Award Data

Thin film multilayers of nanometer scale thickness are fundamental to the future of electronics and communications technologies. Chemical depth profiling by ion etching techniques are critical to the characterization of these structures. A fundamental problem with current ion etching technologies is that typical ion energies (~1k eV to 20 keV) create extensive damage and intermixing of nanometer t ...

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Terahertz radiation is an ideal candidate for non-invasive interrogation of concealed objects and substances. As such, there is an increased need for reliable high-quality nonlinear materials for the generation and detection of THz radiation. Zinc telluride (ZnTe) and gallium phosphide (GaP) are the materials of choice for this purpose. However, the performance of these materials varies widely fro ...

THE CONTRACTOR HAS PATENTED TECHNOLOGY FOR A UNIQUE PROCESS THAT DIRECTLY CONVERTS AN ACOUSTIC SIGNAL INTO A VISIBLE ONE IN REAL-TIME WITHOUT ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY. THIS RELIES ON THE ACOUSTO-OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF A CONTINUOUS LAYER OF LIQUID CRYSTAL THIN FILM LAYER WHICH SERVES AS BOTH THE SENSOR AND THE DISPLAY. THE IMAGE CAN BE VIEWED DIRECTLY BY MEANS OF CCD CAMERA. HOLOGRAPHY PROVIDES FOR BOTH ...

Next-generation smart machine tools are currently under research and development. Critical to the success of these tools will be the inclusion of smart sensors. These sensor suites will need to measure physical parameters such as temperature, vibration, pressure and so on. Luna Innovations has extensive experience in developing solar powered wireless systems to transmit sensor data. Luna proposes ...

Luna Innovations proposes to develop for NIST a low-cost, yet high resolution acoustic sensor system capable of determining micro-degree changes in a water path caused by clinical medical radiation devices. The sensors are external to the water and play a negligible role in thermal transfer in contrast to current thermocouple devices in use today. An exciting element in this proposal is APPLES' ab ...

Large X-ray generators using gas fill loads are a key element in the DTRA simulator program. Consistent relative timing between the injection of the gas shell and the generator current pulse is crucial to producing consistent, high-yield x-ray pulses.To that end HY-Tech proposes replacing existing high voltage trigger pin technology, with a sensitive, all fiber-optic heterodyne interferometer ba ...

Communications between fire fighting teams traditionally consists of two-way, trunked and conventional radios that severely degrade once inside of a building or tunnel. The proposed research is focused on solving the uninterrupted in-building and in-tunnel voice and data services which are critical for fire fighter safety. Innovative Wireless Technologies (IWT) of Forest, Virginia proposes a feasi ...

Open Tech proposes to adapt the WIMP (Window Icon Menu Pointer) interface for immersive applications. Using logical input devices like windows, menus, sliders, and buttons applications can be built to be device independent. Open Tech¿s innovative approach uses a laser pointer like mouse to control a 3D WIMP interface. Scientists will be able to quickly build interfaces that are easier to learn, ...

The focus of this SBIR submission is to develop a system to monitor fire-induced structural vibrations that provide real time data correlating with structural integrity. The system is designed to bridge an "information void" that would provide firefighters with information that can warn of impending collapse. The system, based on accelerometer technology, will monitor structural integrity through ...