WP4A_TlBr_IP_Pixelated_FINAL.pdf

White Paper_4A: Intellectual Property (IP) for Pixelated TlBr Array CDM

Version 210108

(See White Paper_4B for Intellectual Property (IP) for the CFG Version)

Note: This White Paper was written by RMD with the assistance of H3D.

Thallium Bromide Radionuclide Isotope Identification Device Project CWMD Contract No. 70RDND18C00000019 White Paper on Intellectual Property (IP) and Licensing Considerations

Overview of Pixelated Array Development

The pixelated RIID prototype and the high‐end CDM (Core Detector Module) within the RIID each consists of a few components. The CDM provides the spectra. The RIID prototype will require additional software above and beyond the CDM for analyzing the gamma‐ray spectra to identify the isotope. The following simplified block diagram summarizes the major components of the CDM:

Figure 1. Basic components of the Pixelated Full‐Up version of the Core Detector Module (CDM), where ASIC is an application‐specific integrated circuit, ADC is an analog‐to‐digital converter, FPGA is a field‐ programmable gate array, and SBC is a single‐board computer.

The TlBr array module (see unit on left‐hand‐most side in Fig. 1) consists of a pixelated TlBr sensor packaged for acceptance testing. This packaging includes printed circuit boards for making electrical connections, and a housing for handling the module. This white paper summarizes the IP claims and potential licensing negotiations required for the components listed in Figure 1.

1. TlBr Array Module

The growth of TlBr in general has been widely published in the literature. However, RMD (Radiation

Monitoring Devices, Inc.) claims intellectual property for various aspects concerning RMD’s method of growth of the TlBr crystal (including purification and doping), which are treated as trade secrets, as well as issues such as contacting the TlBr material.

The following list shows IP claims of RMD and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories that are protected with patents:

Awarded: L. Voss, A. Conway, R. Graff, A. Nelson, R. Nikolic, S. Payne, E. Swanberg, “Selective surface treatment of thallium bromide (TlBr)‐based detectors to improve longevity and/or restore operational capacity thereof”, Patent No. 10,020,235, July 10, 2018. Patent protects the treatment of the surface of TlBr to improve longevity.

Awarded: K.S. Shah, A. Gueorguiev, L. Cirignano, H. Kim, and A. Karger, “Radiation Detectors”, Patent Number No. 9,490,374, Nov 8, 2016. Patent protects the use of ionic semiconductor materials, such as TlBr, with electrical contacts using a number of materials as a radiation detector.

Awarded: Conway, P. Beck, R. Graff, Nelson, R. Nikolic, S. Payne, L. Voss, and H. Kim, “Mixed ionic‐ electronic‐conductor based radiation detectors and methods of fabrication,” Patent No.

9,000,384, B2 April 7, 2015. Patent protects the method for fabricating TlBr‐based detectors to mitigate polarization to improve the longevity.

Pending: K.S. Shah, L. Cirignano, H. Kim, A. Churilov, A. Gueorguiev, A. Karger, Doped

Semiconductor‐Based Radiation Detectors, Application Number 14/637,434, Filed 03/04/2015.

This patent protects the use of co‐dopants to improve the room‐temperature operation and stability of TlBr detectors.

RMD provides access to its material IP either by selling the material to third party vendors, as is does with the CLYC scintillation material, or engaging in a licensing agreement for its growth, as it does for

CeBr3. LLNL will negotiate the licensing of its patents in good faith.

2. ASIC

Regarding the first version of the ASIC to be used for the CDM (Core Detector Module) in this RIID development, IDEAS in Oslo Norway owns the intellectual property for the digital ASIC (VAD‐UM2.2). The use of this ASIC would involve a negotiation with IDEAS, which would need to provide support and documentation.

H3D is designing a digital ASIC, denoted as the H3DD‐UMv3, to reduce the cost and power draw, and to increase capabilities; it is expected to be completed in 2023. This ASIC will be fabricated using a commercial foundry. H3D anticipates using standard CMOS components, and claims the IP for the design of the ASIC.

3. Readout Electronics:

H3D claims the intellectual property concerning the data acquisition interface with the IDEAS VAD‐UM2.2

ASIC. Also, regarding the IDEAS ASIC, H3D claims the intellectual property associated with the readout electronics, or data acquisition system, firmware, and software as trade secrets.

Regarding the new ASIC under development, H3D will apply similar claims to the data acquisition interface, system firmware, and software for the ASIC under development.

The “Rights for Use, Operation, and Fabrication” section below covers the details about the availability and use of the ASIC, the data acquisition interface, firmware, and software.

4. Computer: SBC

Our understanding is that the SBC hardware will be a commercial off‐the‐shelf system, such as a tablet, running a Windows operating system. The IP for the tablet will belong to the manufacturer of that hardware. The IP for the Windows operating system will belong to Microsoft.

H3D claims the IP for the data acquisition software, signal‐processing, calibration, and the analysis software.

The “Rights for Use, Operation, and Fabrication” section, below covers the details about the availability and use of the ASIC, the data acquisition interface, firmware, and software.

5. Rights for Use, Operation, and Fabrication

The following section explains the rights for use, operation, and fabrication of the TlBr Array CDM units under different procurement approaches.

Third Party Vendor Operating Rights – Third party vendors will have full operating rights for the CDMs, whether procured directly from the vendors or given to them as GFE from the Government. Third party vendors will be able to operate the modules and integrate them into other systems, as desired, for typical commercial purposes. Third party vendors will not automatically have the rights to the design of the components of the CDMs and will be restricted from reverse‐engineering the systems, unless separate commercial agreements are negotiated. This scenario is consistent with typical commercial supply terms, where the third party vendor is essentially procuring a component or assembly from a supplier. However, the team is open to supplying components of the CDMs (rather than the Full‐Up CDM), so that third party vendors have greater flexibility with regards to the design of their TlBr devices. For example, a third party vendor may wish to procure only the TlBr array from RMD and integrate this array with its own electronics.

Third Party Vendor Fabrication Rights – Fabrication rights for the complete CDM will not be immediately available, as the CDM contains designs and technologies with commercial value that are covered by previous data rights assertions. Fabrication rights could potentially be negotiated through a separate commercial agreement for part or all of the CDM. It is not expected that this will inhibit the development of TlBr‐based devices, as the flexibility provided under “Third Party Vendor Operating Rights” will allow third party vendors to procure and incorporate elements of the CDM design through typical commercial supply arrangements.