SBIR Phase I: Study, Evaluation and Prototype of a Continuous Flow Reactor and Size-Selection Chromagraphic Scheme for Use in High Throughput Manufacture of Silicon Nanoparticles

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目是为Innovalight的高度先进的硅纳米晶体技术的生产开发一种大批量制造技术。根据德克萨斯大学的原始研究，Innovalight发现了一种高度可控的方法，可以制造出高质量、均匀和稳定的具有新特性的纳米硅晶体。这是一个非常重要的发现，因为这些纳米晶体的独特性质将使许多大型商业应用成为可能。然而，为了获得这一价值，将需要从目前的小批量、批处理工艺开发出大批量制造方案。能够生产大量的晶体，这些晶体具有良好的特性，可用于电子元件，这将使它们能够在许多电子应用中具有成本效益。潜在的商业市场包括用作计算机和电子仪器面板上的高分辨率、低功耗平板显示器的像素。这种晶体还可以发射出一束紧密受限的相干光流。这使得它们可以用作短距离光通信、太赫兹速度光学芯片、智能卡等的激光器。这种晶体还具有极其独特的充电行为，使其能够用于高级、多电平存储芯片。这类芯片的容量将比现有芯片增加一个数量级。最后，硅的无毒性质，再加上Innovalight工艺高度受控的表面化学，使这些晶体可用于许多生物技术用途，如体内癌细胞检测和供体。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is to develop a high volume manufacturing technology for the production of InnovaLight's highly advanced silicon nanocrystal technology. InnovaLight has discovered a highly controlled way to make high quality, uniform, and stable silicon nanocrystals with novel properties based on original research at The University of Texas. This is a very important discovery, as the unique properties of these nanocrystals will enable a host of large commercial applications. However, in order to capture this value, a high-volume manufacturing scheme will need to be developed from the current low-volume, batch process. The ability to produce high volumes of crystals that are favorably characterized for use in electronic components will enable their cost-effective use in a host of electronics applications. Potential commercial markets include use as pixels for use in high-resolution, low-power flat panel displays on computers and electronic instrumentation panels. The crystals can also be made to emit a tightly confined, coherent stream of light. This opens them up to use as lasers for short reach optical communications, terahertz-speed optical chips, smart cards, etc. The crystals also have extremely unique charging behavior that enables their usage in advanced, multi-level memory chips. Such chips would have an order of magnitude increase in capacity over existing chips. Lastly, the non-toxic nature of silicon, coupled with the highly controlled surface chemistry of InnovaLight's process, opens these crystals up to many biotech uses such as in vivo cancer cell detection and oblation.