¡¡¡¡CLEVELAND, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Teraphysics Corporation will prototype and test an innovative miniature 95 gigahertz amplifier for very high resolution radar and wide bandwidth communications applications under a $749,945 Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer contract from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The company successfully completed the Phase I feasibility contract in May.

    Teraphysics plans to develop a family of compact and efficient source devices to span the most useful portions of the underused millimeter wave and terahertz frequency band, from 0.1 terahertz or 100 gigahertz to more than one terahertz. This fall, the company plans to demonstrate a 0.65 terahertz source The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants to use in a system to detect hidden weapons and explosives at safe distances.

    To meet Air Force''s requirements, Teraphysics Chief Technology Officer Jim Dayton and Senior Engineer Carol Kory, both doctorates in electrical engineering, took a fresh approach to existing traveling wave tube design. Using a diamond sheet-supported micro helix design, they engineered a palm-sized amplifier that can deliver tens of watts of output power at 95 gigahertz. They also devised a coupling scheme that combines output from multiple amplifiers to produce a beam of hundreds of watts.

    "With its small size and high efficiency, the 95 gigahertz design will significantly outstrip existing capabilities in radar and military communications," said Teraphysics President Gerald Mearini, who holds a doctorate in experimental physics. "It will also have important applications in commercial communications systems and other areas."

    Used in nearly all microwave and millimeter wave transmitters, the typical traveling wave tube has a helical wire coil supported in a metal barrel by three ceramic rods. Conventional fabrication techniques make it a challenge for such designs to achieve even 60 gigahertz.

    To produce 95 gigahertz, Teraphysics reinvented the helical device, replacing the ceramic rods with a diamond sheet. Rather than winding a metal wire around a mandrel, the helix will be suspended in a selectively metallized diamond barrel formed using a lithographic process patented by Teraphysics. For operation at 95 gigahertz, the inner diameter of the helix is about as thick as a human hair.

    Teraphysics will draw on state of the art microfabrication technology to build the new micro helix slow wave circuit in collaboration with RTI-International of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Potential civilian use for the vacuum electronic devices includes commercial communications in metropolitan areas using pilotless aircraft.

    "Vacuum electron devices are the logical choice for sources of radiation in these frequency ranges because of their reliability, high power output, light weight and efficiency," Mearini explained. The company has received 13 development contracts from seven government agencies for total federal funding of $4.75 million since August 2002. Five are Phase II Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer contracts.

    Radiation in the millimeter and submillimeter region of the electromagnetic spectrum enables imaging through many materials, including fabrics and plastics. Both are non-ionizing and considered safe for human exposure.

    Energy in the submillimeter or terahertz band is the only known radiation capable of unambiguous identification of molecular matter. This capability is valuable for applications in military security and electronic warfare, communications, homeland security, medicine, product testing and other areas. Terahertz remains largely commercially untapped because of the low power output, large size or extreme cooling requirements of existing signal sources.

    ABOUT TERAPHYSICS

    Teraphysics Corporation (http://www.teraphysics.com) develops powerful, efficient and compact devices that operate in the millimeter wave and terahertz bands, the only commercially untapped portion of the electro-magnetic spectrum. The Ohio-based company has engineered the world''s first palm-sized terahertz signal source capable of broad application in this coveted frequency range. Teraphysics is part of Genvac Holdings, a privately held company.

    Contact:

    Jerry Pignolet, Power Marketing/Public Relations, 440-527-0446

    Source: Teraphysics Corporation
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