logistical costs of shipping live material over distancesare barriers to the widespread deployment of live algae as feed.Culture BioSystems has successfully grown a ...

A shift from conventional petrochemical feedstocks towards biomass-based feedstocks is of both environmental and economical importance for the future production of commodity chemicals. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a versatile biomass-derived platform compound that can be used to synthesize a broad range of chemicals currently derived from petroleum, such as furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (FDA). A ...

Pectin is, after cellulose, the second most abundant polymer on earth; but its level of utilization in industrial products is very low. High molecular weight pectin is used in food products where it suffers from stagnant markets and high production costs due to the use of organic solvents, low concentration of extracted pectin and generation of soluble sugar streams which burden the waste treatmen ...

We have developed a bioinspired nanoparticle technology using the coat protein (CP) assemblies ofTobacco mild green mosaic tobamovirus (TMGMV) to deliver nematicides to roots reduce dosageand improve soil mobility efficacy and safety. The CP's zwitterionic nature allows the loading andrelease of nematicides. The TMGMV-delivered nematicides (TDN) are efficacious againstCaenorhabditis elegans in liq ...

Imported Fire Ants (Solenopsis richteri Solenopsis invicta) are invasive pests which currentlyinfest over 140 million ha in 14 states. Damages related to fire ants have a significant impact onmany economic sectors including agriculture and biodiversity. The estimated annual cost spent onfire ant control is 3 billion dollars. Current chemical insecticides used in fire ant control are notselective c ...

SynShark LLC aims to create an economically viable source of squalene from American tobacco. Squalene is a triterpene important to the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. Unfortunately squalene is mainly sourced through the "livering" of millions of deep-sea sharks threatening their populations. Through the Company's exclusively licensed technology for triterpene squalene which is extracted from ...

In order to meet growing demands of renewable energy photovoltaic (PV) developments willrequire significant land space for ground-mounted PV systems. This growing demand is creatingcompetition for land resources causing the most challenges for small and mid-size farms. Thischallenge can be reformed into an environmental and financial opportunity for these farms withthe increased research of co-loc ...

Modern Model-Based Enterprise / Engineering (MBE) systems rely on freeform surfaces built as complex combinations of geometric primitives to define engineered objects. Unfortunately, the intersection of freeform surfaces in MBE applications results in highly approximated solutions, degrading models that cost billions annually by US industry to fix. Current technology limits the abilities of users ...