Phase III Physics LLC

Phase III Physics LLC, a for-profit limited liability company based in Los Angeles, California, develops advanced computational hardware, neuromorphic signal-processing systems, and neutron-optics materials for federal research agencies as a small-business prime contractor exclusively under total small business set-asides. The vendor competes solely through SBIR Phase I contracts and Department of Energy research grants; it holds no parent IDIQs, GWACs, or BPAs and operates only as a prime, with zero subcontract footprint.

The vendor's customer base divides evenly between two agencies. The Department of Energy's Office of Science anchors five awards focused on specialized materials and instrumentation for advanced neutron science: a $206 thousand project grant (February 2023) for flexible lithium neutron shielding material (FLINS) using a novel 6Li-based composite; a project grant (February 2024) for a multilayer guide manufacturing facility (MGMF) to furnish neutron guides, polarizing neutron optics, and filters in high volume, running through April 2027; project grants awarded February 2025 for polarizing supermirror assembly systems (PSAS) for advanced neutron beam optics and focusing monochromators for advanced neutron applications; and a project grant (July 2025) for a spiking neuromorphic analytics platform (SNAP) for photomultiplier signal processing. NASA's Shared Services Center issued three SBIR Phase I contracts: a $150 thousand purchase order (August 2024) for a solar update neural network for improved event prediction (SUNNIE) with ultimate completion in February 2025; a $150 thousand definitive contract (September 2025) for a PIM-enabled inference co-processor for long-range missions (PICO-LRM) completing March 2026; and a $212 thousand definitive contract (September 2026) for local HPC code refactoring using secure small language models (LOCUS-SLM) completing March 2027. Combined potential value across all eight prime awards stands at $512 thousand; however, obligated dollars total $2.7 million, indicating the vendor has invoiced or received funding substantially in excess of stated contract ceilings, typical of grants and SBIR Phase I awards where actual spend often exceeds initial authorization.

Activity has accelerated from one award in 2023 to four in 2025, with two awards (combined potential value $212 thousand) completing within the next twenty-four months and subject to recompete. The vendor's capability portfolio centers on applied physics research, specialized materials science for neutron instrumentation, and neural-network-based signal processing for space and scientific applications — a focused technical niche within the SBIR ecosystem and Department of Energy basic-research grant programs.