Opening Date: January 2, 2002
Closing Date: February 15, 2002

PROGRAM SOLICITATION AVAILABLE IN ELECTRONIC FORM ONLY.

GO TO:
www.nist.gov/sbir

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY
PROGRAM SOLICITATION FOR SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH

US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY

The Department of Commerce (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites small businesses to submit research proposals under this solicitation. Firms with strong research capabilities in any of the areas listed in Section 7 of this solicitation are encouraged to participate. Unsolicited proposals are not accepted under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

Objectives of this program include stimulating technological innovation in the private sector and strengthening the role of small business in meeting Federal research and development (R&D) needs. This program also seeks to increase the commercial application of innovations derived from Federal research and improve the return on investment from federally funded research for the economic benefit of the Nation.

The "Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act of 1992", as amended, requires the Department of Commerce to establish a three-phase SBIR program by reserving a percentage of its extramural R&D budget to be awarded to small business concerns for innovation research.

This document solicits Phase 1 proposals only.

The purpose of Phase 1 is to determine the technical feasibility of the proposed research and the quality of performance of the small business concern receiving an award. Therefore, the proposal should concentrate on research that will significantly contribute to proving the feasibility of the proposed research, a prerequisite to further support in Phase 2.

Only firms that receive Phase 1 awards under this solicitation will be given the opportunity of submitting a Phase 2 proposal immediately following completion of Phase 1.

Phase 2 is the R&D or prototype development phase. It will require a comprehensive proposal outlining the research in detail. Further information regarding Phase 2 proposal requirements will be provided to all firms receiving Phase 1 awards.

In Phase 3, it is intended that non-SBIR capital be used by the small business to pursue commercial applications of Phase 2.

Each organization submitting a proposal for both Phase I and Phase II must qualify as a small business (Section 2.1) for research or R&D purposes (Section 2.2). In addition, the primary employment of the principal investigator must be with the small business at the time of the award. More than one-half of the principal investigator's time must be spent with the small business for the period covered by the award. Primary employment with a small business precludes full-time employment with another organization.

Also, for both Phase 1 and Phase 2, the work must be performed in the United States. "United States" means the fifty states, the territories and possessions of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and the District of Columbia.

Joint ventures and limited partnerships are eligible, provided the entity created qualifies as a small business as defined in this solicitation. Consultative arrangements between firms and universities or other non-profit organizations are encouraged, with the small business serving as the prime contractor.

For Phase I, a minimum of two-thirds of the research and/or analytical effort must be performed by the awardee. For Phase II - a minimum of one-half of the research and/or analytical effort must be performed by the awardee.

Unsolicited proposals or proposals not responding to stated topics or subtopics are not eligible for SBIR awards.

In the interest of competitive fairness, all oral or written communication with NIST concerning a specific technical topic or subtopic during the open solicitation period is prohibited - with the exception of the public discussion group located at www.nist.gov/sbir. Discussion group questions will be routed to the appropriate person for a response. All questions and responses will be publicly, though anonymously, posted on the discussion group web site.

Potential awardees may not participate in the selection of any topic or subtopic nor in the review of proposals. All proposer’s, including, Guest Researchers, contractors, Cooperative research and Development Agreement (CRADA) partners and others working with NIST may only submit a proposal if they:

Had no role in suggesting, developing, or reviewing the subtopic; and

Have not been the recipient of any information on the subtopic not available in the solicitation or other public means; and

Have not received any assistance from DOC in preparing the proposal (including any ‘informal’ reviews) prior to submission.

An Agency may not enter into, or continue an existing CRADA with an awardee on the subtopic of the award.

A small business concern is one that, at the time of award for Phase 1 and Phase 2:

Any activity that is (a) a systematic, intensive study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the subject studied; (b) a systematic study directed specifically toward applying new knowledge to meet a recognized need; or (c) a systematic application of knowledge toward the production of useful materials, devices, services, or methods, and includes design, development, and improvement of prototypes and new processes to meet specific requirements.

In general, the NIST SBIR program will fund Phase 1 and 2 proposals with objectives that can be defined by (b) and (c) above.

Is one that is:

A socially and economically disadvantaged individual is defined as a member of any of the following groups: Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, Subcontinent Asian Americans, or any other individual found to be socially and economically disadvantaged by the Small Business Administration (SBA) pursuant to Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act, 15 US Code (U.S.C.) 637(a).

A small business that is at least 51 percent owned by a woman or women who also control (meaning to exercise the power to make policy decisions) and operate (meaning being actively involved in the day-to-day management) the small business.

This is any agreement, other than one involving an employer-employee relationship, entered into under a Federal Government funding agreement, calling for supplies or services required solely for the performance of the original funding agreement.

This is locating or developing markets and producing and delivering products for sale (whether by the originating party or by others). As used here, commercialization includes both Government and private sector markets.

The extent to which a project may be done practically and successfully.

An association of persons or concerns with interests in any degree or proportion by way of contract, express or implied, consorting to engage in and carry out a single specific business venture for joint profit, for which purpose they combine their efforts, property, money, skill, or knowledge, but not on a continuing or permanent basis for conducting business generally. A joint venture is viewed as a business entity in determining power to control its management and is eligible under the SBIR and STTR Programs provided that the entity created qualifies as a "small business concern" as defined in this section of the policy directive.

2.9 Primary Employment

Primary employment means that more than one half of the principal investigator's time is spent in the employ of the small business concern. This requirement extends also to “leased” employees serving as the principal investigator. Primary employment with a small business concern precludes full time employment at another organization.

The objective is to provide sufficient information to demonstrate that the proposed work represents a sound approach to the investigation of an important scientific or engineering innovation worthy of support. The proposal must meet all the requirements of the subtopic in Section 7 to which it applies.

A proposal must be self-contained and written with all the care and thoroughness of a scientific paper submitted for publication. It should indicate a thorough knowledge of the current status of research in the subtopic area addressed by the proposal. Each proposal should be checked carefully by the offeror to ensure inclusion of all essential material needed for a complete evaluation. The proposal will be peer reviewed as a scientific paper. All units of measurement should be in the metric system.

NIST reserves the right not to submit to technical review any proposal which it finds to have insufficient scientific and technical information, or one which fails to comply with the administrative procedures as outlined on the Checklist of Requirements in Section 8.

The proposal must not only be responsive to the specific NIST program interests described in Section 7 of the solicitation, but also serve as the basis for technological innovation leading to new commercial products, processes, or services that benefit the public. An organization may submit different proposals on different subtopics or different proposals on the same subtopic under this solicitation. When the proposed innovation applies to more than one subtopic, the offeror must choose that subtopic which is most relevant to the offeror's technical concept.

The proposal should be direct, concise, and informative. Promotional and other material not related to the project shall be omitted. The Phase 1 proposal must provide a description of potential commercial applications.

The complete proposal application must contain four copies of the following:

3.3.2 Cover Page

Complete Section 8 "Cover Page" as page 1 of the proposal. NO OTHER COVER WILL BE ACCEPTED. Xerox copies are permitted.

3.3.3 Project Summary

Complete Section 8 "Project Summary" as page 2 of your proposal. The technical abstract should include a brief description of the problem or opportunity, the innovation, project objectives, and technical approach.

In summarizing anticipated results, include technical implications of the approach (for both Phase 1 and 2) and the potential commercial applications of the research. The Project Summary of proposals that received an award will be published by NIST and, therefore, must not contain proprietary information.

Beginning on page 3 of the proposal, include the following items with headings as shown:

3.3.4.1 Equivalent Proposals or Awards

If no equivalent proposal is under consideration or equivalent award received, a statement to that effect must be included in this section.

3.3.4.2 Prior SBIR Phase 2 Awards

3.3.5 Proposed Budget

Complete the Section 8 "SBIR Proposal Summary Budget" for the Phase 1 effort, and include it as the last page of the proposal. Some items of this form may not apply. Enough information should be provided to allow NIST to understand how the offeror plans to use the requested funds if the award is made. A complete cost breakdown should be provided giving labor rates, proposed number of hours, overhead, G&A, and profit. A reasonable profit will be allowed. When proposing travel, identify the number of trips, people involved, labor categories, destination of travel, duration of trip, commercial air fare or mileage rate, per diem expenses, and purpose of travel. Budgets for travel funds must be justified and related to the needs of the project.

Where equipment is to be purchased, list each individual item with the corresponding cost. The inclusion of equipment will be carefully reviewed relative to need and appropriateness for the research proposed. Equipment is defined as an article of non-expendable, tangible property having a useful life of more than 1 year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit.

SBA Policy requires that NIST not issue SBIR awards that include provisions for subcontracting any portion of the contract back to the originating agency.

All Phase 1 and 2 proposals will be evaluated on a competitive basis. Each Phase 1 proposal will be screened by NIST to ensure that it meets the administrative requirements outlined in Section 4.2. Proposals that meet these requirements will be peer reviewed, undergo competition within each laboratory, and may also undergo a third round of competition across the agency.

To avoid misunderstanding, small businesses are cautioned that Phase 1 proposals not satisfying all the screening criteria shall be returned without peer review and will be eliminated from consideration for funding. Proposals may not be resubmitted (with or without revision) under this solicitation. All copies of proposals that fail the screening process will be returned. The screening criteria are:

Phase 1 proposals that comply with the screening criteria will be rated by NIST scientists or engineers in accordance with the following criteria:

Final award decisions will be made by NIST based upon ratings assigned by reviewers and consideration of additional factors, including possible duplication of other research, the importance of the proposed research as it relates to NIST needs, and the availability of funding. NIST may elect to fund several or none of the proposals received on a given subtopic. Upon selection of a proposal for a Phase 1 award, NIST reserves the right to negotiate the amount of the award.

The Phase 2 proposal will undergo NIST and/or external peer review in accordance with the following criteria:

After final award decisions have been announced, the technical evaluations of a proposal will be provided to the proposer with their written notification of award/non-award. The identity of the reviewers will not be disclosed.

5.0 CONSIDERATIONS

Contingent upon availability of funds, NIST anticipates making about 32 Phase 1 firm-fixed-price awards of no more than $75,000 each. Performance period shall be no more than 6 months beginning on the contract start date. Historically, NIST has funded five to ten percent of the Phase 1 proposals submitted.

Phase 2 awards shall be for no more than $300,000. The period of performance in Phase 2 will depend upon the scope of the research, but should not exceed 24 months.

It is anticipated that approximately one-third of the Phase 1 awardees will receive Phase 2 awards, depending upon the availability of funds. To provide for an in-depth review of the Phase 1 final report and the Phase 2 proposal and commercialization plan, Phase 2 awards will be made approximately 4 months after the completion of Phase 1.

All final reports must carry an acknowledgment on the cover page such as: "This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under contract, grant, or cooperative number___________. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NIST."

The specific payment schedule (including payment amounts) for each award will be incorporated into the funding agreement upon completion of negotiations between the Government and the successful Phase 1 or Phase 2 awardee.

The inclusion of proprietary information is discouraged unless it is necessary for the proper evaluation of the proposal.

Proprietary information submitted to NIST will be treated in confidence, to the extent permitted by law, if it is confined to a separate page or pages and marked with a legend reading:

Any other legend will be unacceptable to NIST and may constitute grounds for return of the proposal without further consideration. Without assuming any liability for inadvertent disclosure, NIST will limit dissemination of such information to its employees and, where necessary for evaluation, to outside reviewers on a confidential basis.

Since technical reports may eventually be made available to the public, such reports shall not contain any language limiting their use other than for SBIR data as described below.

For computer software, the contractor gives to the Government, and others acting on its behalf, a paid-up, nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license for all such computer software to reproduce, prepare derivative works, and perform publicly and display publicly, by or on behalf of the Government.

Except for copyrighted data, the Government shall normally have unlimited rights in:

Any proposal that includes research involving vertebrate animals (including fish) must be in compliance with the National Research Council’s "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" which can be obtained from National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20055. In addition, such proposals must meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.), 9 CFR Parts 1, 2, and 3, and if appropriate, 21 CFR Part 58. These regulations do not apply to proposed research using pre-existing images of animals or to research plans that do not include live animals that are being cared for, euthanased, or used by the project participants to accomplish research goals, teaching, or testing. These regulations also do not apply to obtaining animal materials from commercial processors of animal products or to animal cell lines or tissues from tissue banks.

Deadline for Phase 1 proposal receipt (4 copies) at the address below is noon on February 15, 2002 at the Contracts Office address below.

All Offerors should expect delay in delivery due to added security at NIST. It is the responsibility of the Offeror to make sure delivery is made on time.

Because of the heightened security at NIST, FED-EX, UPS or similar-type service is the preferred method of delivery of proposals. If proposals are to be hand delivered, delivery must be made on the actual deadline date and a 24-hour notice must be made to the NIST Contracts Office prior to delivery. All Offerors must notify Susan Brinkman at 301-975-8007, or Romena Moy at 301-975-4999. The name of the individual or courier company making the delivery must be included in the notification.

NIST assumes no responsibility for evaluating proposals received after the stated deadline or that do not adhere to the other requirements of this solicitation (see checklist at back of booklet). Such proposals will be returned to the proposer without review.

Proposers are cautioned to be careful of unforeseen delays, which can cause late arrival of proposals at NIST, resulting in them not being included in the evaluation procedures. No information on the status of proposals under scientific/technical evaluation will be available until formal notification is made.

Submission of NIST proposals should be sent in 4 copies to:

Acknowledgment of receipt of a proposal by NIST will be made. All correspondence relating to proposals must cite the specific proposal number identified on the acknowledgment.

While it is permissible, with proper notification to NIST, to submit identical or essentially equivalent proposals for consideration under numerous Federal program solicitations, it is unlawful to enter into funding agreements requiring essentially equivalent effort. If there is any question concerning this, it must be disclosed to the soliciting agency or agencies before award.

7.0 TOPIC AREAS

As demand increases for smaller, cheaper, smarter and widely deployable chemical/biochemical microsensors, the role of the miniature platforms on which these devices are constructed takes on an increasing importance. Conductometric gas microsensors have been developed at NIST, for example, in which functionality for temperature control and measurement (for controlling transduction phenomena), as well as for electrical probing of sensing films (to measure response signals) is included in Si-based structures called "microhotplates" [1]. The small size of these micromachined devices allows low power operation in rapid temperature programming modes, and on-chip integration of multiple devices (arrays) and electronic circuitry. Related types of advanced microplatforms will be critical for developing a range of next-generation microsensors and components for lab-on-a-chip technology. Design and fabrication limitations exist, however, since standard materials used in integrated circuit chips are not suitable for many sensing applications. Aluminum is typically employed for metallization layers, but it oxidizes and/or fails at relatively low temperatures (20-500°C), and can be incompatible with etching processes used in micromachining. Microscale device fabrication that includes refractory metals such as W and Ir (for high temperature operation) and noble metals such as Pt (for improved contacts) will be important for future sensing technology, especially if it can be adapted to wafer-level processing. The devices produced must be chemically and mechanically robust, reliable even after extended cycling and operation, and (for certain applications) heatable to temperatures in excess of 800 °C.

[1] . S. Semancik,, R. E. Cavicchi, M. Gaitan and J. S. Suehle, "Temperature-controlled micromachined arrays for chemical sensor fabrication and operation," US Patent #5,345,213 (issued September 6,1994).

This patent is available for non-exclusive commercialization licenses. Non-exclusive, royalty-free research licenses are also available and have been previously granted to several parties.

Phase I should demonstrate the feasibility of a combined quantum cascade laser and ultraviolet based system, associated electronics, and software to achieve the stated criteria for the detection of NO, NO₂ and O₃. The objective of Phase II is the delivery of a functioning instrument. It is expected that features of the quantum cascade laser system will permit immediate commercial applications of this instrument for a wide range of trace gas monitoring applications.

US Environmental Protection Agency, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Part 50, Appendix D.

One of the major issues in spray characterization is the correct determination of the integrated mass flux at downstream locations, i.e., having the measured droplet total mass flux equal to the total input bulk flux). Under development are optical patternators that use both Mie scattering and fluorescence to determine the spatial distribution of the spray mass flux. However, these devices have been used essentially under non-burning conditions. Of special interest is the in situ use of these devices in a combustion environment, such as in the NIST spray combustion facility, in which flame radiation and particulates are also present to influence the measurement. An optical patternator system is sought that will operate in high-temperature environments (e.g., at gas temperatures of 1800 K), and in sooting flames such as with kerosene fuel. The instrument should have a high spatial resolution (better than 1 mm), and exposure times better than 1 millisecond. The instrument should detect droplets in the size range 5 microns to 500 microns. The measurements should be applicable to dense regions of the spray, such as in the near nozzle region.

Phase I should demonstrate the feasibility of the patternator device to meet the stated criteria. The objective of Phase II is the delivery of a functioning prototype instrument. It is expected that this new measurement capability will find immediate commercial applications for a wide range of non-reacting and reacting spray technologies. Limited access to the NIST spray combustion chamber may be provided if necessary.

Thermal Conductivity (TC) vacuum gauges are widely used for process control in the pressure range of 10^-1 to 10⁵ Pa (10^-3 to 1000 torr). They have the advantages of operating in the critical pressure regime between low vacuum and atmospheric pressure and being rugged and relatively inexpensive in comparison to competing types of gauges (capacitance manometers, for example). They are a part of virtually every vacuum system that is constructed. In order to comply with quality assurance and accrediting body requirements (such as A2LA and NVLAP), there is an increasing industrial need for NIST-traceable calibration of TC gauges. Currently, NIST does not accept TC gauges for calibration against a primary standard due to the relatively large inaccuracy of the TC gauge with respect to the primary standard. A more suitable (i.e., faster and much less expensive) calibration would involve comparison of the TC gauge with a transfer standard that has been calibrated against a NIST primary standard. Although NIST has the ability to construct such a system, this has not been done. This SBIR Subtopic proposal involves the design and construction of an automated system for calibrating Thermal Conductivity vacuum gauges with any inert gas in the pressure range of 10^-1 to10⁵ Pa (10^-3 to 1000 torr) with an uncertainty of 10-20 %.

The automated calibration system would rely on NIST-traceable (for NIST policy on traceability, see http://www.nist.gov/traceability/nist%20traceability%20policy- external.htm) transfer standards and the Phase 2 prototype would be initially delivered to NIST for verification of operation and uncertainty. NIST is not interested in developing its own calibration service for these gauges, but the proposer could employ such a system in their own for-profit calibration service, or sell such systems to other companies (TC gauge manufacturers and secondary calibration laboratories).

Reference:
Ellefson, R.E. and Miiller, A.P, Recommended practice for calibrating vacuum gauges of the thermal conductivity type. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 18(5), Sep/Oct. 2000.

High-accuracy, high-stability low-pressure transducers play a critical role in NIST primary standards for vacuum, low pressures, and low-flow rates. They serve both as check standards and transfer standards, and are essential for conducting important comparisons of international measurement standards. Their applications are not limited to NIST and other national measurement institutes or calibration laboratories, but span broad industries including the aerospace, microelectronics, and vacuum processing sectors. Recently developed, commercially available, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based transducers have shown excellent long-term calibration stability (<0.005%/year), but their lowest full-scale range is about 1330 Pa (10 torr). We wish to promote the development of new transducers that function at even lower pressures, with similar levels of long-term calibration stability as the MEMS-based devices, but with full-scale ranges as low as 0.13 Pa (0.001 torr). Other favorable attributes would be excellent pressure resolution (1 part in 10⁶ -- comparable to capacitance diaphragm gauges), mechanical robustness and overpressure protection, and insensitivity to geometrical orientation or gas composition. It is expected that prototype devices, developed under Phase 2 funding, would be made available for evaluation at NIST. A transducer typical of the most favorably performing batch-developed throughout the project shall be delivered to NIST.

Reference:
Miiller, A. P., "Measurement performance of high-accuracy low-pressure transducers," Metrologia, 36, 617-621, 1999.

The focusing of cold neutrons (wavelength ~ 1 NM) by multiple biconcave lenses has recently been demonstrated as a practical means of improving the resolution of long flight-path small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instruments [1,2]. We are seeking focusing lenses for neutrons that further improves their performance for SANS as well as for other neutron scattering and imaging techniques. Specifically, we seek lenses that either have shorter focal lengths, higher neutron transmission, larger apertures, or reduced aberrations (spherical, chromatic or gravitational) than those currently installed on the SANS instruments at NIST’s NCNR [2]. Improvements in focusing lenses for neutrons would greatly expand their utility for a wide range of scattering and imaging methods at existing neutron research reactors as well as at existing and future spallation neutron sources.

To improve upon existing neutron lenses at the NCNR, a proposed lenses system must meet all, and exceed at least one, of the following performance specifications:

Focal length for 10 Angstrom neutrons: 5 meters or less

Transmission for 10 Angstrom neutrons: 75% or greater

Lens aperture: 2.0 cm or greater

Spherical and chromatic aberrations for a 10 Angstrom neutron beam with 10% wavelength spread (full-width at half-maximum): less than that from a hypothetical spherical thin lens that meets the three preceding specs.

[1] M.R. Eskildsen, P.L. Gammel, E.D. Isaacs, C. Detlefs, K. Mortensen, D.J. Bishop Nature 391, 563-566 (1998).
[2] S.-M. Choi, J.G. Barker, C.J. Glinka, Y.T. Cheng, PL Gammel, J. Appl. Cryst.33, 793-796 (2000).

The ability to selectively absorb and detect specific stereochemical forms of a chiral molecule on a surface is important to the development of drug-separation techniques on chiral stationary phases, stereoselective asymmetric synthesis methods, and novel biosensors. Proposals are being requested for new, sensitive and inexpensive general optical diagnostic techniques to assess the chiral purity of absorbed monolayers on chiral-selective surfaces. Such techniques may take advantage of, for example, the predicted enhanced Raman and Rayleigh scattering coefficients for chiral monolayers relative to the bulk. Techniques that can be implemented by simple modifications of standard laboratory instrumentation, such as Fourier-transform infrared or Raman spectrometers, or commercially available laser systems are preferred. At the end of this project, the proposer is expected to furnish to NIST a working prototype (excluding commercially available components such as lasers, FTIR or Raman spectrometers, or similar items).

The enantioselectivity of many chiral stationary phases for liquid and supercritical fluid chromatography is limited by nonstereoselective interactions arising from the silica support, chiral selector tethers, and other sources. The use of polymer-based materials incorporating the chiral selector seems to mask some of these undesirable interactions and results in chiral stationary phases having reduced retention and enhanced enantioselectivity. Polysiloxane-based chiral stationary phases bearing brush-type chiral selectors have previously been reported. To date however, the cost and complexity of preparing this type of chiral stationary phase have prevented their widespread implementation. NIST seeks a robust polymer-based chiral stationary phase that is suitable for the separation of enantiomers of pharmaceutical compounds such as beta-blockers by liquid and/or supercritical fluid chromatography. The stationary phase should be stable under a wide variety of mobile phase conditions and ideally could be used under both normal and reversed phase liquid chromatographic conditions. The contractor will make prototypes available to NIST for evaluation in our laboratory.

In intelligent manufacturing systems, smart sensors play a key role. These sensors are essential components in closed-loop manufacturing systems and can improve product quality as well as production efficiency. However, for sensors to be widely used in manufacturing systems, the sensor intelligence level must be increased and the price decreased. When integrated with micro-processing technology, the intelligence level of these sensors can be enhanced. Sensors powered by the ambient environment can be free of power cables and the need for battery changes. In addition, sensors with the capability of wireless communication with their host are unencumbered by cabling. This feature, in situations such as on a rotating spindle or grinding wheel, or in a hazardous environment, can ease the integration of sensors into systems and applications. NIST is development of smart sensors with communication protocols, such as those mentioned above, that can measure acceleration, air and fluid flow, temperature, pressure, vibration, etc. These ambient-powered, wireless, network smart sensors should be easily integrated with the IEEE 1451 family of standards. It is recommended that the proposing party be thoroughly familiar with the proposed IEEE P1451 family of standards. Copies of the standards and draft documents can be obtained from IEEE at 1-800-678-4333. Expected Phase I results are thorough study of the state of the art of the technologies and a design of an ambient-power wireless smart transducer with self-identification capability according to the IEEE 1451.2 TEDS. It is expected that a Phase II effort will result in the construction, delivery to NIST, and demonstration of a prototype suitable for commercial application.

7.05.02 Subtopic: Development of a MEMS Viscosity Meter for Refrigerant/Lubricant Systems

The heart of any refrigerant system such as a heat pump or air conditioner is its compressor. The life’s blood of the compressor is its lubricant/refrigerant solution. Virtually all compressor failures could be predicted with knowledge of internal compressor conditions. Internal water vapor which leads to acid formation, bearing wear due to lubricant dilution, and overheating causing motor coating breakdown are examples. One indicator of any or all of these conditions is the change in the lubricant/refrigerant solution’s viscosity. With the advent of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) for automotive, biological and computer systems, et al., it now seems that long-term, in situ, fluid viscosity monitoring is feasible; even in the stressful, high temperature, high-pressure environment inside a refrigerant compressor.

During Phase I, the NIST contractor would determine the specific measurement methodology that would best detect lubricant/refrigerant solution viscosity and be cost effective to mass produce (e.g. < $8.00 each) in a MEMS device. The basic mechanism of the MEMS device, its design, and the design of its packaging would be completed such that the transducer could survive typical compressor environments for the life of the compressor. During Phase II, several prototype viscosity MEMS devices would be built, tested, and delivered to NIST for evaluation.

A NIST-led industrial consortium has developed information models and associated data formats to allow for the efficient archiving and exchange of machine tool performance data. We hope that this work will facilitate the collection, storage, use, and distribution of machine tool performance data within and between organizations, as well as the development of third-party analysis software, databases, and internet-based tools. The ASME B5/TC56 Committee "Information Technology for Machine Tools" was recently established to develop related standards.

NIST is seeking proposals to develop software and other tools that will allow a company to quickly establish a repository with web-access to archive and retrieve machine tool performance data. Such a repository can be used to compare and monitor the performance of machine tools, to determine optimum maintenance procedures, and to select the right machine for a particular job. With its partners, NIST has defined draft information models and related XML data formats for the following performance data:

(1) Nominal machine tool specifications, e.g., machine configuration, workspace, footprint, feeds and speeds, controller, auxiliary devices, etc.

(2) The results and properties of machine tool performance tests, e.g., positioning accuracy, geometric errors, thermal errors, volumetric accuracy, circular contouring errors, static stiffness, and hysteresis.

Proposals where both archive and web-site are maintained at a central location accessible to multiple companies are also encouraged, provided that security measures are addressed. Interaction with NIST in the development of the software and other tools may be available. Phase I should result in a detailed description of the system architecture and its functions, including an inventory of analysis tools useful for industry, as well as a prototype system addressing one or more machine tool performance tests. In the event of a Phase II award, the data repository with analysis tools would be delivered to NIST.

Digital communications networks promise to become ubiquitous. Applications of such network technology span the range from factories to offices, to homes and to vehicles. Development of domain-oriented tools such as application specific, configuration, testing, deployment, and development tools has lagged behind the development of digital networks. Typically, buyers must commit to single-vendor solutions for many applications. This has limited innovation and concentrated market share in many industries. The recently approved IEEE 1451 Standard for a Smart Transducer Interface for Sensors and Actuators provides a new model for plug-and-play hardware and software. Applying this standard, users will be able to assemble 1451-compliant software and hardware modules from diverse suppliers into systems that work seamlessly in concert. A number of companies are now producing 1451-compliant hardware. A need exists for complementary software tools that enable the fast and efficient building of application solutions.

Innovative ideas are sought that create new ways to provide the benefits of a plug-and-play hardware and software architecture such as 1451 to a wider community of users. Simplicity comparable to the connection, programming, and operation of home audio and video equipment should be the goal. These ideas may encompass methodologies, tools, applications software, and other such concepts, which reduce the time and effort needed to construct 1451-compliant applications. Expected Phase I results are a substantiation of the needs and benefits of a plug-and-play hardware and software architecture for a particular application domain and a detailed design for a software tool that enables the fast and efficient building of solutions for this application. Expected Phase II results are the development of prototype software tools, delivery of a fully paid up licensed copy to NIST, and a demonstration of the utility of the tools in a number of practical and commercial applications.

The World Wide Web has opened up a global marketplace to businesses. A web site (or intranet or extranet) can provide distribution of products and services to customers from hundreds of countries. A web site that is designed strictly from a US-centric point of view is not usable in many locales. A successful, usable design requires a global base that captures the core features that are common across this international audience AND localizations specific to the cultures of the potential customers. Current localization practice for most web sites consists of translation into various languages, character sets, and, perhaps, some consideration of the local currency, time formats, and measures. The localization process even at this level is quite time consuming and detailed since, for example, layout is greatly affected by these factors. Furthermore, these are not sufficient to address other cultural aspects of design that are critical to the usability of a site. Such considerations include color, script orientation, symbols and icons, religion, gestures, slang, humor, and etiquette.

To address the problems of designing culturally localized web sites, proposals should describe approaches to support a more comprehensive and faster methodology for localization. These can include localization design and usability test processes, guidelines, libraries to identify cultural and linguistic attributes and their equivalents across cultures, and interactive tools to support the design process. The results of this research as outlined in the final report are expected to directly benefit NIST.

Dosimetry measurements on brachytherapy sources in tissue-equivalent media are very difficult to perform accurately because of very high dose-rate gradients in the vicinity of the sources. Conventional detectors in use today include small-volume ionization chambers, thermoluminescence dosimeters, solid state devices (diodes and diamond detectors), plastic scintillators, and radiation-sensitive films. Current technology limits the size of detector to dimensions the order of 0.5 to 1 mm, usually in one dimension only. Moreover, thinner materials must be supported on thicker, often non-tissue-equivalent substrates. Sensitivity is usually attained only at the expense of added volume in the other two detector dimensions, thereby compromising detector resolution in those dimensions. Requirements for new detectors include sizes of 0.5 mm or less in all three dimensions, the ability to operate under water, tissue equivalence in their radiation absorption and scattering properties for electrons from 100 keV to 4 MeV and photons from 10 keV to 1 MeV, and sensitivity sufficient to detect clearly an absorbed dose rate of 1 mGy/s, or, for passive devices, absorbed doses of 1 mGy. Proposals submitted under this subtopic may address access to NIST facilities and staff, and delivery to NIST of a working prototype device is expected.

References:
S.-T. Chiu-Tsao and L.L. Anderson, "Thermoluminescent Dosimetry for 103Pd (Model 200) in Solid Water Phantom," Med. Phys. 18, 449-452 (1991).
D. Fluehs, M. Heintz, F. Indenkampen, C. Wieczorek, H. Kolanski and U. Quast, "Direct Reading Measurement of Absorbed Dose with Plastic Scintillators – the General Concept and Applications to Ophthalmic Plaque Dosimetry," Med. Phys. 23, 427-434 (1996).
C.G. Soares, D.G. Halpern and C.-K. Wang, "Calibration and Characterization of Beta-particle Sources for Intravascular Brachytherapy," Med. Phys. 25, 339-346 (1998).

It can be expected that mobile devices will always trail their desktop counterparts in computing power, memory capacity, and bandwidth capabilities. These devices may have to load new code on the fly in order to provide new capabilities. For example, the PDA user may want to securely download and pay for new code that offers new word processing functionality or security services on demand. Alternatively, a PDA user may want to launch a mobile commerce agent that will visit other hosts while the PDA is unable to remain connected to the network or the cost to remain online is prohibitive. Mobile agents must be able to operate on small footprint virtual machines, which typically do not offer all the services available on a typical workstation. Moreover, PDAs are able to offer fewer security services, which makes the task of securing mobile code more difficult. This effort would focus on developing secure electronic commerce technologies for mobile agents and wireless mobile devices. The results of this research as outlined in the final report are expected to directly benefit NIST.

As the mobile workforce begins using mobile devices for commerce and for accessing enterprise data, several new privacy concerns arise. For example, with the advent of wireless location services, not only may the type of transaction be recorded by the vendor and later mined for data, but so may the user’s physical location. Smart cards that enable users to pay for tolls on highways or train tickets may use wireless technologies to debit accounts and also record the location of users allowing the consumer to leave an electronic trail of information behind them as they conduct their everyday business. Although wireless location services can be extremely useful for medical assistance calls or taxicab requests, one may not wish to disclose their location to advertisers or other parties. The goal of this effort is to develop technologies for mobile devices and mobile device infrastructure that will protect the privacy of the mobile workforce while providing accountability and security. The results of this research as outlined in the final report are expected to directly benefit NIST.

In pervasive computing environments, integrating the numerous available pervasive devices (and selecting the appropriate technologies for a particular application) will be prerequisite in order to meet user needs. Also, effective pervasive computing will present user interfaces distributed across numerous, small, portable, and embedded devices. While many companies are developing stand-alone products for use in these smart environments, a real challenge lies in integrating these products from different vendors into a single, functional, pervasive environment, which will meet the requirements of groups of users for a particular application. Technical staff in NIST’s Smart Space Laboratory have developed the NIST Smart Flow system - data flow integration software that allows devices and systems from different companies to work together in a single environment. In order to keep pace with the emerging number and types of pervasive computing devices, and to encourage development of smart spaces which meet user demands, there is need to further expand the capabilities of the NIST Smart Flow by integrating additional types of devices into smart spaces and accessible environments for future applications.

The goal of this effort is to investigate and develop an approach to integrating a set of pervasive computing devices into a single system which will make offices, meeting rooms, medical examination rooms, or other smart environments of the future more accessible and productive. This proposal requests demonstrations of innovative combinations of pervasive devices and advanced spoken and visual interfaces (provided by several commercial vendors) which can be integrated into a smart environment using the NIST Smart Flow system. The integrated devices should be selected to focus on technology needs of a realistic, future application area, such as:

An accessible smart room, which integrates assistive information technology and allows alternative access methods, which may include wireless access and hands-free user interfaces;

An advanced medical examination room to support proper access to information systems by a physician - such as speech and speaker recognition to access patient files, dictate examination notes, request tests, or to establish communication for a consultation - for improved and efficient healthcare.

Proposals submitted under this subtopic may address access to NIST facilities and staff.

The features of Extensible Markup Language (XML) to describe the meta-content or data schema is being increasingly used for platform independent data representation, interchange and presentation.

With the proliferation of e-commerce applications in the areas of order processing, shipping, invoicing and bill payments, maintaining uniform access control semantics across these applications has become a critical issue for many enterprises. To address this issue, it is necessary to develop standardized methods of representation (or schemas) for access control models. XML schema languages like DTD and "XML Schema" can be effectively used to develop schemas for different types of access control models like Lattice-based Access Control Models, Discretionary Access Control Models, etc. Access control data for the enterprise represented in XML documents, which are based on these schemas, can then be interpreted by multiple applications on different platforms. XML Java processors based on well-defined APIs like DOM and SAX provide the enabling technology for performing this function.

NIST is soliciting research in the area of developing standardized XML schemas for various well-known access control models and development of interpretation logic that can be used by the individual applications to enforce access control measures that are based on common enterprise-wide semantics. These ideas can then used to develop an authorization server that can then used by multiple applications eliminating the need for piece-meal authorization and access control solutions. The results of this research as outlined in the final report are expected to directly benefit NIST.

Improved reliability and reproducibility have been identified in several workshops held at NIST as requirements for more widespread use of thermal spray coatings. This requires measurement and diagnostic tools to better understand and control the thermal spray coating process. Non-contact sensors that can give a more accurate indication of coating quality, e.g. surface texture, thermal conductivity, thickness, adhesion, and emissivity would be important in extending the applicability and reliability of thermal spray coatings. Researchers at NIST require the development of such sensors to make localized measurements of coating quality during the thermal spray deposition process so as to be usable for feedback and control. A promising approach might be the use of an InGaAs detector and a modulated laser to elucidate some of these important properties. NIST will entertain proposals that address the major elements of this measurement problem within the described framework. Ideally, the sensor would be an innovative adaptation of tried and proven technology, so that it is immediately ready to secure the required data, and is likely to succeed as a feedback and control sensor. The awardee will make a prototype system available to NIST for testing in a laboratory environment. NIST will collaborate with the awardee on the tests and expect delivery of a prototype at the end of the project.

Understanding of several high-speed industrial metals processing technologies such as atomization or spray deposition would be greatly improved by high-speed photography, which requires a visible light source to illuminate rapidly moving droplets. The particles and droplets generated by these processes are generally 5 to 100 micrometers in diameter and travel at velocities up to several hundred m/s. The specularly reflective surface of the metal droplets renders point source and collimated light unsuitable for the required reflected-light imaging of surface structure. A light source suitable for this purpose would need the capability to be synchronized with a high-speed movie or video camera (10,000 fps) where each frame could be exposed with one or more short duration (<100 ns) pulses, to create a flash illuminated image through telescopic/macro optics. An external sync oscillator connected to a copper vapor laser capable of 15 to 20 watts of light output with a fiber optic coupling to a beam expander and Lambertian scattering plate should provide sufficient brightness and dispersion for this application. Other laser or white light sources would be considered if the wavelength, pulse duration, power and repetition rate were suitable for high-speed exposures. The awardee will make a prototype system available to NIST for testing in a laboratory environment. NIST will collaborate with the awardee on the tests and expect delivery of a prototype at the end of the project.

Users of formed metals and alloys have a need to know the mechanical properties of their formed parts. This information is often needed on a part-by-part basis and statistical information is not sufficient. NIST research (J Appl. Phys., vol. 81, 4263, (1997)) has shown that the Barkhausen Effect is highly correlated with the mechanical properties of ferromagnetic materials, such as steel, providing the basis for a nondestructive method that might be used on a production line to provide the needed information. This solicitation seeks the development of probes and associated equipment based on the above effect (or similar nondestructive effects) to demonstrate feasibility in the measurement of mechanical properties in a production environment. Note that much of the NIST-developed science is covered by U. S. Patent No. 08-503-263, which is currently assigned to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). All proposed commercialization must either not infringe on this patent or be covered by a license from AISI. The results of this research as outlined in the final report are expected to directly benefit NIST.

The basis for this subtopic is NIST sensor technology that was developed for monitoring polymer processing. This technology is the subject of three patents awarded to NIST (US patent nos. 5,788,374; 5,519,211, and 5,384,079). The technology involves optical sensing of polymer processing. Sensors consisting of optical fibers are inserted into process machines and are used to measure important processing parameters, such as temperature, pressure, morphology, and rheological quantities of the processed resin. Such real-time data can be used in a feedback loop to control the process. Only laboratory models of the NIST sensors have been constructed. They have been used to monitor injection molding and extrusion of polymers. Sensor behavior has been described in the literature. Bringing this technology to the marketplace will require development in several areas:(1) making sensor prototypes that are rugged and robust so that they survive in the processing environment; (2) developing feedback control loops that will control a measured quantity or quantities; and, (3) developing software that interfaces with the user, analyzes data and sends control commands to the processing machine using the patented NIST technology. The objective of this subtopic solicitation is the development of a measurement system that can be used to monitor and control a polymer process so that product and productivity specifications are maintained. Some NIST facilities and equipment will be available for use by the awardee. These include an extrusion machine and optical measuring equipment. An injection-molding machine is not available. Interested parties should be aware that the patented NIST technology is available for non-exclusive or exclusive commercialization licenses. Non-exclusive, royalty free research licenses are also available and have been previously granted to other parties. The results of this research as outlined in the final report are expected to directly benefit NIST.

References:
1. A. J. Bur, F. W. Wang, C. L. Thomas, and J. L. Rose, Polymer Engineering and Science, 1994, 34, 671.
2. A. J. Bur and C. L. Thomas, Polymer Engineering and Science, 1997, 37, 1430.
3. C. L. Thomas and A. J. Bur, Polymer Engineering and Science, 1999, 39, 1619.
4. C. L. Thomas and A. J. Bur, Polymer Engineering and Science, 1999, 39, 1291.
5. K. Migler and A. J. Bur, Polymer Engineering and Science, 1998, 38, 213.

Patents:
1. Patent no. 5,788,374, Method and Apparatus for Measuring the Temperature of a Liquid Medium," inventors: A. J. Bur and K. Migler
2. Patent no. 5,519,211, Method and Apparatus for Monitoring Resin Crystallization and Shrinkage During Polymer Injection Molding," inventors: A. J. Bur and C. L. Thomas
3. Patent no. 5,384,079, Method for Detecting Thermodynamic Phase Transitions During Polymer Injection Molding," inventors: A. J. Bur, F. W. Wang, C. L. Thomas and J. L. Rose

Reference:
V.S. Gornakov, V.I. Nikitenko, L.H. Bennett, H.J. Brown, M.J. Donahue, W.F. Egelhoff, R.D. Mc.Michael and A.J. Shapiro. "Experimental Study of Magnetization Reversal Processes in Nonsymmetric Valve." J. Appl. Phys. 81. (8) 5215.

Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology is being used to develop micro-atomizers for a wide range of industrial applications. Of special interest is the use of these atomizers as a reference device for calibration of particle sizing instrumentation. Although MEMS atomizers are designed to provide a uniform array of droplets, attempts to validate the actual uniformity of the droplets when operated as a well-dispersed spray has generally met with poor results. A MEMS atomizer is sought that will provide a spray with controllable size and velocity distributions, and operate in high-temperature environments. The sprays should be able to produce both monodispersed and polydispersed (e.g., bimodal distributions) size distributions (tunable over the range of 0.5 µm to 50 µm). The droplet formation process should be amenable to theoretical prediction. The device must be demonstrated while using a variety of fuels that include multiphase and multicomponent mixtures. Number density should be high enough (> 10⁴ particles/cm³) to be representative of an actual spray.

Phase I should demonstrate the feasibility of the MEMS device to meet the stated criteria. The objective of Phase II is the delivery of a functioning MEMS atomizer. It is expected that this new measurement capability will find immediate commercial applications for a wide range of non-reacting and reacting spray technologies.

Capacitors optimized for measuring the dielectric constant of gases are used to monitor the composition of process gases with electrical measurements. Applications range from monitoring the heating value of natural gas in large pipelines to monitoring the respiration of anesthetized patients undergoing surgery. NIST is testing the feasibility of measuring the dielectric constant of gases accurately enough that a gas-filled capacitor could be used as a standard of pressure for pressures near 50 atmospheres. For this purpose, NIST developed symmetrical pairs of capacitors called "cross capacitors" that achieve a remarkable combination of specifications: (1) stability of a few parts in 10⁸ after temperature compensation, (2) insensitivity to contamination of the capacitors’ surfaces, (3) predictable deformation under pressure, and (4) sensitivity to changes of the dielectric constant of gases and, (5) insensitivity to the dielectric constants of the solids composing the capacitors. [See: M. R. Moldover and T. J. Buckley, International Journal of Thermophysics, Vol. 22, pp. 859-885 (2001).] However, the NIST cross capacitors have disadvantages: (1) their volume is hundreds of cubic centimeters; (2) they are assembled from many metal and sapphire parts held to tight tolerances; therefore, they are expensive, and (3) their capacitance is very small (0.6 pF). These disadvantages might be overcome by fabricating cross capacitors from silicon using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. The goal is to manufacture cross capacitors that are mechanically smaller, comparatively inexpensive, and that have larger capacitances while preserving the advantages of existing cross capacitor, particularly, their unique ability to compensate for surface contamination. [J. Q. Shields, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, Vol. IM-21, pp. 365-368 (1972).] The MEMS designer can chose among many well-studied geometric configurations [See: D. Makow and J. B. Campbell, Metrologia, Vol. 8, pp. 148-155 (1972).] or develop a new one.

Phase I should demonstrate the feasibility of the MEMS cross capacitor to meet the five specifications of existing cross capacitors stated above while significantly mitigating their disadvantages. The objective of Phase II is the delivery of a functioning 5 pF MEMS cross capacitor. It is expected that this new device will have commercial applications as a pressure standard and that derivative devices meeting less stringent standards will have a wide range of applications in analyzing process gases.

Design of complex engineering systems is increasingly becoming a collaborative task among designers or design teams that are physically, geographically and temporally distributed. The complexity of modern products means that a single designer can no longer manage the complete effort. Designers are no longer merely exchanging geometric data, but more general knowledge about design and design process, including specifications, design rules, constraints, rationale, and more. As design becomes increasingly knowledge-intensive and collaborative, the need for intelligent CAD tools to support the representation and use of knowledge among distributed designers becomes more critical. The objective of this solicitation is a development of computational software tools to support intelligent and distributed CAD (IDCAD), or more specifically, frameworks for distributed design that will improve the ability to represent, capture and reuse design knowledge, and to enable design integration across time and space. Examples of challenges associated with IDCAD include but are not limited to knowledge-based CAD, knowledge capture and sharing, supply chain management, Internet-based communication, novel design agents, etc. An emphasis will be placed on software tools that are either compatible with hardware/ software platforms used by small to medium enterprises, or accessible from such platforms (e. g., via the Internet). In Phase I, we expect a description of a conceptual framework for IDCAD. The Phase II effort should result in the construction, delivery to NIST, and demonstration of a software prototype suitable for commercial application.

Simulation and modeling was recently identified by the National Research Council, as one of two breakthrough technologies that will accelerate progress in addressing the grand challenges facing manufacturing in 2020. ¹ The study recommends advancement of "the state of the art by establishing standards for the verification, validation, and accreditation of modeling tools and models (including geometric models, behavioral models, process models, and cost and performance models). Fulfillment of the recommendation would provide fundamental building blocks for the dynamic models and ‘real-time’ simulations of 2020." The study recommends research and development in: "standards for software compatibility or robust software that does not need standards, … methods to make data accessible to everyone (protocols, security, format, interoperability), … interactive, 3-D, simulation-based visualizations of complex structures integrating behavioral, organizational, and people issues with other analyses, … methods to merge historical data with simulation systems, … simulation of alternative business processes." Standardized interfaces, component model libraries, and modeling techniques promise to reduce the cost and increase the accessibility of manufacturing simulation technology for US industry.

One type of simulation, discrete-event simulation, is widely used to design new manufacturing systems and to improve the performance of existing ones. However, if each source of system randomness (processing times, machine times to failure, machine repair times, etc.) is not modeled by an appropriate probability distribution, then the simulation study is quite likely to produce erroneous results. This fundamental modeling requirement is difficult to satisfy when developing a new manufacturing system since data are generally not available, and an analyst typically has to use a somewhat arbitrary distribution (e.g., triangular) in most cases. Therefore, it would be highly desirable if a library of suitable probability distributions digital files could be developed for use in different manufacturing applications to model different types of behaviors found in manufacturing systems. We seek the development of written probability distributions and data sets that would accelerate the development of discrete event simulation models for manufacturing. Formats should be recommended for storing the probability distribution data so that it can be readily used by a wide range of commercial simulation software products. Phase I deliverables should identify standard data sets that required and sources for that data. The principal investigator should provide letters of commitment from organizations or individuals that will serve as sources for data. Expected Phase II results include specifications of data set models or structures and a fully paid up license to data sets developed and delivered to NIST.

Reference:
"Visionary Manufacturing Challenges for 2020," National Research Council, Washington, DC 1998, pages 5, 63, and 114.

Manufacturers attempting to solve Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) interoperability problems through use of the international Standard for the Exchange of Product model data standards (STEP) require objective technical means to assure the compatibility of commercial software applications. Similarly, commercial software vendors, seeking to satisfy their customers, seek the capability to test their STEP implementations during the development cycle. Software deployment pilot programs are an effective means to test implementations to information exchange standards. However, test pilots can not be effective unless tools are available to isolate sources of exchange errors. Once isolated, translator errors and incompatible interpretations of a specification may be rectified in order to improve the capability of the participating implementations.

NIST is soliciting proposals to provide the technical infrastructure software tools necessary to support STEP implementation interoperability testing trials and to realize STEP conformance testing services. The focus of this effort is in the following areas:

Computer Aided Design to Computer Aided Manufacturing – Numerical Control (NC) for Machine Tools.

Computer Aided Design to Computer Aided Engineering – Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

The result of this effort shall be written reference test case data and test metrics for exchange testing as well as software tools capable of validating that neutral exchange data meets the requirements of the specified standard. In Phase I, we expect a description of a conceptual architecture for testing. The Phase II effort should result in the construction, delivery to NIST, and demonstration of a software prototype suitable for commercial application.

As manufacturing companies move toward increased integration, there is a growing need to share process information in addition to product data. Software applications range from those that simply portray processes graphically to tools that enable simulation, planning, analysis, scheduling, and/or control of processes. In collaboration with industry and academia, NIST is developing a Process Specification Language (PSL) that will be common to all manufacturing applications, generic enough to be decoupled from any given application, and robust enough to be able to represent the necessary process information for any given application. Additionally, the PSL will be sufficiently well defined to enable exchange of process information among established applications. NIST is requesting proposals for computer-based software tools to facilitate the use of the PSL for process modeling and process information exchange. Proposals should target the specification and design of generic PSL-based development and integration of software tools or software application extensions to existing manufacturing application software. Solutions could involve the development of translators or wrappers for exchange, or tools for creating and editing PSL presentations. Expected Phase II results include a fully paid up license to tools developed and delivered to NIST.

References:
Internet site: http://www.nist.gov/psl/
Schlenoff, C., Knutilla, A., Ray S., "Unified Process Specification Language: Requirements for Modeling Process." NISTIR 5910, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 1996.
Knutilla, A., Schlenoff, C., Ray, S., "Process Specification Language: Analysis of Process Representations." NISTIR 6160, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 1998.

Expected Phase I results are a thorough study of the state of the "best practices" of interoperable ontological engineering and the art of the development of durable interoperable ontological-based applications, preferably in the area of manufacturing.

Expected Phase II results are delivery to NIST of freely available tools and infrastructure to assist the engineer in the creation and testing of durable interoperable ontological-based engineering, preferably with the inclusion of existing applications built with such tools.

References:
Knowledge Sharing Effort, Internet site: http://www.cs.umbc.edu/kse/.
Ontolingua Server Project, The, Internet site: http://ksi.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/KAW/KAW96/farquhar/farquhar.html.
Plan Ontology Project, Internet site: http://www.aiai.ed.ac.uk/~bat/ontology.html.
Process Interchange Format, Internet site: http://ccs.mit.edu/pif/.
Toronto Virtual Enterprise Project, Internet site: http://www.ie.utoronto.ca/EIL/tove/ontoTOC.html.

Software systems used in manufacturing enterprises are large and highly complex. Manufacturers must integrate these software systems such that they dynamically interact with one another using standards interfaces. Those involved in these integration efforts are frustrated by the lack of practical testing methods for these interacting software systems, by the ineffectiveness of existing testing tools, and by the lack of consideration for testing that standards-developers employ when developing standards in this domain.

NIST is soliciting proposals to identify and develop software tools and written techniques for specifying, locating faults in, and testing conformance of interaction-driven manufacturing systems as well as developing and documenting methods for designing integration specifications with improved testability. The results of this effort shall be the development and documentation of prototype testing methods, leveraging existing NIST's Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) methods where appropriate, and the development of corresponding software tools. Proposers should identify in their documentation the characteristics of "testable" implementations and devise specification methods applicable to integration specification developers. In Phase I, we expect a description of a conceptual architecture for testing. The Phase II effort should result in the construction, delivery to NIST, and demonstration of a software prototype suitable for commercial application.

Reference:
"Visionary Manufacturing Challenges for 2020," National Research Council, Washington, DC 1998, pages 5, 63, and 114.

Accurate temperature measurement and control of silicon and compound semiconductor materials undergoing high-temperature (800 K to 1400 K) processing are critical for achieving desired electronic properties. Radiometric (optical) methods of temperature measurement are preferred since they allow easy optical access to the target (wafer) without appreciably affecting the process environment, comprised of the target and surrounding chamber. Two essential and demanding requirements of the thermal processor are uniform heating (within 0.25 K) and temperature uncertainties of less than 2 K (k = 3). A key feature of practical thermal reactors and test facilities that confound meeting these requirements is the uncertainty in the target's optical properties under the spectral conditions required by radiometric instrumentation and associated modeling to infer target temperature. Radiometric sensors useful for these applications include spot-type, scanning, and optical-fiber/light-pipe radiometers. For further background, respondents are referred to the Materials Research Society series, Rapid Thermal and Integrated Processing, Volumes 1 to 7, and proceedings of the International Conference on Advanced Thermal Processing of Semiconductors, Volumes 1 to 8.

NIST has undertaken the responsibility for developing test methods and standards for high-temperature measurements in semiconductor thermal processing. Proposals are sought for development of a test facility for determining the normal spectral emissivity at selected near-infrared wavelengths and for the temperature range 800 K to 1400 K on silicon and compound semiconductor materials with highly specular surface finishes. The facility should provide for determining emissivity by indirect and direct methods. The indirect method refers to a technique employing lasers or auxiliary light sources to determine the reflectivity property that is complimentary to the surface emissivity. Emissivity-compensation temperature measurement techniques that simultaneously determine surface temperature and emissivity are suitable approaches. The direct method is that of employing a spectral radiation thermometer to measure the spectral radiance temperature and a contact sensor to measure the surface thermodynamic temperature from which the spectral emissivity can be calculated using Planck’s law. Temperatures can be determined with uncertainties less than 1 K traceable to the International Temperature Scale (ITS-90) using NIST blackbody calibrations for the radiation thermometer, and the new NIST thin-film thermocouple technology for contact sensing. The planned project should demonstrate the direct and indirect methods for determining emissivity with consideration to uniform and controlled heating of the wafer sample, and to characterization of the radiation environment, including effects of stray radiation and wafer-chamber interreflections. It is anticipated that the test facility for temperature measurement will be constructed and delivered in Phase 2.

Wide band-gap compound semiconductors and their alloys find increasing application in opto-electronic (LEDs, lasers, detectors) and microelectronic (high-temperature, high-power, and high frequency transistors) devices. However, the performance of such devices is limited by several materials and engineering problems, including a difficulty in making thermally stable low-resistance electrical contacts to wide band-gap semiconductors. Achieving low contact resistivity is hindered by the energy barrier formed at the metal/semiconductor interface, and depends on several factors including the sheet resistivity of the semiconductor wafer and metallization composition. Reduction of sheet resistance and the optimization of the heat treatment schedule as well as the best metallization composition requires extensive experimentation in a multi-parameter space as well a method to organize this information for future reference. Thus, the methods of high throughput research (combinatorial materials science) are ideal for this problem. The awardee is expected to develop a system to produce libraries of materials for optimizing wafer sheet resistivity, based on the current state-of-the-art. Phase I results are expected to demonstrate the feasibility of the newly developed technique to produce sample libraries with continuous or discrete variation in sheet resistivity as applied to wide band-gap semi-conducting materials of various types, as well as delivery of prototype wafers to NIST for testing and evaluation. Inclusion of a system for automated sample preparation to facilitate subsequent measurement of electrical and electronic characteristics, as well as composition in each element of the array, is desirable. The ability to modify semiconductor wafer properties at elevated temperatures, thus avoiding post-processing heat treatment step, is also an important issue.

The magneto-optical indicator film (MOIF) imaging technique is a nondestructive method for real-time characterization of magnetic domain structure for a wide range of technologically important magnetic materials such as spin-valves, ultrathin multilayers, and granular systems. The MOIF film is placed on top of a magnetic sample and has its magnetization altered by the magneto-static field of the sample under study. In this way, the domain structure of the sample under study is imaged in a polarizing microscope through the interaction of the polarized light with the MOIF film. The MOIF method is expected to become a standard nondestructive quality control imaging technique for the next generation of magnetic materials for sensors and storage devices. Proposals are solicited for the development of improved magneto-optical indicator films, including, but not limited to, transparent Bi-substituted yttrium-iron garnet single-crystal films (thickness 1-3 micrometers, Faraday rotation > 100,000 deg/cm) grown on a gadolinium-gallium garnet substrate with a high reflectivity under layer. The influence of different element substitutions should be studied to enable different magnetic saturation values and coercivities to be fabricated. The results of this research as outlined in the final report are expected to directly benefit NIST.

On-wafer measurements of magnetic thin-film properties are required for developing and optimizing magnetic thin films for data-storage and magneto-electronic applications. Characterization of magnetic combinatorial thin-film libraries represents a unique challenge because the magnetic properties may vary widely across a wafer and the properties are not known in advance. NIST requires a system that can scan magnetic thin-film libraries on 76 mm diameter wafers. The dimensions of the sites on the wafer range from 0.1 mm to 2.0 mm.

The properties that need to be measured include standard measurements, such as hysteresis loops measured using the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) and magnetoresistance, as well as new types of on-wafer metrology, such as magnetostriction, quantitative magnetic moment measurements, and high frequency permeability.

All measurements will share a similar set of requirements. The measurements must be automated and computer-controlled; made in magnetic fields up to 0.5 tesla, with variable field orientation; and done rapidly, in less than 20 seconds per site. One must be able to specify and change the type of measurement through a programmable user interface.

NIST will provide specifications for, and samples of, novel probes for magnetostriction, magnetic moment, and high frequency permeability, as well as sample libraries on 76 mm wafers. The system, if it is successfully designed, would be able to be commercialized to provide on-wafer measurements of magnetostriction, magnetic moment, and high frequency permeability. These new measurement capabilities are of interest to the magnetic data storage industry and a sizable market for such systems exists. Phase II requirements would include delivery of a prototype system to NIST.

Reference:
S. E. Russek, W. Bailey, and G. Alers, "Magnetic Combinatorial Thin-Film Libraries," to be published in IEEE Transactions on Magnetics.

Water contamination in phosphine, arsine, silane, ammonia and similar gases creates a serious manufacturing yield problem when these are used in the epitaxial growth of high purity semiconductor layers. NIST has a program for improving detection of water as an impurity in these gases that would greatly benefit from the existence of tunable lasers near the strong water absorption bands. The optimal efficiency would be for lasers with emission wavelength centered on 1380 NM with high stability (less than 100 kHz short-term drift) when suitable optical feedback is provided. We are requesting proposals to develop diode lasers that emit in this wavelength region and to test the suitability of these diodes as a light source in an external-cavity tunable laser system. Phase 1 research should include the delivery of packaged diode laser prototypes to NIST.

The interconnect systems for many new optoelectronic components, such as reference artifacts for IC packages or optical fiber connectors, require sub-micrometer accuracy measurements of features that are only tens of micrometers in size. The highest-accuracy coordinate measuring machines – CMMs (such as the Moore Special Tool model M48 -- using a Leitz controller and Quindos software at NIST) have the positioning accuracy and control needed for these applications. There is, however, no available three-dimensional probing system good enough to make full use of this positioning accuracy. Although the best-available current probe system is very good, the force and reproducibility falls short of what is needed (and the manufacturer of this probe is no longer in business). It is imperative that new probes be developed with suitable characteristics to meet the most demanding needs of optoelectronics, disk-drive manufacture, and similar industries. Needed is a probe that can be integrated into existing coordinate measuring machines (such as Moore Special Tool or similar high-end machines). Although the market for these probes is not extremely large, making it difficult for a CMM manufacturer to justify development funds for such a probe, the potential impact of the measurements made possible by such probes is far-reaching because the probe would solve important problems for critical industries.

We are proposing the development of a contact probe, that can be integrated into our Moore Special Toool CMM M48 using a Leitz controller and Quindos software and similar coordinate measuring machines, with these characteristics:

(1) a variable probing force (1 gram-force to 50 gram-force)
(2) a repeatability of 5 nanometers or better.
(3) a range of 3 micrometers or more.

The goal of the program is a commercial grade probe (emergency-stop and over-travel provisions, suitable mounting hardware, etc.) which will allow full benefit from the demonstrated accuracy of Moore M48 and similar high-end measuring machines. Phase I of this research should demonstrate the feasibility of developing and fabricating this three-directional probe and for interfacing it to our existing measuring machine. Phase II includes manufacture and testing of the prototype probe on a M48 measuring machine. It is expected that a probe will be delivered to NIST and integrated into the M48 operating system.

7.13 MICROELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING INFRASTRUCTURE

Polymer coatings are increasingly being used for a large number of sophisticated applications involving micro-patterns as in the microelectronics industry. This technologically important area would greatly benefit by the development of a methodology that would allow for preparation of patterned multilayered polymer coatings with a high degree of versatility in design that would allow for deposition of multicomponent polymer mixtures on a variety of substrates. Inkjet technology can provide rapid and convenient methods for advanced deposition of polymer-based coatings in the form of precisely controlled multilayer micro-patterned surfaces. The chemical or topographical features prepared by this methodology should range in scale from micrometers to millimeters. The method developed should be capable of depositing aqueous or organic solvent based polymer mixtures including suspended polymer particulates onto solid or flexible substrates such as polymer sheets. The deposition method could be either continuous or discreet depending on the requirements and coatings deposition at elevated temperatures should also be a salient feature.

The awardee will make a prototype system available to NIST for testing in a laboratory environment. NIST will collaborate with the awardee on the tests.

The unusually high emissivity of carbon-nanotube-coated surfaces offer the potential of inexpensive, high-quality, blackbody sources. Proposals are solicited for large-area, uniform-emitting, variable-temperature, blackbody radiation sources based on surfaces coated with carbon nanotubes. Such blackbodies are needed, for example, for the characterization and calibration of radiometric instrumentation such as spectroradiometers, infrared cameras, focal-plane arrays, and radiation thermometers. Of particular interest are uniform, large-emitting-area (aperture area of 600 cm² or greater) blackbodies with a variable temperature from at least 300 K to 600 K. Since the blackbodies are needed for high-accuracy radiometric calibrations, it is also desired that their effective emissivities be high, on the order of 0.999 or better, and spectrally flat. Delivery to NIST of a working prototype for evaluation is expected.

As spectroscopy in the THz region of the region of electromagnetic waves develops there is greater need for reliable, high-quality nonlinear crystals such as ZnTe and GaP that are suitable for generation and detection of THz radiation. Currently there is extreme and uncontrolled variability in the performance of crystals from different vendors and even from a single vendor. The most critical parameters relative to THz spectroscopy are the transmittance in the THz spectral region and the spatial uniformity of that transmittance. We solicit a program to systematically study ZnTe and Gap crystal growth parameters with the goal of learning how to reliably produce high-transmittance crystals. In addition it is important to be able to produce crystals with thicknesses of a few millimeters to as thin as tens of microns. The studies should include investigations of reliably sizing the crystal thickness while maintaining the appropriate characteristics relevant to producing and detecting THz radiation. While the focus should be on the crystals mentioned previously, other crystals amenable to THz spectroscopy may be included; e.g., GaAs. NIST will work with the proposer by providing the capability to measure THz spectral transmittances. Delivery to NIST of 1 cm² samples from each batch made is expected.

Sensitive midinfrared (8 : m to 12 : m) detectors, such as the commercial HgCdTe-based systems presently available, suffer from poor dynamic range, linearity, and spatial uniformity, making them unsuitable for many high-accuracy radiometric and spectroscopic applications. Proposals are requested for new types of infrared detectors that offer performance advantages relative to liquid-nitrogen-cooled HgCdTe systems in sensitivity, spatial uniformity, linearity, and dynamic range against an ambient background. The detector should be designed to view randomly polarized sources. Detector designs that require cooling with liquid helium will be considered, although a liquid-nitrogen-based system is preferred. NIST will work with the proposer in evaluating the detectors. The proposer will be expected to furnish a working detector at the completion of the project.

In applications of industrial radiography, computed tomography and radiation processing, high-intensity x-ray beams (up to 300 keV) are employed to minimize exposure times and maximize product throughput. High-power x-ray tubes are most often used for these purposes. Much of the heat that is generated when the electron beam strikes the x-ray target is absorbed in the anode. When high-power electron beams are used, this excess heat must be dissipated rapidly to avoid overheating the anode, which could cause the x-ray target to erode and lead to premature failure of the device. Typical industrial units employ a closed-loop coolant system to extract the heat from the anode. While fairly efficient, these systems add significantly to the weight and cost of an x-ray unit, and are subject to failure. From a design standpoint, the best approach would be to minimize the heat that is produced in the anode without sacrificing the power output of the device. Factors such as target shape, size and composition, electron beam parameters, as well the target-to-anode coupling all impact heat generation in the anode. Through careful consideration of these factors it should be possible to design and construct an x-ray tube capable of generating the high powers needed for industrial applications while operating at a sufficiently low temperature for promoting prolonged tube life.

Presently, NIST maintains air-kerma standards for x-ray medical diagnostics and has special expertise in the quantification of ionizing radiation effects and dosimetry. NIST can apply this expertise in the characterization of these devices and provide to industry a set of standards and guidelines that would allow them to be used effectively. Proposals must sufficiently demonstrate feasibility through modeling and careful design. Proposals submitted under this subtopic may address access to NIST facilities and staff, and those, which promise a working prototype will be given special consideration.

A program for determining the traceability of various radionuclides important for monitoring decommissioning and decontamination efforts and environmental remediation has been under way for over two years. Following a successful program involving the development of large-area alpha standards used in calibrating monitoring equipment, other facilities, counting systems, and nuclides (particularly the beta-emitter tritium) are being evaluated. To this end, imaging techniques for use in the development of beta-activity standards for calibration and homogeneity testing are to be developed. The imaging system must have a spatial resolution of at least 0.1 mm, and have sensitivity sufficient to detect clearly an activity level 100 Bq or less for low-energy betas.

For the absolute counting of large-area tritium sources, development of a gas flow proportional counter that operates at a gas pressure above atmospheric pressure (to eliminate pressure effects on the counting of the low energy beta particles emitted by tritium) is the first step and is currently under development. The calibration of the beta-emitting standards to be used in this program will lead to methods for correcting beta particle counting results for backscattering from the backing material. This aspect is of interest to source manufacturers and their customers since most regulations are written in terms of activity rather than emission rate. Methods for accurately determining the effective activity depth distribution in anodized and coated beta sources need to be developed in order to increase the precision in determining backscattering from, and hence the total activity of, these types of sources.

References:
M. J. Berger, "Counting Yields for Beta and Alpha Particle Sources," NIST Special Publication NISTIR 6464 (2000).
J. Miyahara, "The Imaging Plate: A new radiation image sensor," Chemistry Today, October 1989, 29-36.

The direct cost of unwanted fires in the United States is about $9 billion every year. Most buildings have fire detection systems that supply limited information from sensors in the building to fire alarm panels, generally located in a designated area of the of the building. Current technology is focused on identifying nascent fires such that warnings can be provided prior to loss of life or extensive damage. However, the most effective use of resources for firefighting and occupant rescue requires that the location and size of the fire be determined, as well as the initial indication of such events. Information from sensors that are capable of detecting and continuously monitoring fire could be used by automatic fire suppression systems in judiciously applying suppressant to minimize the quantity and collateral damage, to provide occupants with information on the best escape options, or to provide fire fighters with information that would optimize resource deployment. If provided directly to the fire services, both dispatch and in-apparatus, this information would improve the efficiency and safety of their operations. Research is required to determine how to best apply advances in sensing technologies, and to better exploit schemes that integrate signals from multiple sensors, either co-located or distributed in space. Of particular interest are neural networks for early detection and rejection of false alarms, mathematical techniques that provide data fusion from multiple sensors, scalable technologies that provide prioritized "data-out" service over a wide variety of communication paths, and display schemes which conform to the new NFPA 72 Chapter 4 guidelines and are accessible over small footprint displays.

Proposals for incremental advances to existing fire detection are not solicited; however, proposals that address only a portion of this research are welcome. The results of this research as outlined in the final report are expected to directly benefit NIST.

The capability of mapping oxygen concentrations in fire experiments is required to characterize a fire’s flow dynamics and chemistry, to validate models of these phenomena, and to calculate heat release rates using oxygen calorimetry. Many of the current oxygen measuring technologies have limited time responses. Local oxygen concentrations in fires can change rapidly, times on the order of a second, but oxygen analyzers typically employed for fire measurements require several seconds to fully respond to an oxygen concentration change. Fire gases are generally extracted from the region of interest, treated (e.g., cooling, filtering, etc.), and then measured by flowing through the analyzer. Some techniques require elimination of water vapor from the sample which adds mixing volume to the sampling system, thus increasing the response time as well as adding uncertainty to the oxygen concentration measurement, since the removed water concentration must generally be estimated in some way.

An oxygen sensor for fire research needs to be accurate, fast, and robust. A sensor, which operates in situ and is hardened to operate in fire environments would represent a significant advance in fire characterization. Such a sensor should be able to operate reliably under the following conditions: temperatures from 10 ° C to 1000 ° C, temperature fluctuations on the order of 100 ° C over a period of 1 s, up to 30 % water vapor volume fraction, spatially non-uniform heat fluxes of up to 40 kW/m², presence of CO, CO2, and hydrocarbon fuel species that may be combusting, and in the presence of soot which can deposit on surfaces. The sensor should be capable of operating in the above environments for periods as long as 10 minutes and must be durable enough to provide repeatable results for a large number of tests. The sensor should have a time response (to 90 % of step change) of better than 1 s and an accuracy within ± 0.2 % oxygen volume fraction of the nominal reading. A dynamic range of 0.1 % to 21 % volume fraction of oxygen is desirable, but smaller ranges within the full range will be considered (e.g., 18 % to 21 %, 0 % to 15 %). The effective spatial resolution should be less than 1 cm³. Projected costs for production runs of the sensor should be comparable to oxygen meters typically used for fire testing.

Phase I will demonstrate feasibility. In Phase II, a functioning system will be delivered to NIST for further study.

The NIST Building and Fire Research Laboratory has a need for an instrument or technique to better quantify the total heat flux to the surface of a burning solid organic object from the flames surrounding it. This heat flux is typically a combination of convection and thermal radiation and lies in the range from 10 kW/m² to 150 kW/m². The surface environment is hot (200 ° C to 600 ° C) and subject to deposition of soot particles and/or condensable organic materials and water. Heat flux gauges currently used are primarily of a thermopile design, cooled or uncooled, with or without windows. An instrument or technique is sought that will permit the convenient calibration of the heat flux gauge before and after exposure to a fire. An in situ method is preferred although an ex situ method is acceptable as long as there is a means to relate the response of the gauge during calibration to the installed condition, with an expanded uncertainty (2 sigma) of less than +/- 15 % of the reading. A prototype of the instrument will be made available to NIST for further testing at the conclusion of a Phase II award.

Knowing smoke obscuration in a building fire environment at multiple locations simultaneously is critical to determining the visibility of an egress path, behavior and health of building occupants, and evaluating the performance of smoke detectors. Current technology utilizes an LED aimed at a 5 cm diameter photo cell across a 1 m path length. As the light is scattered by the smoke particles, the signal strength is decreased. Using neutral density filters of known transmissivity, the smoke meters can be calibrated. Current sources of error include voltage fluctuations due to degradation of the power source, sensitivity of the instrumentation and wiring to high temperatures associated with room fire flows (< 300 ^oC), interference from ambient light sources, and proper convective flow controls (i.e. "trapping" of the particulates in the measuring path). Desired specifications include:

Drift in transmitted intensity less than 2 % over 10 minute period at environmental temperature of 300 ^oC, and less than 1 % at ambient temperature.

Minimum dynamic range of extinction coefficient from 0.05 m^-1 to 5 m^-1, spatially resolved to less than 1 m in the vertical direction and 5 cm in the horizontal direction.

Means to minimize and quantify the effect of ambient light and forward-scattered light.

Baseline drift less than 2 % over 10 minute period when placed in smoke layer with extinction coefficient at least equal to 0.5 m^-1.

Portability, ease of set-up, and projected cost per measurement point will be considered in the evaluation of proposals. Phase I will demonstrate feasibility. In Phase II, a functioning system will be delivered to NIST for further study.

The new x-ray spectrometers based upon the silicon drift chamber principle achieve photon throughput rates exceeding 1 MHz. This rate exceeds considerably the count rate performance of current energy dispersive x-ray detectors used on XRD systems and such a detector is expected to exceed the efficiency by a factor of two or more for typical graphite-monochromator sealed-tube proportional counter systems. NIST has need for the development of silicon drift detection system on a Bragg-Brentano diffractometer to compare to a graphite monochromator with a sealed-tube proportional counter. The successful detector system shall have active dimensions similar to the sealed tube (approximately 5 mm by 20 mm), operate at 1 MHz with dead times of less than 30%, and have sufficient resolution to easily separate K from K peaks for Cu and Cr. Electronics similar to a single channel analyzer allowing user selection of the appropriate peak centroid energy and width are required to have a TTL output to match the diffractometer electronics input.

The new class of x-ray spectrometers based upon the silicon drift chamber principle has resulted in the achievement of photon throughput rates exceeding 1 MHz. This rate exceeds considerably the count rate performance of existing pulse processing electronics for the task of binning of the photons to create an energy dispersive x-ray spectrum. NIST has need of digital pulse processing with appropriate computer interfacing to achieve, as a minimum, an output count rate of 500 kHz for an input of 1 MHz. The successful computer-based pulse processing system will operate with the SDD technology developed by Photon Imaging, Northridge, CA under NIST SBIR Phase I and II projects. The successful system will be capable of integrating a 2048-channel EDS spectrum with a 32 bit depth per channel for any clock time up to 10,000 seconds. The system will also be capable of recording a 2048-channel spectrum to at least 24 bits depth for any pixel dwell time down to 50 milliseconds, and to 16 bits depth down to 100 microseconds.

NIST seeks the design and construction (delivery of prototypes) of practical high efficiency circular array secondary electron yield detectors for materials science applications of soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy at our synchrotron radiation facilities (200 to 1200eV). Electron yield soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy typically utilizes a single channel electron multiplier housed in a shield tube positioned behind a three-grid electrostatic high pass energy filter. The electron take off angle from the sample surface maybe varied by mounting this single channel electron multiplier on goniometer in the plane of incidence. A complete study of soft x-ray absorption versus take off angle allows a chemical depth profile map to be generated, however such studies require the serial acquisition of a large number of spectra which takes a long time limiting sample throughput and the effective utilization of our synchrotron radiation facilities.

Thus, we seek the development of practical high efficiency circular array secondary electron yield detectors in order to fully utilize the research opportunity of high x-ray flux synchrotron beamlines. This type of detector has the potential for the parallel detection of all electron take off angles simultaneously creating the chemical depth profile in a single soft x-ray absorption scan of the sample under study. Deigns could utilize circular channel electron multiplier arrays of at least one descrite element per ten angular degrees with rectangular cones to minimize blind spots between the elements. The design should also include a plan for the signal read out and current measurement of each element simultaneously. The delivery and testing of prototypes at NIST synchrotron facilities can be possible in cooperation with NIST personnel.

The successful development of practical high efficiency circular array secondary electron yield detectors would be a very significant advance in the application of soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy at synchrotron research facilities in the United States. Soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy is a valued analytical tool for companies and academia and is routinely applied for creating chemical depth profile maps of polymer surfaces, photoresists and other materials problems.

In a broader context the successful development of practical high efficiency circular array secondary electron yield detectors would be a very significant advance in low energy scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Currently, SEMs rely on single channel electron multipliers (low efficiency) or channel plates that are not robust. High efficiency circular array secondary electron yield detectors would provide a practical solution in SEMs found in many analytical and researches laboratories throughout the United States.

SECTION 8 - BUDGET INSTRUCTIONS

The offeror is to submit a cost estimate with detailed information for each element, consistent with the offeror's cost accounting system. This does not eliminate the need to fully document and justify the amounts requested in each category. Such documentation should be contained, as appropriate, on a budget explanation page immediately preceding the budget in the proposal.

1. Principal Investigator (PI).

The PI must be with the small business concern at the time of contract award and during the period of performance of the research effort. Additionally, more than half of the PI's time must be spent with the small business firm during the contract performance.

All personnel (including PI) must be listed individually, with the projected number of hours and hourly wage.

Specify current rate and base. Use current rate already negotiated with a Federal agency, if available. If no rate has been negotiated, a reasonable overhead rate may be requested, which will be subject to approval by NIST.

List all other direct costs which are not described above (i.e. consultants, subcontractor, travel, and equipment purchases). Each of the above needs a detailed explanation and elaboration of its relation to the project.

The materials and supplies required for the project must be identified. There is also a need to specify type, quantity, unit cost, and total estimated cost of these materials and supplies.

Specify current rate and base. Use current rate already negotiated with a Federal agency, if available. If no rate has been negotiated, a reasonable G&A rate may be requested, which will be subject to approval by NIST.

The small business may request a reasonable profit (about 7 percent of costs is the average proposed).