Teraphysics receives STTR contract to develop high-power miniature gigahertz amplifier for Air Force
Contact Jerry Pignolet, Power Marketing/Public Relations, at 440-527-0446.
CLEVELAND – September 27, 2006 – Teraphysics Corporation has received a $100,000 Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer contract from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research for the development of a miniature 95 gigahertz amplifier for high power radar and communications applications.
In collaboration with RTI-International of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Teraphysics will employ state of the art microfabrication technology in the development of a diamond studded micro helix traveling wave tube (TWT). The device will be designed by Teraphysics adapting technology previously patented by the company. Fabrication experiments to establish the feasibility of the design will be conducted at RTI and the Teraphysics facility in Cleveland.
“This contract is intended not only to develop an amplifier with a wide range of military and commercial applications, but to explore the applicability of fabrication techniques that have not previously been utilized in this technical area,” said Dr. Jim Dayton, chief technology officer for Teraphysics and principal investigator on the contract.
Teraphysics primarily develops compact and efficient devices that operate in or near the terahertz band, the only commercially untapped portion of the electro-magnetic spectrum. The company has engineered the world’s first palm-sized signal source operating in the valuable terahertz frequency range capable of broad commercial and military applications.
The company has received 12 development contracts from seven government agencies for total federal funding of $4 million since August 2002. Four are SBIR Phase II contracts.
The Air Force wants to develop a new class of miniature high power transmitters for operation at 95 gigahertz. At the same time, they seek to apply to vacuum electronics the manufacturing opportunities offered by microfabrication technology initially developed for other areas.
Dayton and the Teraphysics team will develop the novel 95 gigahertz traveling wave tube by combining proven computer aided design techniques, the company’s proprietary application of nanotechnology for laboratory-grown diamond and RTI’s microfabrication expertise.
The typical TWT, used in nearly all microwave and millimeter wave transmitters, has a helical wire coil supported within a metal barrel by ceramic rods. However, conventional fabrication techniques have limited the helical TWT performance range to less than 60 gigahertz. To achieve 95 gigahertz in this device, the ceramic rods will be replaced by diamond studs and the helix will be fabricated using novel lithographic techniques rather than winding a metal wire around a mandrel.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Teraphysics Corporation, a Cleveland, Ohio-based company, develops devices that operate in millimeter frequencies and the sub-millimeter terahertz band, the only commercially untapped portion of the electro-magnetic spectrum. The company has engineered the world’s first palm-sized terahertz signal source capable of broad application for operation in this coveted frequency range. Teraphysics is part of Genvac Holdings, a privately-held company.
