Inactive

Opportunity: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), LLC under contract no. DE-AC52-07NA27344 (Contract 44) with the U.S. Department... Opportunity: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), LLC under contract no. DE-AC52-07NA27344 (Contract 44) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity to enter into a collaboration partnership to further develop and commercialize its novel compact high efficiency electrically tunable amplifier. Background: Millimeter wave (mmW) communication offers significant opportunities for improved communication. Several bands with relatively low atmosphere attenuation exist, roughly at 85, 140, and 240 GHz. At these frequencies, the only viable technology available is the Traveling Wave Tube (TWT). Solid state solutions possess extremely low powers and cannot access all of the frequencies of interest. Combining them could achieve reasonable power levels, but at a typical price of $2k/unit, achieving 50W of output power and assuming losses due to combining, the total price quickly exceeds $1M. TWTs are the workhorse, but historically limited to <60 GHz and are relatively bulky. Teraphysics mmLink Helix TWTs offer promise but are still in the early stages of development. This presents an opportunity for a new type of device capable of high power density at very high frequencies. Breaking these limitations requires a new kind of device capable of high power density at very high frequencies. Description: LLNL researchers have developed a Compact High Efficiency Electrically Tunable Amplifier (CHEETAh). This device operates under a unique combination that takes advantage of the speed of electrons to generate the "on" time of a pulse in combination with the speed of light to generate the "off" time. In addition, very high voltages are possible due to the architecture of the device, which should result in high power output. A pulse of single polarity carriers (eg only electrons) with small size generated by a sub-band gap laser excites deep levels (eg V in SiC), such that the entire pulse can be collected in the "on time" determined by the desired frequency of operation. Advantages: CHEETAh could lead to a new class of switches and amplifiers capable of operating over extraordinarily wide frequency ranges from MHz to >1 THz. Potential Applications Useful applications would be millimeter wave, communication, microwave, terahertz, and high power microwave. Development Status: Patent Application Publication No. US 2021/0336131 High-Power Electrically Tunable Switch published 10/28/21 Patent Application Publication No. US 2022/0123211 Pulse Compression Photoconductive Semiconductor Switches published 04/21/22 LLNL is seeking industry partners with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Moving critical technology beyond the Laboratory to the commercial world helps our licensees gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. All licensing activities are conducted under policies relating to the strict nondisclosure of company proprietary information. Please visit the IPO website at https://ipo.llnl.gov/resources for more information on working with LLNL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. Note: THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT. Companies interested in commercializing LLNL's Compact High Efficiency Electrically Tunable Amplifier (CHEETAh) should provide a written statement of interest, which includes the following: Company Name and address. 2. The name, address, and telephone number of a point of contact. A description of corporate expertise and facilities relevant to commercializing this technology. Written responses should be directed to: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Innovation and Partnerships Office P.O. Box 808, L-779 Livermore, CA 94551-0808 Attention: IL13313 & IL13583 Please provide your written statement within thirty (30) days from the date this announcement is published to ensure consideration of your interest in LLNL's Compact High Efficiency Electrically Tunable Amplifier (CHEETAh).