SBIR Phase I: Micronized Fluorescent Quantum-Dot Microresonators for Advanced Spectrally Barcoded Taggants

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将开发下一代基于量子点的安全功能，这些功能将具有独特的可见光和红外荧光特性。该项目结合了半导体纳米晶体(量子点)和微谐振结构的最新进展，生产出真正新颖的、光谱可调的条形码标签，用于先进的安全应用，几乎不可能伪造、复制或反向工程。建议的标记剂将被设计成与油墨、紫外光固化的环氧树脂和目前用于货币和其他文件和层压板的聚合物兼容。在该项目中，提出了将荧光量子点分散在共振结构(薄膜干涉结构)中，将得到的谐振器微型化，并将微细化的粒子分散在合适的墨水和层压材料中，该项目的成功完成将对证券市场产生巨大的影响。目前，所有传统的标签者都在不同程度上受到了损害。这项技术将为那些希望通过伪造货币、护照和其他安全文件和身份来伤害这个国家和其他国家的人提供额外的盾牌。在制备厚度可控的纳米晶复合薄膜，特别是谐振腔中的纳米晶薄膜方面所获得的知识，将对安全以外的领域产生重大影响。特别是，这项技术将在许多光子应用中具有潜在的应用，包括激光以及光学开关和其他非线性光学部件。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Project will develop the next generation quantum dot-based security features that will have unique visible and infrared fluorescent characteristics. The project combines recent advances in semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots) and microresonant structures to produce truly novel and spectrally tunable barcoded taggants for advanced security applications that are nearly impossible to counterfeit, duplicate or reverse-engineer. The proposed taggant will be designed to be compatible with inks, UV curable epoxies, and polymers currently used on currencies and other documents and laminates. In the project, it is proposed to disperse fluorescent quantum dots within a resonant structure (thin film interference structure), micromize the resultant resonator, and disperse the micronized particles within the suitable ink and laminate matrices.Commercially, successful completion of this project would have great impact in the security market. Presently all conventional taggants have been compromised to one degree or other. This technology will provide an added shield against those who wish to do harm to this country and others through the counterfeiting of currencies, passports, and other secure documents and identifications. Knowledge gained on the fabrication of nanocrystal composite thin films with controlled thicknesses and in particular nanocrystals films in resonant cavities would have great impact on fields beyond security. In particular that technology would have potential applications in a number of photonic applications including lasers as well as optical switching and other nonlinear optical components.