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

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目是为InnovaLight高度先进的硅封装技术的生产开发大批量制造技术。 InnovaLight发现了一种高度可控的方法，可以制造高质量，均匀和稳定的硅纳米晶体，具有基于德克萨斯大学原始研究的新特性。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大量的商业应用成为可能。 然而，为了获得这一价值，需要从目前的小批量批量生产工艺中制定大批量生产计划。 生产大量晶体的能力，这些晶体的特征有利于在电子元件中使用，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。 这种晶体也可以被制造成发射出一种紧密受限的相干光。 这使得它们可以用作短距离光通信、太赫兹速度光芯片、智能卡等的激光器。这些晶体还具有极其独特的充电特性，使其能够用于先进的多级存储芯片。 这种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，加上InnovaLight工艺的高度控制的表面化学，使这些晶体具有许多生物技术用途，如体内癌细胞检测和消融。

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.