SPECIAL NOTICE
A -- TECHNOLOGY/BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY BROADBAND HETERODYNE INFRARED DETECTION SYSTEM
- Notice Date
- 7/27/2018
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 238990
— All Other Specialty Trade Contractors
- Contracting Office
- Department of Energy, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (DOE Contractor), Industrial Partnerships & Commercialization, 7000 East Avenue, L-795, Livermore, California, 94550
- ZIP Code
- 94550
- Solicitation Number
- FBO384-18
- Archive Date
- 8/28/2018
- Point of Contact
- Connie L Pitcock, Phone: 925-422-1072
- E-Mail Address
-
pitcock1@llnl.gov
(pitcock1@llnl.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Opportunity : Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), LLC under contract no. DE-AC52-07NA27344 (Contract 44) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity to license intellectual property rights to its innovative broadband heterodyne infrared detection technology for commercialization. Background : Photo-detectors, particularly those operating in the infrared are subject to thermally generated dark currents possessing shot noise that limits the achievable signal to noise performance. The dark current can be reduced by cooling the detector. This requires considerably more power beyond what is necessary to operate the detector. Since dark current is proportional to the area of the photo-detector, optical techniques that reduce this area can improve performance. Broadband heterodyne detection shows promise for room temperature operation of infrared detectors and spectrometers, allowing significant reductions in system power and weight requirements. Description : LLNL researchers have developed a broadband heterodyne detection system that incorporates several significant improvements that move the state of the art toward quantum noise limited performance. The design comprises of an optical element that increases the intensity of the incoming light on the detector by a factor exceeding 50x. It is based on the properties of surface plasmons in interaction with optical diffraction structures or gratings. LLNL’s approach does not rely on a resonance phenomenon making it suitable for applications such as infrared cameras as well as spectrometers. Advantages : One improvement is a new detector architecture. The infrared signal of interest is mixed with light from a broadband light source to create a lower-frequency—e.g., RF—signal that is more readily detected than the infrared signal itself. To achieve the required speed and sensitivity for room temperature heterodyne detection, the RF detector element is decoupled from the photodetector. A second improvement is the use of an optical upconversion scheme, previously demonstrated for mm-wave detection, to enable sensitive room-temperature detection of heterodyne RF signals. In this approach, RF energy in a waveguide is coupled to a collinear laser beam. Modulations in the laser intensity can then be measured and correlated with the heterodyne signal. A third improvement is the use of a field-emitting carbon nanotube antenna. Carbon nanotubes have been demonstrated to be useful as sensitive detectors of RF radiation when operating in field emission mode to an adjacent electrode. A field-emitting carbon nanotube oscillates significantly in the presence of an RF field, modulating the current. In the case of the infrared photodetector, the modulation of this current can then be correlated with the presence of an RF heterodyne signal at the photodetector. This enables room-temperature detection of the RF signal with extremely small (~nW) power requirements. A fourth improvement is the incorporation of a plasmonic superlens that increases the intensity of the light impinging on the detector by a factor of >50, considerably more than any of the prior art techniques. Potential Applications : Improved detector for infrared hyperspectral imaging systems, particularly for surveillance applications is the goal to enable ground-based persistent surveillance and micro-power space surveillance with infrared hyperspectral imaging capability. The major markets for infrared hyperspectral imaging systems are homeland security, law enforcement and military. Specific applications include: • Ground-based persistent surveillance • Micro-power space surveillance • Atmospheric remote sensing • Astronomy and planetary remote sensing • Field applications in chemical agent and bioagent detection • Agriculture monitoring • QA/QC in industrial processes Development Status: LLNL has an intellectual property portfolio that covers this technology (LLNL case numbers ILs 12193, 12194, 12195 & 12196) U.S. Patents: 8,816,284 ; 8901495 ; 9,404,801 ; 9,970,820 U.S. Patent Application: 15/960350 LLNL is seeking industry partners with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Moving critical technology beyond the Laboratory to the commercial world helps our licensees gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. All licensing activities are conducted under policies relating to the strict nondisclosure of company proprietary information. Please visit the IPO website at https://ipo.llnl.gov/resources for more information on working with LLNL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. Note: THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT. Companies interested in commercializing LLNL's Broadband heterodyne detection technology should provide a written statement of interest, which includes the following: 1. Company Name and address. 2. The name, address, and telephone number of a point of contact. 3. A description of corporate expertise and facilities relevant to commercializing this technology. Written responses should be directed to: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Innovation and Partnerships Office P.O. Box 808, L-795 Livermore, CA 94551-0808 Attention: FBO 384-18 Please provide your written statement within thirty (30) days from the date this announcement is published to ensure consideration of your interest in LLNL's broadband heterodyne detection technology.
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- Record
- SN05010435-W 20180729/180727230850-da4078d28be12aa96ad4418656a265ac (fbodaily.com)
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