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*STTR Project: High Efficiency Electron Detector for Electron Microscopy--Cermet, Inc., 1019 Collier Road, Suite C1, Atlanta, GA 30318; 404‑351‑0005; www.cermetinc.com
Mr. Jeff Nause, Principal Investigator, jnause@cermetinc.com
Mr. Jeff Nause, Business Official, jnause@cermetinc.com
DOE Grant No. DE‑FG02‑07ER86304
Amount: $749,128
Research Institution
This project seeks to demonstrate an improved, ultra-fast and highly-efficient
electron detector for electron microscopy. In Phase I, ultrafast (pico-second) ZnO based
scintillators were developed and Schottky diodes with
excellent performance were demonstrated. Phase II will (1) refine the development of
the ZnO scintillator to
maximize light output, while maintaining sub-nanosecond speed; and (2) build ZnO Schottky diode arrays in two
geometries, enabling detection in backscatter and transmission modes. The ZnO
scintillators and diodes will be fabricated and these devices will be provided
to Argonne National Laboratory for testing in state-of-the-art electron and
ion microscopes.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as
described by the awardee: The extremely
high speed of the proposed devices should enable a 10-to-50 times improvement
in scanning times compared to current detector materials. The proposed technology should have
applications in microscopy, geophysical studies, medical imaging, homeland
security, and high energy physics.