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Contract Opportunity

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY

Energy Resolution Upscaling for Radiation Detectors

A new method capable of yielding high-energy resolution data that usually requires expensive and cryogenically-cooled semiconductor detectors, from inexpensive and room-temperature operated scintillators.

Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this new energy resolution upscaling technique. This technology transfer opportunity is part of a dedicated effort to convert government-funded research into job opportunities, businesses and ultimately an improved way of life for the American people.

Overview: Currently, there are numerous applications in which high-energy resolution radiation detectors are needed to properly yield data with the fidelity required by the user. Proper measurement of an emitted or transmitted particle or photon energy is necessary to produce the science or application that the user requires. Scenarios in which high-fidelity (i.e. high energy resolution) data is required by users generally require expensive and/or complex and sensitive detectors to generate their required data. One such example is with gamma-ray spectroscopy, where high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors are required due to their extremely good gamma-ray energy resolution. However, there are several complications to HPGe. Their detection efficiency is often very low. Their inability to handle high-count-rate situations (such as in high radiation fields) leads to high dead time and often degradation of the quality of data (i.e. peak deformation) and their requirement to be cooled to cryogenic temperatures limits the cases/locations of their deployment.

Description: Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory have developed a solution that offers the ability to resolve high-resolution data from low-resolution detectors (such as high-purity germanium detector-like data from much less expensive and simpler sodium iodide detectors). This solution would allow for the use of higher-efficiency and higher-rate capable detectors while also seeing at least 10x reduction in cost per detector.

Benefits:

• Provides a means of yielding high-energy resolution data from inexpensive and room-temperature operated scintillators.


• Greatly reduces cost and complexity of developing measurement systems.


• Enables measurements that cannot possibly be achieved with current analysis methods, including, but not limited to:
  
  
  
  • Special nuclear material tracking
  
  
  • Space-based measurements
  
  
  • Confined or remote nuclear tracking or monitoring,
  
  
  
  


• Greatly increases the accuracy of modern dose-rate monitoring systems.

Applications:

• Gamma-ray or X-ray Spectroscopy


• X-ray Technicians


• Quality control engineers


• Detector operators that rely upon the accurate measurement of gamma-/x-rays, neutrons, or other particles.

Development Status: TRL 5, technology has been demonstrated in a laboratory environment with real-world conditions.

IP Status: US Patent Application No. 17/649,031, “Increasing Energy Resolution, and Related Methods, Systems, and Devices,” BEA Docket No. BA-1346.

INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Added value is placed on relationships with small businesses, start-up companies, and general entrepreneurship opportunities.

Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.

Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov.

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