Award Data

High current density carbon nanotube-based field emission arrays with uniform emission will be developed under this program. Working in conjunction with MIT, microfabrication techniques will be used to produce high density arrays of CNT emitters on substrates which incorporate feedback to ensure uniformity of emission between emitters. The feedback techniques employed will minimize thermal effec ...

The Air Force desires development of a commercial production source for nonlinear optical (NLO) gallium arsenide semiconductor crystals with orientation patterning, i.e., OP-GaAs. The need for these materials is driven primarily by applications for NLO laser frequency converters in Infrared Counter Measures (IRCM). The proposed Phase I project will demonstrate feasibility for a fabrication metho ...

It is desirable to make high resolution imagers that simultaneously acquire multispectral information from the same spatial locations; doing so enables a number of target detection and tracking applications. Currently, image resolution is limited by the pixel pitch which cannot be reduced below optical diffraction and carrier diffusion limited values, and by the need to have different pixels resp ...

This proposal contains innovative, traveling-wave tube (TWT) designs compatible with three-dimensional (3D) micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication techniques for millimeter-wave applications. The development will focus on novel planar interaction circuits; long life, high current density electron guns; and compact magnet configurations. The ultimate goal will be high power, efficient, ...

The protective properties of the oxide films that form on aluminum alloys can break down locally and allow extensive corrosion. An amorphous alloy system recently developed at the University of Virginia is promising as an environmentally compliant metal cladding. We propose a new method for converting alloy powder into coatings. This technique does not require large standoffs and has very high hea ...

Modern military operations increasingly require decision-makers to reason predicatively about adversary actions and the battlespace environment – a task made more challenging due to meta-information (i.e., qualities of information such as uncertainty or staleness). Understanding the role of meta-information in reasoning about intelligence and developing methods for effectively portraying it ha ...

The main goal of the proposed research is to develop a material with a high modulus ratio (Ez / Ex = 105 ) by the end of Phase II. This material is ideally suited for use in morphing aircraft that require large shear strains of the skin, while limiting out-of-plane pillowing at the same time. The major effort during the beginning of the program will be to characterize Shape Memory and Electroactiv ...

A low-cost laser process for synthesizing nanolayers in solar cells is proposed. The net effect of these nanolayers is a wide absorption of the solar spectrum. In this proposed process a laser is used to form many p-n junctions in a thin, lightly doped wafer. Each p-n junction formed will be unique so that each p-n junction converts a different range of the sunlight’s spectrum into current.

Morphing aircraft structures have been under focused development over the last five years, primarily under DARPA and Air Force sponsorship. NextGen has been a leader in this effort; prior and on-going work by the NextGen team has identified significant technology barriers which need fundamental understanding as well as innovative solutions. Key among these is the development of skins which have in ...

The proposed effort can provide the framework for a unified modeling & simulation program to substantially improve the capability for understanding, analyzing, and predicting the underlying mechanisms dictating the combustion stability characteristics of liquid-propellant rocket engines. Emphasis will be placed on the effects of atomization, mixing, and distributed combustion of liquid oxygen (LO ...