Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545

A -- BASIC RESEARCH WORK Sol IPO-LIC:95-J023. Contact Jerome Jay Garcia, Industrial Partnership Office, MS C334. (505) 665-4842, FAX (505) 665-0154. The University of California, which operates the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) under contract to the Department of Energy, solicits interest from companies wishing to license, develop and market a unique patent-pending Enhanced Performance CCD Output Circuit Structure for Charged-Coupled Devices. CCDs from the core of modern electronic imaging. Scientific applications usually require slow frame rates and ultra-low noise so that a few photons per pixel can be detected; slow frame rates with bandwidths of 5 to 200 kilohertz (kHz) also minimize noise. However, some engineering and process-control markets require faster frame rates, and increased speed has meant higher noise levels. Los Alamos National Laboratory Scientists have invented an enhanced performance CCD output circuit structure (image output amplifier) that allows speeds of up to 20 megapixels per second or reductions in noise floor of up to 10 dB. This performance is possible at both slow, medium, and fast speeds, With the improvement occurring relative to the industry normal noise floors at any readout rate. At slow speeds, this invention should allow single photon noise floors in standard CCD devices. Minor changes in the on-chip amplifier and more extensive changes in the off-chip circuitry are required to implement this invention, making the total cost of improvement quite low for any manufacturer of CCD imagers. Interested organizations must possess existing capabilities in manufacturing, marketing and support services in the domestic marketplace for CCD based systems in the field of electronic imaging or signal processing. Organzations matching this profile and having interests in the above mentioned areas must respond with a satement of intent describing the organization's technical expertise, manufacturing and marketing capabilities, financial resources (e.g., annual report or corporate resume) and motivation for participating in this program. The statement mustbe dated within thirty (30) calendar days of the date of this notice. (131)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0007 19950515\A-0007.SOL)