Award Data

RESEARCHERS ARE DEVELOPING NUCLEAR/PARTICLE DETECTORS USING NEW FAST HEAVY INORGANIC SCINTILLATORS. THESE MATERIALS ARE OF TWO CLASSES: (1) BRIGHT CERIUM-ACTIVATED CRYSTALS - YAP, GAO, AND GSO - WHICH COULD DISPLACE THALLIUM DOPED SODIUM AND CESIUM IODIDE IN CERTAIN APPLICATIONS. THE CURRENT YAP CRYSTALS (UP TO 50 X 50 X 10 MM(3) HAVE MEASURED EFFICIENCIES, RESOLUTIONS, BRIGHTNESSES, AND MECHANI ...

THE HYDROXYL RADICAL (OH) PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THE PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF BOTH THE TROPOSPHERE AND THE STRATOSPHERE. IT IS THE PRIMARY OXIDIZING AGENT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REMOVAL OF MOST TRACE GASES INCLUDING CO AND CH4. SINCE THE OH RADICAL DETERMINES THE LIFETIMES AND, THUS, THE CONCENTRATIONS OF MANY CHEMICAL SPECIES, ACCURATE DETERMINATION OF OH CONCENTRATION IS PIVOTAL IN UNDERSTANDING ATMOSPHERI ...

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THE POTENTIAL TO ACHIEVE HIGH INSULATING VALUE BY THE USE OF EVACUATED GLASS MICROSPHERES HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR SOME TIME. THE PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH IS TO SOLVE THE PRINCIPAL OBSTACLE TO THEIR USE, WHICH HAS BEEN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMERCIALLY VIABLE TECHNIQUE TO PRODUCE EVACUATED MICROSPHERES. IF HOLLOW GLASS MICROSPHERES CAN BE EVACUATED AND COATED COST-EFFECTIVELY, THEIR UTILITY AS INSULATI ...

THE HIGH PRESSURE/HIGH TEMPERATURE (HP/HT) METHOD IS, AT PRESENT, THE ONLY VIABLE PROCEDURE FOR PRODUCING DIAMOND GRIT FOR USE IN VARIOUS APPLICATIONS INVOLVING GRINDING/ABRASIVE WHEELS. DIAMOND POWDERS PRODUCED BY THIS METHOD ARE MODERATELY EXPENSIVE AND ARE NOT ECONOMICAL (50-70 CENTS/CARAT) FOR USE IN APPLICATIONS INVOLVING THERMAL MANAGEMENT DEVICES, WEAR RESISTANT SURFACES, AND CUTTING/DRILL ...

CURRENT PROCESSES FOR MANUFACTURING SAPPHIRE INTRODUCE A NUMBER OF DEFECTS SUCH AS DIE MARKS AND GROWTH ARTIFACTS IN THE AS-GROWN SAPPHIRE BLANK. THUS, THESE MATERIALS NEED TO BE POLISHED PRIOR TO USE IN OPTICS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A HIGH-QUALITY, HIGH-SPEED, COST-EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE FOR POLISHING SAPPHIRE BASED OPTICS. THE TWO METHODS CURRENTLY USED FOR POLISHING SAPPHI ...

A VAST BODY OF INFORMATION ON THE NATION'S CULTURAL RESOURCES, COLLECTED LARGELY WITHIN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS BY LEGAL MANDATE, EXISTS IN STATE AND FEDERAL ARCHIVES. MUCH OF THIS INFORMATION IS IN DIGITAL FORM, BUT EVEN MORE RESIDES ON PAPER FORMS AND MAPS. GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) TECHNOLOGY, WHICH HAS ONLY BECOME WIDELY AVAILABLE IN A PRACTICAL SENSE WITHIN THE LAST FEW YEARS, OFFE ...

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PLASMA PROCESSING HAS MOVED TO THE FOREFRONT OF INTEGRATED CIRCUIT (IC) FABRICATION TECHNOLOGY. CONTAMINANTS CONTINUE TO PLAGUE THE INDUSTRY BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN 50 PERCENT OF THE YIELD LOSSES. THESE PARTICLES ALSO ACT TO LIMIT THE FEATURE DENSITY ON THE IC WAFERS. ADVANCES IN CLEANROOM TECHNOLOGY HAVE RESULTED IN THE PLASMA PROCESSOR BEING THE MAIN SOURCE OF MICROCONTAMINANTS. PART ...