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COMMERCE BUSINESS DAILY ISSUE OF SEPTEMBER 10,1996 PSA#1676TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITIES The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),
its laboratories, and production facilities are committed to helping
businesses in the United States to improve the cycle from new ideas and
product innovation to product development and commercialization. In
order to achieve this goal, the DOE has put in place a program to
transfer technologies developed at its laboratories to the private
sector for commercial applications. DOE's objective in doing this is to
establish mutually beneficial partnerships that can leverage advanced
technologies and enhance the U.S. position in the ever changing global
marketplace. Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) is one of the
participating laboratories in this program. By this announcement,
Sandia is soliciting expressions of interest from U.S. businesses for
potential licensing of some of its technologies for which patent
applications have been filed with the U.S. Patent Office. These are: 1.
Method for Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV) Lithography: This invention
describes a method for producing a patterned array features, in
particular, gate apertures in the size range of 0.4-0.5um using
projection lithography and EUV radiation. A high energy laser beam is
used to vaporize a target material in order to produce a plasma which
in turn, produces EUV radiation suitable for lithographic applications.
2. Optical Probe: This invention provides a compact optical probe
geometry for optically-based measurements that allows all optical
components (source, detector, rely optics, etc.) to be located in
proximity to one another. The geometry of the probe disclosed herein
provides a means for making optical measurements in environments where
it is difficult and/or expensive to gain access to the vicinity of a
flow stream to be measured. Significantly, the lens geometry of the
optical probe allows the analysis location to be moved while
maintaining optical alignment of all components even when the optical
probe is focused on a plurality of different analysis points. 3.
Polymer Formulations for Gettering Hydrogen: This invention describes
a method for fabricating organic hydrogen scavengers (getters). In the
past organic hydrogen getters have based on specialty chemicals
especially synthesized. A method is invented which employs cheaper
polymer organics as the base material for fabricating this new class of
organic hydrogen getters which are extremely inexpensive to produce.
Because of its ability to remove the presence of hydrogen in a given
confined environment (such as nuclear weapons, insulated pipelines,
tubulars, etc.), this invention has significant commercial potential.
4. Time Interval Counter Technology: The High Resolution Time Interval
Counter is a patented electronic circuit that measures time between
two events to very high resolution while using small, inexpensive, low
power circuitry. The device has a typical specification of 0.2
nanosecond resolution, 0 to 20 microsecond measurement range, 100mW
power consumption, about 3 square inches of printed wiring board space
and $10-$15 parts cost. This electronic counter circuit can be
utilized in combination with other electronic circuitry in a host of
applications such as a miniature active infrared ranging surveillance
system, miniature pulse-echo radar surveillance system, miniature
ultrasonic sensor for remote applications, such as measuring liquid
levels, density of liquids, or liquid contamination, chemical sensors,
etc. 5. Ultra-Low Nox Burner for Residential, Commercial and
Industrial Applications: Carbon dioxide and the oxides of nitrogen
which result from combustion are pollutants involved in the atmospheric
and photochemical reactions that contribute to ozone formation and
petrochemical smog. Sandia National Laboratories has developed an
invention in the field of combusting fuel in a safe manner while
advantageously minimizing the production of nitrogen gases and carbon
monoxide. The process may be applied to residential, commercial, and
industrial heating, producing ultra-low values of Nox (3 ppm, corrected
to 3%O2) with the virtual elimination of carbon monoxide from the
exhaust stream. 6. Analysis of Local Orientation of Edges of Stellate
Lesion Detection in Mammograms: Breast cancer will afflict one in nine
American women. With early detection, many of those cancers can be
cured. Mammograms - X-rays of the breast taken on machines specifically
designed for that purpose - can detect cancers long before they can be
detected in physical examinations. Sandia National Laboratories has
developed a software for use in breast cancer detection. The software
scans digitized X-ray films for ``spiculated lesions, which are signs
of particularly virulent and subtle breast cancers. These spiky
distortions in breast tissues are difficult to detect because of their
subtle and varied appearance. The software is intended to be used as
a ``second'' reader of mammograms, thus reducing the chance that
suspicious lesions are missed. A clinical study of this technology
indicated that it can help doctors find one additional cancer in ten
without calling for any additional unnecessary biopsies. By improving
the accuracy and efficiency of mammogram analysis, computers can help
reduce costs and promote widespread screening which goes hand-in-hand
with early detection, which is the most effective way of fighting
breast cancer. 7. Secure Infra-red (IR) Data Diode: The IR Data Guard
provides a secure way of automated one-way transfer of information from
an unclassified or uncontrolled computer or network to a classified or
controlled computer or network. It could be used to (i) securely use
the internet to disseminate classified or sensitive information and
allow the user to immediately decrypt and view the information (ii)
provide a secure method to automate the input information from an
unclassified network into a secure network while at the same time
provide absolute assurance that data could not flow the opposite
direction, and (iii) for collecting encrypted data from remote sensors
utilizing the internet. The IR diode can provide near real time
transfer and is very inexpensive to install and operate. 8. Flexible
Microporous Polymers: Many microporous materials (pore size less than
equal to 20nm) are used throughout industry for various applications
where the size of the molecule approximates the sizes of the pores.
Universally, microporous materials are rigid, high-surface area
materials. Sandia National Laboratories has synthesized a flexible
microporous material. It can be cast to shape, shrinks very little
while drying, and can withstand modest thermal and mechanical stresses.
This material could be used as flexible membranes and coatings for
filtration and separations, and liquid sloshing mitigation for regular
and zero-gravity applications. The pore structure is influenced by the
exact chemical composition, but could be tailored to meet needs at
hand. 9. Digitally Controlled System for Monitoring Physical
Phenomenon: There is an ongoing need to improve the technology of
flight test instrumentation systems, often referred to as telemetry
systems which would result in improvements in performance, reduction in
size and weight, and reduction in electrical power consumption.
Telemetry systems typically consist of a group of sensors, signal
conditioning electronics, a digital conversion/multiplexing scheme, a
control function, and a r.f. transmission system. Sandia National
Laboratories has developed a novel technique for implementing the
control function that would allow high data rates (10 megabit/second
pcm encoding) comparable to state machine based designs while at the
same time provide significant data processing capability without the
need for external support hardware. This has extensive applications in
data loggers, airborne telemetry systems and remote surveillance
system. 10. Carbon Film for Super Capacitor Applications: To date, the
best performing super capacitor materials have volumetric capacitance
between 200F/CC to 300F/cc. However, most of these materials use
either high cost polymer films and/or are produced through complicated
laboratory fabrication and activation processes that are difficult to
put into industrial scale mass production. Sandia National
Laboratories has developed an unique carbon film material fabricated
from Saran derived carbon that is highly suitable for super capacitor
applications. These have very high surface areas (about 1000 m2/g,
density of 0.7-1g/cc and a capacitance varying between 150 F/cc to 250
F/cc. It uses a simple fabrication process and is very inexpensive to
produce costing less that $10/lb. Super capacitors are used in home
video, audio equipment, and computers as power back-ups. This is not a
solicitation. Parties interested in licensing one or more of these
technologies are invited to submit a letter of interest providing
information about the company, areas of potential application for the
technology and the point of contact (including address, telephone and
fax numbers). Letters should be sent to: Joanne Trujillo, MS 1380,
Sandia National Laboratories, P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM
87185-1380. Fax: (505)843-4175. Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0771 19960909\SP-0001.MSC)
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