Tag Archives: Small Times Magazine

Oct. 6, 2006 — QD Vision Inc. of Watertown, Mass., announced it has developed a green quantum-dot light-emitting device.

Lumera said the development is a milestone toward the company’s goal of enabling the next generation of premium flat-panel displays intended to feature high product reliability, low power consumption and scalable manufacturing.

It also said green quantum-dot devices fabricated in its laboratory have consistently exceeded the stringent color standards required by the display industry.

Oct. 5, 2006 — Block MEMS LLC of Marlborough, Mass., announced it was recently awarded a $4.5 million contract by the U. S. Army Research Office.

The contract, which is being managed by the Edgewood Chemical and Biological Command (ECBC) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, provides funds to develop a miniaturized chemical detector using MEMS technology.

This detector, dubbed “ChemPen,” uses sophisticated Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) technology that requires precisely positioned moving mirrors and extreme tolerances. The company says this can be accomplished in a MEMS structure by using the SUMMiT-V MEMS fabrication technology. SUMMiT-V was developed by Sandia National Laboratories, which is partnering with Block on the project.

The contract is a continuation of work that was begun in 2004 under a previous $1.9 million contract. Working with Fairchild Semiconductor, a SUMMiT-V licensed foundry in South Portland, Maine, Block has fabricated some of the important components that will go into the ChemPen.

Block is also partnering with universities — Cornell and Brigham Young — as well as a number of government labs in addition to Sandia.

Oct. 5, 2006 — Nano-Proprietary Inc. announced that its subsidiary, Applied Nanotech Inc., has entered into a license agreement with Shimane Masuda Electronics Co. Ltd. The license agreement resulted from successful completion of a joint pilot line project between the two companies.

Shimane developed its initial product to be manufactured using this technology, a carbon nanotube electron emission-based lighting device, and must now complete the final manufacturing processes to complete commercialization of the first product, though it did not disclose the amount of time it expects will be required. Once the first product is in production, the company said it expects to develop additional products using the technology.

Under the terms of the license agreement, Shimane has the non-exclusive right to manufacture carbon cold cathode products in Japan using the technology and to sell those products in Asia.

Oct. 5, 2006 — Shanghai Jinkui Packaging Material Company Limited of Ningbo, China, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dragon International Group Corp., announced it has completed the development of two new packaging products by using nanotechnologies.

The new packaging products are intended to provide innovative solutions for the pharmaceutical and food packaging industries. Dragon International is one of China’s leading manufacturers and distributors of specialty paper products and packaging materials.

Shanghai Jinkui announced it has received the written notice from the Intellectual Property Rights Bureau of China, indicating the bureau has accepted the patent application of the high isolation alto-extruded multi-layer film/sheet material.

Dragon says its R&D team has developed these new packaging technologies in partnership with a Fortune 500 company, utilizing nanotechnologies and materials. The products are alto-extruded and compounded by many kinds of materials and are non-PVC and non-toxic drugs packaging material. One of the materials is provided by Dragon’s Fortune 500 partner, whose main business is in the special chemistry, textile fiber and plastic businesses.

The emerging packaging line is to be used for medical infusion, quick-freeze and fast food markets. Dragon’s new packaging solution would substitute PVDC/PVC tablet and capsule solutions that are currently used for pharmaceutical packaging.

Oct. 5, 2006 — Mexico’s national research petroleum institute, the Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (IMP), opened its new center for advanced microscopy and research. In planning since 2002, the center features electron microscopy tools that enable advanced nanoscale research and development. The opening was announced jointly by IMP and FEI Co. of Hillsboro, Ore., on Wednesday.

The state-of-the-art center features FEI’s XL 30 environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), a Nova 200 NanoLab, the first DualBeam installed in Latin America, two Tecnai transmission electron microscopes (TEMs), and FEI’s flagship product, a Titan S/TEM.

Researchers at IMP will use the tools for a variety of applications including the study and development of catalysts for more efficient fuels, fuel cell membranes and new nano-enabled materials such as anticorrosive products for oil refineries and pipelines, among others.

IMP is a fully decentralized and legally-independent public organization of the Federal Government of Mexico. Its fundamental objectives are the scientific research and technical development required for the petroleum, petrochemical and chemical industries; the supply of technical services to these industries; and the commercialization of services and technological products resulting from research. It is also responsible for the development of highly specialized human resources to support the areas in which the Institute and its associates are involved.

Small Times

Oct. 5, 2006 — A team of engineers and technicians at International SEMATECH North have successfully used 193 nm immersion technology to pattern features narrower than 45 nm half-pitch in multiple orientations simultaneously.

The achievement was announced at the 3rd International Symposium on Immersion Lithography in Kyoto, Japan. SEMATECH North is part of the Albany NanoTech complex within the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany, NY.

The team used 193 nm immersion at 1.3 numerical aperture (NA) with azimuthal polarization, a technique which allows for aggressive imaging of arbitrary circuit features beyond simple line-and-space test patterns.

The team used an Exitech immersion projection microstepper with 1.3 NA in combination with optical proximity correction and other resolution enhancement techniques to simultaneously image sub-45 nm linewidths along X and Y axes within the same field. The resulting “pitch,” or width of a single line and its adjoining space, was 84 nm.

“Imaging at 84 nm pitch provides SEMATECH members with patterning capability beyond anything they are able to obtain on projection exposure tools today,” said Andrew Grenville, associate director of SEMATECH’s lithography division, in a prepared statement. “With this toolset, we are demonstrating feasibility that 193i can be used for 45 nm half-pitch manufacturing.”

Leading chip-makers currently are producing advanced semiconductors at 65 nm, with 45 nm manufacturing slated to begin volume production in 2010. Many lithographers consider 193 immersion the leading candidate for manufacturing at that technology level.

SEMATECH says it has a significant focus on understanding the ultimate limits of 193 nm lithography, especially with respect to high-index materials which may extend 193 immersion to 32 nm.

Preparing immersion lithography for manufacturing insertion is among SEMATECH’s top technology challenges, which also include development of infrastructure for photomasks and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.

Small Times

Oct. 4, 2006 — Starpharma Holdings Limited of Melbourne, Australia, announced the signing of an agreement to acquire U.S.-based Dendritic Nanotechnologies Inc. (DNT) for $6.97 million payable through the issue of Starpharma shares.

The company says the transaction offers significant benefits to Starpharma including:

  • The provision of diversified product pipeline with near-term cash-flow opportunities, and a more balanced risk profile
  • An increased US presence
  • The Dow Chemical Company will become a substantial shareholder in Starpharma (approximately 8.6 percent)
  • Significant development, commercialization and other business synergies; and
  • An extensive IP portfolio with existing royalty streams

Starpharma currently owns 33 percent of DNT and The Dow Chemical Company is the other major shareholder with a 30 percent equity stake. As a result of the transaction, DNT will become a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Starpharma Holdings Limited and remain a U.S. corporation based in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The transaction is subject to DNT shareholder approval, which is anticipated to be obtained in the next two weeks.

“The acquisition of DNT is an extremely positive development for Starpharma” said Starpharma CEO, Jackie Fairley, in a prepared statement. “DNT has exciting new intellectual property in its Priostar dendrimers, with existing royalty streams in place from leading life-science companies. We believe that the combined entity is ideally placed to capitalize on the significant commercial opportunities for the technology. This will give Starpharma the opportunity to commercialise dendrimer technology not only in the pharmaceutical sector but also into other nearer-term life-science and industrial applications.”

Oct. 4, 2006 — DayStar Technologies Inc., a Halfmoon, N.Y., developer and manufacturer of CIGS Photovoltaic Foil products, announced it was named a recipient of a $1 million development award in the fiscal year 2007 Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the Advanced Photovoltaic Module Development for Lighter Than Air Vehicles. The award was part of the United States Air Force Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Advanced Spacecraft Technology Program.

The company said the funds will enable its continued development and integration activities addressing high specific power and form factor flexibility applications for the company’s LightFoil line of CIGS solar cells.

“Development under this funding will further expand our markets in commercial, national defense and homeland security applications and will also benefit the development of new TerraFoil products,” said Terry Schuyler, vice president of sales and marketing at DayStar Technologies, in a prepared statement.

DayStar Technologies Inc. develops low cost, high efficiency Photovoltaic Foil that converts sunlight into energy. The company manufactures CIGS solar cells, which are deposited on flexible metal foils using production processes adapted from computer component manufacturing. As an alternative to wafer-silicon solar cells, DayStar believes the unique combination of its CIGS solar cell design coupled with proprietary manufacturing processes on flexible metal substrates could substantially lower costs and remove deployment barriers currently limiting large adoption of solar energy.

Oct. 4, 2006 — Bosch Sensortec announced that at the Ceatec MEMS trade show in Tokyo it is presenting its SMB363, a new analog acceleration sensor. In doing so, the company is adding an analog variant to its product line of triaxial accelerometers.

Like all other sensors from Bosch Sensortec, the sensor is specifically designed for consumer electronics applications. Samples of the new sensor are available and the company said series production will start at the end of 2006.

Bosch said the SMB363 is characterized by a fast reaction time. Since its analog interface does not require any digital-to-analog signal conversion it starts up within 3 milliseconds for near-real-time measurement. Despite being an analog sensor, the device also offers multiplex compatibility. Bosch also said the sensor needs 200 microamperes of current in active mode and at full performance. In standby mode it requires only 1 microampere.

Bosch Sensortec GmbH is a 100 percent subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH which offers micromechanical sensors, application, and foundry services for consumer electronics, medical technology, security systems, and logistics. The company’s product portfolio includes triaxial acceleration sensors as well as pressure sensors. It was founded in early 2005 and is headquartered near Reutlingen to the south of Stuttgart, Germany.

Oct. 4, 2006 — NanoDynamics Inc., a Buffalo, N.Y., diversified nano and manufacturing company, announced that its subsidiary ND Life Sciences received a $738,653 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II Award from the National Institutes of Environmental Health Services.

Based in the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, ND Life Sciences is specifically focused on developing nanomaterials and nano-enabled technologies for applications in biotechnology and health. Joining forces with chemical detection specialists ICx-Agentase, ND Life Sciences will use the SBIR funding for development of a nano-enabled biocatalytic air monitor capable of detecting hazardous nerve agents at extremely low concentrations in air.