Date: Sep 11, 2007 Source: PR Newswire (
click here to go to the source)
CLEVELAND, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Teraphysics Corporation
will prototype and test an innovative miniature 95 gigahertz amplifier for
very high resolution radar and wide bandwidth communications applications
under a $749,945 Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer contract from
the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The company successfully
completed the Phase I feasibility contract in May.
Teraphysics plans to develop a family of compact and efficient source
devices to span the most useful portions of the underused millimeter wave
and terahertz frequency band, from 0.1 terahertz or 100 gigahertz to more
than one terahertz. This fall, the company plans to demonstrate a 0.65
terahertz source The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants to use
in a system to detect hidden weapons and explosives at safe distances.
To meet Air Force's requirements, Teraphysics Chief Technology Officer
Jim Dayton and Senior Engineer Carol Kory, both doctorates in electrical
engineering, took a fresh approach to existing traveling wave tube design.
Using a diamond sheet-supported micro helix design, they engineered a
palm-sized amplifier that can deliver tens of watts of output power at 95
gigahertz. They also devised a coupling scheme that combines output from
multiple amplifiers to produce a beam of hundreds of watts.
"With its small size and high efficiency, the 95 gigahertz design will
significantly outstrip existing capabilities in radar and military
communications," said Teraphysics President Gerald Mearini, who holds a
doctorate in experimental physics. "It will also have important
applications in commercial communications systems and other areas."
Used in nearly all microwave and millimeter wave transmitters, the
typical traveling wave tube has a helical wire coil supported in a metal
barrel by three ceramic rods. Conventional fabrication techniques make it a
challenge for such designs to achieve even 60 gigahertz.
To produce 95 gigahertz, Teraphysics reinvented the helical device,
replacing the ceramic rods with a diamond sheet. Rather than winding a
metal wire around a mandrel, the helix will be suspended in a selectively
metallized diamond barrel formed using a lithographic process patented by
Teraphysics. For operation at 95 gigahertz, the inner diameter of the helix
is about as thick as a human hair.
Teraphysics will draw on state of the art microfabrication technology
to build the new micro helix slow wave circuit in collaboration with
RTI-International of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Potential
civilian use for the vacuum electronic devices includes commercial
communications in metropolitan areas using pilotless aircraft.
"Vacuum electron devices are the logical choice for sources of
radiation in these frequency ranges because of their reliability, high
power output, light weight and efficiency," Mearini explained. The company
has received 13 development contracts from seven government agencies for
total federal funding of $4.75 million since August 2002. Five are Phase II
Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer
contracts.
Radiation in the millimeter and submillimeter region of the
electromagnetic spectrum enables imaging through many materials, including
fabrics and plastics. Both are non-ionizing and considered safe for human
exposure.
Energy in the submillimeter or terahertz band is the only known
radiation capable of unambiguous identification of molecular matter. This
capability is valuable for applications in military security and electronic
warfare, communications, homeland security, medicine, product testing and
other areas. Terahertz remains largely commercially untapped because of the
low power output, large size or extreme cooling requirements of existing
signal sources.
ABOUT TERAPHYSICS
Teraphysics Corporation (http://www.teraphysics.com) develops powerful,
efficient and compact devices that operate in the millimeter wave and
terahertz bands, the only commercially untapped portion of the
electro-magnetic spectrum. The Ohio-based company has engineered the
world's first palm-sized terahertz signal source capable of broad
application in this coveted frequency range. Teraphysics is part of Genvac
Holdings, a privately held company.
Contact:
Jerry Pignolet, Power Marketing/Public Relations, 440-527-0446
