Project Grant R43MH115637

This STTR Phase I project, awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program, is focused on developing highly sensitive, room-temperature, single-photon detectors based on plasmonic metasurface coherent optical detection technology. The $304,987 award to Clearview Optics LLC aims to address the need for ultrasensitive optical detectors and ranging systems to enable improved information acquisition and perception...

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded a $283,393.88 Cooperative Agreement under the CHIPS Research and Development (CFDA 11.042) program to Photon Spot Inc., a minority-owned for-profit manufacturer of advanced cryogenic systems and superconducting nanowire single photon detectors. The award supports the development of an ultra-compact, ultra-low vibration cryogenic system optimized for time-resolved imaging applications, such as time-resolved emission microscopy....

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering (CFDA 47.041) Project Grant award of $450,000 to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) funds research to develop Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) with tailored avalanche current profiles, a novel approach to improving the signal-to-noise ratio of integrated single-photon sensors without compromising detection efficiency or resolution. The research aims to overcome key scientific and technological barriers to the widespread adoption of...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems awarded a $430,000 Project Grant to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to develop scalable single photon detection systems. The 3-year project seeks to adapt existing perimeter gated single photon avalanche diode (PGSPAD) technology to other semiconductor platforms, create a scalable detection architecture with wireless integration, and test the new devices through fabrication and simulation....

This Project Grant award from the Department of Energy's Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049) provides $206,400.00 to Iris Light Technologies Inc., a small business in Chicago, Illinois, to develop broadband shortwave infrared (SWIR) photodetector arrays enabled by nanomaterial semiconductor inks. The award period runs from February 18, 2025 to November 17, 2025. The project aims to advance photonic integrated circuit technologies, with a focus on creating compact and...

The Trustees of Boston University were awarded a $380,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems to support research related to signal processing for single-photon detectors from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024. The award is being used to fund research under the NSF's Engineering program (CFDA #47.041), which aims to improve quality of life and economic strength by fostering innovation and excellence in engineering research....

Sydor Instruments, LLC was awarded a $1,350,000 Project Grant from the Department of Energy Office of Science on February 22, 2021 to develop an ASIC-coupled microchannel plate for time resolved, single-photon soft x-ray detection. The grant is being used to deliver a scientific instrument that will enable new discoveries by allowing researchers to detect individual photons in the soft x-ray range of the electromagnetic spectrum with high temporal resolution. This work directly supports the...

This $425,000 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) will support the development of advanced single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detectors at the University of Virginia. The project aims to achieve SPAD detectors with extremely high photon detection efficiencies of over 90%, ultimately approaching 99%, by leveraging a new SPAD material called AlInAsSb. Additionally, the program will develop a novel segmented SPAD detector with...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Astronomical Sciences awarded a $1,482,618 Project Grant to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) to develop a next-generation charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor optimized for astronomical spectroscopy. The project aims to demonstrate the ability to readout a 4096x4096 pixel CCD image in a few minutes instead of hours, which will significantly improve the...

This $200,000 federal Project Grant was awarded on February 18, 2025 by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049) to Hypres Inc., a for-profit technology company located in Elmsford, New York. The grant funding will support the development of a superconductor time-to-digital converter (TDC) for a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) array readout system capable of 2.5 picosecond time-of-arrival resolution. This research aims...