Award Data

A low cost hollow cathode is proposed for use with various xenon based electric propulsion systems. In addition to a factor of five reduction in cost the proposed device would offer several advantages over the current NASA developed state-of-art hollow cathode. These advantages include a reduction in the susceptibility to damage through launch vibrations, the replacement of the life limiting swage ...

Photorefractive materials promise to enable dynamic holography and erasable high density data storage for future information technologies. This project will develop and demonstrate a holographic data storage technology using novel photorefractive polymers with electro-optic (EO) coefficients and bandwidths that are significantly superior than LiNbO3. An important advantage of these polymers is tha ...

NEW TECHNOLOGIES ARE REQUIRED FOR THE DETECTION AND IMAGING OF VISIBLE LIGHT, GAMMA RAYS AND NEUTRONS IN HIGH RADIATION ENVIRONMENTS SUCH AS THOSE ENCOUNTERED IN SPACE. CURRENTLY AVAILABLE, CRYSTALLINE SILICON DETECTOR ARRAYS SUCH AS CHARGE COUPLED DEVICES (CCD) ARE EXTREMELY SUSCEPTIBLE TO RADIATION DAMAGE AND A FEW KILORADS OF HIGH ENERGY PROTONS CAN SERIOUSLY DEGRADE PERFORMANCE IN A MATTER OF ...

Functional gradient materials (FGMs) have a microstructurally graded transition in composition (e.g. zirconia to a nickel based superalloy). The graded transition eliminates problems associated with a discrete interface such as poor mechanical strength and transport losses. They are being actively pursued by the engineering community, particularly in Japan, as a means of taking advantage of two di ...

This Phase I project has two primary objectives. The first objective is to evaluate the feasibility of a fully ion implanted fabrication process based on the heterodimensional 2-D MESFET. The new device, the 2-D JFET, will have p+ ion implanted sidegates which laterally modulate a thin, highly doped n-type conducting channel. The 2-D JFET should have excellent high speed, low power characteristics ...

InP based heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) exhibit proven potential for use in high performance digital integrated circuits and discrete microwave components. For high speed applications, it is desirable to utilize structures that have been designed to promote high levels of nonequilibrium electron transport as this allows realization of higher electron velocities than possible for diffus ...

Current rare earth permanent magnets have proven to be in adequate for higher temperatures (300-500_C) military and Air Force applications. Development of permanent magnetic materials which can operate in high temperature regime will enable design of simpler, more efficient magnetic systems. The More Electric Aircraft (MEA) concept pursued by the US Air Force drives this need. We propose a novel p ...

Aerospace composite panels containing a core structure usually use an expanded honeycomb of either aluminum, NOMEX, or carbon fiber. These types of composite panels are often used as structure since the honey-comb core provides stiffness in the "Z" direction. However, they provide no thermal insulation value. Aerospace craft operating both inside and outside the earth's atmosphere experience envir ...

Currently manufactured aerospace composites absorb water vapor to varying degrees. This moisture absorption adds weight to the composite, however, it lowers the glass transition temperature. And, subsequently, the ultimate strength of the resin holding the composite together, in the total composite matrix. For aerospace vehicles that slip the bonds of Earth and enter the vacume of space, any compo ...

Solid-state electronic devices are often subjected to high voltage transients generated by switching, lightning, or electrostatic discharge. These transients can cause mission critical components to fail. Varistors are increasingly used to avoid such failures. The current varistor devices, however, are not well suited for high frequency applications and the increasing trend towards device miniatur ...