Daylight Solutions

NevadaNano develops the molecular property spectrometer gas sensing technology that uses Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) structures to detect, identify, and quantify chemicals in the air as well as and subsystems for a diverse array of commercial and government applications. It was founded in 2004 and is based in Sparks, Nevada.

Lightsense Technology is a company focused on the development of spectroscopy tools, operating within the technology and public health sectors. The company offers miniature, handheld spectrometers that are used for a wide range of materials analysis applications, including the detection of illicit drugs, bacterial pathogens, and environmental monitoring. These devices, which are lightweight, easy to use, and accurate, generate unique spectral fingerprints to determine the composition of the object being studied. It was founded in 2015 and is based in Tucson, Arizona.

Irflex Corp. is a company that received a Department of Defense SBIR/STTR grant for a project entitled: Novel Fiber Laser for direct lasing in the Mid-Infrared. The abstract given for this project is as follows: The current DIRCM laser solutions in the mid-infrared (3-5 micron) suffer limitations and disadvantages such as excessive size and weight, long initial cool-down time (cryogenic temperatures), short operating time, limited duty cycle, complex packaging, low wall plug efficiency, poor beam quality and limited output power. These limitations and disadvantages make it difficult to utilize these lasers on space-limited combat aircraft. IRFlex proposes an innovative solution to this problem that leverages recent advances in mid-infrared fiber technology. The proposed work will demonstrate lab operation of an innovative new fiber laser doped with rare-earth for direct lasing in the mid-infrared. This new fiber laser approach enables the development of next-generation DIRCM lasers with the required power (multi-Watt class), compactness, lightweight, electrical efficiency, room temperature operation, good beam quality and robustness required for future DIRCM systems. Irflex Corporation is a company that received a Department of Defense SBIR/STTR grant for a project entitled: High Average Power Superconituum in the Mid-Infrared. The abstract given for this project is as follows: Infrared countermeasure (IRCM) systems defend many aircraft and ground vehicles located in combat zones from infrared-guided attacking missiles. These systems disable the incoming threat through the use of directed infrared laser energy. To protect from various heat-seeking missile threats, Multiple-band coverage is required in the infrared region (1-5 micron). Currently available IRCM solutions are very expensive and suffer limitations and disadvantages such as excessive size and weight; long initial cool-down time (cryogenic temperatures), short operating time, limited duty cycle, complex packaging, low wall plug efficiency, poor beam quality, and limited output power. The proposed work will develop an innovative compact chalcogenide fiber-based broadband (1-5 microns) high average power (5-10 Watt) source using supercontinuum generation. The feasibility of generating supercontinuum in novel chalcogenide nonlinear fiber will be studied. Phase I activities will include theoretical modeling and design for the nonlinear fiber and supercontinuum generation. A prototype fiber will be delivered.

Nanorods is a company that received a SBIR Phase I grant for a project entitled: Multi-wavelength Infrared thermal Detectors and Imagers. Their project will develop a new infrared (IR) radiation sensor technology, which will allow the development of a new class of low-cost multi-wavelength thermal detectors which are also sensitive to light polarization. This technology will allow radiation detection from the near-IR to long-wave IR, a capability that is absent in competing detectors. Amorphous silicon and vanadium dioxide has been the dominant materials used for infrared light detection since the 1980s. The disadvantages of such detectors are: 1) insensitivity to the spectral content and polarization of the incident radiation, 2) difficulty in further miniaturization of the sensing pixels. This project will use a combination of nanomaterial and amorphous silicon layers as a new type of infrared sensing layer which can be integrated into silicon thermal detectors and is expected to overcome these limitations. This project will demonstrate: 1) Fabrication and integration of the new radiation sensing layers to create a series of thermal detectors; 2) Enhanced light absorption and spectral sensitivity at multiple IR wavelengths; 3) Size reduction of the sensing pixel to 10 microns; and 4) polarization sensitivity for incident light at 3 micron wavelengths. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the development of uncooled multi-color thermal detectors which are inexpensive and feature spectral and polarization sensitivity. These devices have the potential to displace expensive photon-based semiconductor IR detectors in many applications. The proposed technology will allow production of multi-color detectors on a single silicon wafer as well as sensing pixel miniaturization that will tremendously impact the fabrication cost, imaging resolution and device size. Successful commercialization of this thermal detection technology will substantially impact the field of low cost IR detection and imaging in applications such as fire detection, public health, environmental monitoring, space missions, industrial process monitoring, and security and military areas.

Adelphi Technology is a company that received a SBIR Phase II grant for a project entitled: X-ray Microscope for In-Vivo Biological Imaging. Their project aims to develop a sub-micron x-ray tomography scanner capable of providing in-vivo and high resolution images of specimens from mice to bacteria. In this era of molecular medicine, where disease and developmental disorders are being re-defined by their peculiar molecular, genetic or cellular profiles, there exists a significant disparity between the type of information gleaned from histological methods and that obtained from conventional non-invasive imaging modalities. With a resolution that is better than these imaging modalities and more than ten times higher than that of current x-ray imaging systems, the proposed device will generate images of development and disease not possible by current methods. The Phase II research will concentrate on the development of the x-ray optical system, including beam conditioning, tomographic imaging capability, and the imaging x-ray lens, and will result in a table-top commercial prototype computerized tomographic imager with 400 nm resolution. The commercial application of this project will be in the area of medical research. When compared to existing in-vivo imaging technologies, the higher resolution of the proposed x-ray imager will translate to improved sensitivity and specificity of morphologic changes associated with growth and disease. Researchers will be able to use this tool for investigations of a number of medical conditions, including tumor angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis and arthritis.

Terahertz Device Corporation is focused on the production and marketing of light sources and related technologies, operating within the infrared spectrum and terahertz frequency range industry. The company offers mid-infrared LEDs and detectors that are used for a variety of environmental and health gas sensing applications. Terahertz primarily sells its products to manufacturers and R&D laboratories for use in hyperspectral imaging, gas and environmental sensing, medical diagnostics, military systems, and new communications bands. It was founded in 2000 and is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.