Award Data

This project will develop a new scientific instrument optimized for the advanced characterization of near-infrared fluorescent nanoparticles that can exist as left- or right-handed structures (enantiomers). Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are the leading current example of such nanomaterials. Applied NanoFluorescence, LLC (ANF) proposes a novel multi-mode chiroptical spectrometer that can ...

This is an SBIR Phase II proposal to develop a tactile refreshable computer display prototype (TRCD) that will support multiple tactile alphabets (e.g. ELIA, braille, and Roman), multiple lines of text, and graphics to benefit the more than 1.8 million blind Americans. Commercially available TRCDs are expensive (~$12,000, or $19 per actuator), provide only one line of text (with 640 actuators) and ...

VIPA etalons are simple compact devices that offer many times more dispersion than gratings and are finding increasing application where higher spectral resolution is needed. Current VIPA designs do not work in the spectroscopically important mid- and long-infrared wavelengths, and do not have large operating bandwidths compatible with femtosecond combs. Incorporating resolution improvements from ...

There are many applications for hyperspectral image detectors, but for the detectors to be widely accepted standardized calibration protocols must be developed. This research aims to bridge this gap through the development of a commercially available hyperspectral image projector (HIP) system. The proposed effort is to build a prototype visible HIP system to generate calibrated, realistic imagery ...

Transition Edge Sensor (TES) detector development at NIST has reached a level where arrays containing several thousand pixels (kilopixels) are practical and , indeed, necessary for fielding systems required for many industrial, research, and homeland security applications. Current easily deployable cryostat technology required to reach the ultra-cold operating temperatures of TES arrays (50 to 100 ...

Conventional characterization and test methods are increasingly ineffective when applied to structures less than 100 nanometers, causing challenges across R&D, process control and failure analysis. An increasing number of subtle defects become prominent drivers of failure as device size and operating margins decrease, e.g., processing anomalies in thin gate oxides, substrate problems related to do ...

We will develop a series of object manipulation primitives to pick up and assemble standard mechanical parts such as screws, gears and pulleys that can be configured without any programming skills. Building up on a smart robotic gripper, 3D perception and machine learning algorithms, we will design a graphical user interface for the Universal Robot E-Series that allows an user to label arbitrary 3 ...

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 ...

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 ...

A wireless sensor and actuator network capable of providing precision time synchronization between the nodes of the network will be developed. The IEEE 1451.0 smart transducer interface and IEEE 1588 time synchronization standards will be combined, with additional software and hardware to provide synchronization between the clocks on the Wireless Transducer Interface Modules (WTIM) sensors/actuato ...