Award Data

The technical objectives of this proposal are: 1) demonstrate a single-element, 4.6 micron-emitting quantum-cascade-laser (QCL) with > 40 % continuous-wave (CW) wallplug efficiency (WPE) at room temperature; (2) perform a comprehensive simulation to achieve a design for a monolithic QCL operating in a single spatial mode to 10 W CW output power; 3) perform a thermal-management analysis for the des ...

ABSTRACT: It is well known that wind turbine clutter (WTC) presents a significant challenge to detecting targets in civilian and military applications. The large radar cross section (RCS) of wind turbines, combined with their significant range of Doppler spread, make traditional clutter mitigation techniques effectively useless. The objective of this Phase I effort is to develop a physically con ...

The technical objectives of this proposal are: (1) design a grating-coupled surface-emitting (GCSE) active-photonic-crystal (APC) 4.6 micron-emitting quantum-cascade laser (QCL) to deliver 15 W diffraction-limited CW power in the main lobe of the far-field beam pattern; (2) design a GCSE-APC QCL structure with monolithic aperture-filling optical elements for obtaining close to 90 % of the surface- ...

This Small Business Technology Transfer Research phase I program will develop a new class of surface plasmon enhanced photovoltaic devices that exhibit increased current collection. Photon management, the manipulation of the incident optical field to increase the probability that a photon is absorbed in the active region of the cell, is critical to the development of next generation thin film sol ...

This Small Business Technology Transfer Research phase I program will develop a new class of uncooled THz detectors for the 1-10THz band with a novel design using surface plasmon resonant cavities with integrated metal-insulator-metal tunneling diodes as the detecting element. Tunneling diodes provide ultrafast broadband response, potentially into the visible (300THz), but demonstrated performanc ...

Opportunity: Guayule, a US native plant, is the only alternate rubber crop with an established, mechanized, agronomic system. Problem: Low rubber yields and lack of effective resin and bagasse coproduct valorization, have prevented widespread adoption by American farmers and processors. Rubber is only made when the cytoplasmic monomer pool (isopentenyl-pyrophosphate; IPP) is larger than that requi ...

The proposed work seeks to clearly demonstrate the advantage of the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar architecture over a similar single-input multiple-output (SIMO) or phased array system; the benefit of applying data-adaptive signal processing techniques in favor of their data-independent counterparts; and the utility of transmitting advanced probing waveforms as opposed to conventiona ...

Advanced ordnance and propulsion systems utillize materials, such as RDX and HMX, that provide good performance but cannot meet todays more stringent safety and environmental requirements. Unfortunately, in newer compounds created to replace them, the performance falls with the sensitivity. The ORBITEC team proposes the development of new energetic materials that will be both high performance and ...

ABSTRACT: Microscopy is a critical enabling technology for advancing our understanding of nature. Imaging nano-scale objects with light in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft x-ray regions of the spectrum has advantages over visible light for several reasons including: resolution, elemental specificity, and the ability to image internal structures. Coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) has been ...

ABSTRACT: Terahertz (THz) spectroscopies offer unmatched non-contact probing of low-energy excitations underlying electronic transport and magnetism in a wide range of novel materials. To-date, expensive and complex THz Time Domain Spectroscopy (THz-TDS) systems are the most common THz source used in these studies. Lower cost, continuous wave (CW-THz) spectroscopy systems can offer comparable per ...