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25 Latest New and Updated Technologies

Electro-optic polymers 3/20/2008
Lumera Corporation (Bothell, WA)

Based on research partially funded by BMDO, Lumera Corporation (Bothell, WA) has developed 40- and 100- gigabit-per-second (Gbps) optical modulators made from novel electro-optic polymers. Devices made with this new material run at higher operational speeds with lower optical losses, lower power consumption, and lower cost of fabrication than existing devices using inorganic materials.

Large Area Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy of Gallium Nitride 1/25/2008
Kyma Technologies, Inc. (Raleigh, NC)

MDA has awarded Kyma Technologies numerous SBIRs in the area of bulk growth of gallium nitride (GaN) crystals for high-power radio-frequency applications. The company has demonstrated the ability to increase the size and manufacturability of bulk GaN and has worked with DoD laboratories and academic partners to demonstrate their product in several advanced semiconductor device types of both military and commercial interest. Bulk GaN is emerging as a viable replacement for silicon carbide and sapphire, which are used to make blue and white LEDs, with many other applications possible in hybride electric vehicles, sensors, laser diodes, terahertz imaging, and optoelectronic displays

High-power, radio-frequency microwave cavity amplifier 9/7/2007
Aria Microwave Systems, Inc. (Teaneck, NJ)

Through a 1993 SBIR Phase I award and a 1994 Phase II award, MDA-predecessor BMDO funded Aria to develop a hybrid amplifier able to operate at high power and high frequency comparable to vacuum tubes, with efficiencies approaching those of solid-state devices. Aria’s Active Radio Frequency Cavity Amplifier enables a large number of commercially available radio-frequency solid-state transistors that are placed between the cylindrical resonant cavities of the device to achieve synchronous reaction when power reaches the output cavity, thereby generating a high power output. The company is currently focused on marketing its product to the telecom and satellite communications, industrial heating, and plasma-fusion lighting industries.

Modification of Semiconductors for Monolithic Integration of Optoelectronic Devices 8/10/2007
ALTAIR Center, LLC. (Shrewsbury, MA)

Through a 2000 SBIR Phase I award and a 2002 Phase II award, BMDO funded ALTAIR Center to develop and demonstrate an optics-based platform capable of handling 1.3-micron and 1.5-micron wavelengths for military communications systems. ALTAIR has developed a means to control the refractive index of semiconductor materials used in optical applications through a process that eliminates numerous steps involved in a common photolithography technique known as photomasking and etching. ALTAIR Center’s process is efficient and inexpensive as it can be applied to off-the-shelf products and performed at room temperature with minimal clean-room requirements. ALTAIR Center’s technology should prove beneficial in areas such as optical signal processing, optical computing and communications, photonics, infrared optics component manufacturing, laser-diode manufacturing, remote sensing and monitoring, and spatial light modulation.

Rapid, Low-Cost, Reformable Tooling for Prototyping and Short-run Manufacturing of Advanced Composite Structures 8/7/2007
2Phase Technologies, Inc. (Dayton, NV)

Through a 2003 SBIR Phase I award and a 2004 SBIR Phase II award, MDA funded 2Phase to develop a tooling solution that allows a motor case with precision-located features to be manufactured quickly and inexpensively over a lightweight mandrel that could be removed quickly and simply after the fabrication is complete. The company’s Reconfigurable Tooling System utilizes a tool bed filled with ceramic and inorganic water-soluble slurry nicknamed “engineered quicksand.” Once a part is placed in the slurry for replication, the machine withdraws the water-based binder mixture from the quicksand, hardening the mold to a firm chalk-like consistency in as little as 15 minutes. The system allows a shop to begin work on other projects in the same tool bed in quick order after finishing the manufacture of a particular part, as the hardened slurry can be re-liquefied by reintroducing the binder mixture. 2Phase plans to market its product to aerospace and transportation manufacturers as a means of creating faster, less-expensive products or repairs with conventional or high-temperature composites.

Multi-segmented Semiconductor High-power Lasers 8/3/2007
MIT/Lincoln Laboratory (Lexington, MA)

The laser technology described in this Spinoff Notebook article covers an interesting-and well-known to the Technology Applications program-progression of technology development and its application to other uses. The technology (a microlaser) was originally funded by an SDIO Innovative Science and Technology contract to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; Lexington, MA). The lead scientist for the project at MIT, Aram Mooradian, quickly became the advocate and common thread for the succession of the technology from its original development. Dr. Mooradian left MIT to found Micracor, a venture-backed spinoff company from MIT, and brought the MIT-developed microchip laser technology with him. In 1994, BMDO (formerly SDIO) funded Micracor to further develop the laser work, especially surface-emitting, optically pumped lasers. In 1997, Micracor was sold to Coherent Laser Group. Dr. Mooradian then went on to found another company-Novalux, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA)-and patented and produced an electrically pumped version of the originating BMDO technology, making it simpler and more cost-effective. This product is called the Novalux Extended-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (NECSEL™). The main focus at this time is the projection display market. NECSELs will appear in rear-projection laser televisions around December 2007. They can also be used in movie theatre projectors, automobile heads-up displays, illuminated passive advertising signs, and specialty lighting. In terms of military applications, they can be used in range finders, target designators, and sensors for detecting chemical and biological agents.

Improved Materials for Optical Memories 7/24/2007
Scientific Materials Corporati (Bozeman, MT)

Through a 1997 SBIR Phase II award, BMDO funded Scientific Materials Corporation (SMC; Bozeman, MT) to develop crystalline optical memory materials. From this effort, some materials were identified for their potential to perform radio-frequency (RF) signal processing in radar ranging systems. The crystalline technology also showed commercial potential for fast random-access-memory applications, radio- and microwave frequency spectrum analyses, and laser radar (ladar) signal processing. In 2005, S2 Corporation (S2) was spun off from SMC, and is now developing an MDA Advanced Systems Directorate-sponsored Spatial-Spectral material-based Radar Signal Processor (S2RSP) using these optical memory materials. The optical materials—crystals—allow radar systems to process complex radio-frequency waveforms at higher-bandwidths in real time, yielding more information about targets. These crystals comprise the core photonic element of radar-signal processors as intended for MDA applications, which is being tested for potential insertion in BMD radars.

Development of a Laser Micromachining Process for the Fabrication of SiC Mirrors 7/17/2007
Mound Laser & Photonics Center (Miamisburg, OH)

Laser micromachining offers the ability to machine products with significant automation while also requiring less post processing and enabling machining that is impossible with conventional equipment. Mound Laser & Photonics Center (MLPC) is developing new techniques to use laser micromachining to produce objects such as mirrors and 3d parts for medical devices. The company is unique in its approach to commercialization, as it aims to make 50 percent of its revenue through commercial services.

High Depth of Field MEMS Inspection (MEMS Inspection Device) 7/2/2007
Salvador Imaging, Inc. (Colorado Springs, CO)

The CEO of Summit Imaging, Inc., founded a company called Salvador Imaging, Inc., to commercialize its advances in high-speed image processing, a scheme in which images are "pre-processed" as they come off a charge-coupled device (CCD), contributing to significant reduction of jitter, noise and timing issues that can plague high-speed imaging systems. Salvador Imaging continues to market and refine its wide range of cameras, some of which have provenance with BMDO/MDA (see BMD Origins).

Advanced Scene Generation Techniques 6/29/2007
CG2, Inc., a Quantum3D Company (Huntsville, AL)

CG², Inc. (Huntsville, AL), adapted a scene generation system to the needs of missile defense testing scenarios, creating a PC-based, hardware in the loop (HWIL) technique that is both fast and high-fidelity, using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. It has applications in simulators for firefighting, police training, and medical education, severe weather alert systems, and security applications.

Distributed Power Systems using Energy Harvesting (DPSEH) 6/11/2007
Midé Technology Corp (Medford, MA)

Midé has developed an energy-harvesting device that can be used to power other devices such as low-power sensors. The energy harvesting device, called “Volture,” can be attached to any structure that vibrates, and convert or "scavenge" the otherwise wasted mechanical energy radiated by that structure to direct current (DC) electrical energy. The Volture has been tested in laboratory and "real world" conditions and is available as an off-the-shelf device.

A Collaborative Environment for Data Driven Condition Based Maintenance 6/5/2007
Management Sciences, Inc. (Albuquerque, NM)

Management Sciences, Inc., is developing a system that can collect data from sensors and instruments on a car, aircraft, or other vehicle and then provide the operator with a simple message about the readiness of the vehicle—describing its overall condition and its expected short-term operating capability. MDA originally funded the company with an SBIR Phase II contract to work on the condition-based-maintenance system, which could prove useful for the agency’s Airborne Laser project. Management Sciences could apply the technology to many types of machinery and vehicles (automobiles, tanks, etc.), and the company already offers its technology as a commercial product.

Innovative Onboard Power and Cooling Solutions 5/14/2007
Innovative Power Solutions, LL (Eatontown, NJ)

Megawatt generators are very large, being the size of workbenches and weighing thousands of pounds. MDA funded Innovative Power Solutions, LLC, (IPS; Eatontown, NJ) through Phase I and II SBIR contracts to apply its cooling technology to enable size and weight reductions of megawatt generators so they can power onboard applications like advanced radars and directed energy weapons. The patented technology has both military and commercial uses.

Chemical Imaging Software/Infrared Chemical Imaging Microscope 5/3/2007
National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD)

Early work with a HgCdTe focal plane array provided by a BMDO program has evolved into a sophisticated spectrometry business for Spectral Dimensions, Inc. (Olney, MD).

Sensors for Remote Kill Assessment for Hit-to-Kill Threat Engagements 3/8/2007
Bodkin Design & Engineering, L (Wellesley, MA)

Bodkin Design and Engineering, LLC (Wellesley, MA), developed a low-cost, low-vibration, video-frame rate hyperspectral imager that can provide instantaneous chemical information over a range of molecular species.

Multicolor VLWIR 3-D Stacked Integrated Focal Plane and Filtering Architectures 7/18/2006
Computational Sensors Corporat (Santa Barbara, CA)

Computational Sensors Corporation (CSC: Santa Barbara, CA) has achieved innovation in the development of “alternate architecture” in the three-dimensional stacking of integrated circuits beneath a focal plane array, enabling massively parallel image-processing at the pixel level.

Adaptive Phased Array Microwave Heating to Eradicate Tumors 7/10/2006
Celsion Corporation (Columbia, MD)

An SDIO-funded adaptive phased-array (APA) microwave focusing technique, originally developed for missile radar applications, is being used in clinical trials for the treatment of breast cancer.

High Speed, Random Optical Switching Using Fabry-Perot Holographic Circle-to-Point Conversion 6/21/2006
Scientific Solutions Inc (Chelmsford, MA)

SSI, with the help of MDA funding, has combined liquid crystal technology and Fabry-Perot interferometry to make an optical filter that can be quickly and reliably tuned to specific wavelengths faster and more accurately than other tunable filter technologies. This technology may have key advantages over comparable techniques in astronomy, remote sensing, and analytical chemistry. The company is currently a boutique manufacturer, relying on an outside manufacturer to supply some optical components. SSI reasons that if they received a large or long-term order, or $2-3 million in investment, they could bring mirror fabrication in-house and significantly cut costs, thus opening up new business opportunities.

Production HVPE Technology for GaN-based electronics 6/21/2006
Technologies and Devices Inter (Silver Spring, MD)

TDI has taken an existing wafer-growing process called hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) and improved the quality of the wafers it produces while increasing output levels to more than a dozen 2-inch wafers at one time. This is an important increase in throughput because gallium and aluminum nitrides cannot be grown in boules as easily as silicon and other semiconductor materials can. TDI is selling these wafers and using it’s reactors in-house to fill orders.

High-temperature, solid oxide fuel cell and co-production systems 6/16/2006
Ztek Corporation (Waltham, MA)

ZTEK Corporation (Woburn, MA) has developed a stationary, high-temperature, zirconia-based, solid-oxide fuel cell system. ZTEK was funded by the missile defense program in 1988 to examine this technology for its use as a power system for space systems. What sets ZTEK’s current fuel cell product apart from other stationary, high-temperature fuel cell systems is that ZTEK has developed a system that not only generates electricity, but can also produce hydrogen. The hydrogen co-production system is becoming part of two projects in California that will be used to refill fuel cell vehicles with hydrogen. The company has also combined an SOFC with a turbine to increase the efficiency of generating electricity.

Autocoding Toolset® 5/8/2006
Management Communications and (Arlington, VA)

MCCI's Autocoding Toolset automates the coding of programs for multiprocessor computers. A software designer creates a graphic representation of what mathematical operations need to occur and in what order. Toolset can then code these operations and the data flow between them. Doing this automatically greatly reduces errors and development time. In addition, changes and subsequent versions can be accomplished in less time, less frustration, and with fewer introduced errors. The autocoding idea has existed for some time, but the tools for troubleshooting and testing that MCCI has developed make this Autocoding Toolset unique. MCCI is now working with Lockheed Martin to evaluate its product.

Processing of a New Class, Low-Cost Graphitic Microcellular C/C Composites Using a One-Step Process 4/26/2006
Wright Materials Research Comp (Beavercreek, OH)

Wright Materials Research Company has developed a pressure-cooker-like approach to making carbon composites, which could bring strong and affordable materials to market for aircraft structure, automobile brakes, and a host of other applications. MDA predecessor BMDO funded the technology for its potential in creating low-cost, lightweight composites for space-based applications. The company is able to manufacture large blocks of the material and is exploring sales, marketing, and distribution channels.

Pultrusion-Based Production of PAC-3 Composite Missile Canisters 4/26/2006
KaZaK Composites Incorporated (Woburn, MA)

The pultrusion process is an automated, low-cost composite material manufacturing technique most commonly associated with fabrication of commodity items like ladder rails, window frames, roadside markers, tool handles and other moderately sized, lightly loaded, constant-cross-section structures. KaZaK has worked to evolve and expand the applicability of the pultrusion process to the point that it is now capable of making very large high-performance structures for military ships, aircraft, missiles and spacecraft, greatly reducing the cost of these items compared to similarly performing composite hardware made with other more conventional manufacturing technologies.

Fiber Grating Sensor for Damage Assessment 1/11/2006
Blue Road Research (Gresham, OR)

Blue Road Research's fiber-optic technology has multiple uses for detecting strain in materials, including composites. Originally developed for monitoring the strength of solid rocket motor casings, the fiber-optic systems can also be used to monitor the structure of aircraft, buildings, bridges, roadways, and hydrogen fuel tanks for future hybrid vehicles. The fiber-optic systems developed at Blue Road offer considerable advantages in sensitivity and robustness for nondestructive evaluation systems, and offer time and cost savings as well.

Multi-Kilometer Superconducting Tape Production Tool 12/28/2005
Structured Materials Industrie (Piscataway, NJ)

SMI has developed a reel-to-reel tool that will use metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) to produce kilometer-scale high-critical-temperature superconducting tapes by depositing thin-film coatings on flexible metal tapes. Such long tapes could be used in constructing more efficient power lines, high-power generators, and motors—as well as more affordable infrastructure for magnetic-levitation trains. MDA funded the tool for its potential to produce components that might be used in power-transmission equipment. The Air Force Research Laboratory has been testing the tool, and SMI continues to look for pilot users.


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