SBIR Phase I: Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Betavoltaic Powered Sensor Controller

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是小型电子设备的突破性电源，将使智能城市和智能农村的现实更接近愿景。创新的核心是宽带隙半导体β伏打电源，本质上是一种创新的基于核的微型电池。这种电源的能量存储密度估计比传统的NiMH电池技术大三个数量级。这种电源创新将与最新的超低功耗电子和能量收集电路相结合，以实现在设备使用寿命内有效自供电的传感器。β伏打电源将使实现？物联网？通过解决电力挑战，通过增强安全性和保障性，改善移动性以及支持新的和颠覆性的业务风险来支持公共利益，实现愿景。 拟议的项目将试图解决目前限制物联网（IoT）解决方案实施和规模的部分电力挑战。专家预测，物联网技术将连接数十亿甚至数万亿的“事物”。这需要科学、技术和工程方面的变革性进步。拟议中的betavoltaic电源将在所有三个领域取得进展，重点是电力挑战。虽然已经发表了关于微型核电池的研究论文，但以前实现的功率水平不足以广泛的市场应用。通过使用新的制造技术和最佳的材料选择和放置，所提出的电源将在功率效率方面实现至少一个数量级的改进，超过任何先前实现的结果，目标功率效率水平超过30%。这超过了大规模采用新电源所需的突破功率水平。该电源的研究将导致新技术的开发，以提高核微电池的效率。将开发与放射性材料结合有关的新的半导体材料加工和制造技术，以及更好地了解宽带隙半导体材料在辐射下的行为，如应用于辐射硬化电子产品。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is a breakthrough power source for small electronic devices that will move the reality of smart cities and smart rural areas closer to the vision. The center piece of the innovation is the wide bandgap semiconductor betavoltaic power source, essentially an innovative nuclear-based micro-battery. The energy storage density of this power source is estimated to be three orders of magnitude greater than conventional NiMH battery technology. This power innovation will be combined with the very latest in ultra low power electronics and energy harvesting circuitry to realize sensors that are effectively self-powered for the useful life of device. The betavoltaic power source will enable the realization of the ?Internet-of-Things? vision by solving the power challenge, supporting the public good through enhanced safety and security, improved mobility and support for new and disruptive business ventures. The proposed project will attempt to solve a portion of the power challenge that today limits the implementation and scale of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. Experts predict billions and possibly trillions of "things" connected by IoT technologies. This requires transformative advances in the science, technology, and engineering. The proposed betavoltaic power source will achieve advancements in all three areas, focused on the power challenge. Although research papers have been published on micro nuclear batteries, the power levels of the previous implementations are insufficient for broad market application. Through the use of novel fabrication techniques and optimal material selection and placement, the proposed power source will achieve at least an order of magnitude improvement in power efficiency over any previous result achieved, with target power efficiency level in excess of 30%. This surpasses the breakout power level required for mass adoption of the new power source. Work on this power source will result in new technology development for enhancing the efficiency of nuclear micro-battery. New semiconductor material processing and fabrication techniques related to the incorporation of radioactive materials will be developed as well as greater understanding of wide band gap semiconductor material behavior under irradiation as applied to radiation-hardened electronics.