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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Gigahertz-frequency acousto-optic phase modulation of visible light in a CMOS-fabricated photonic circuit

Optical phase modulators operating at visible wavelengths are essential components for photonic technologies such as those for quantum control, communications, and laser ranging. However, they remain challenging to implement in scalable, integrated platforms capable of handling high optical powers. Here we present a visible-light, gigahertz-frequency acousto-optic phase modulator, fabricated on a 200-mm wafer in a volume CMOS foundry, that supports greater than 500 mW of optical power at 730 nm. The device combines a piezoelectric transducer and a photonic waveguide within a single, wavelength-scale structure that confines both a propagating optical mode and an electrically excitable breathing-mode mechanical resonance. By tuning the device’s geometry to optimize the optomechanical interaction, we achieve modulation depths up to 4.85 rad with 80 mW of applied microwave power at 2.31 GHz in a 2-mm-long device. This corresponds to resonant modulation figures of merit of V π = 1.32V and V π ⋅ L = 0.26V cm. To our knowledge, this is the lowest V π ever demonstrated in any acousto-optic phase modulator and represents a 15-fold reduction in V π and a 100-fold reduction in required microwave power relative to state-of-the-art modulators with high visible-wavelength power handling commonly employed in quantum control systems.

Freedman, Jacob M. [Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (↗
DOE OSTI2026

Nanophotonic waveguide chip-to-world beam scanning

A seamless chip-to-world photonic interface enables broad advancements in optical ranging, display, communication, computation and quantum information science. The ideal solution enables two-dimensional scanning of a diffraction-limited beam from anywhere on a photonic integrated circuit to a large number of resolvable spots. Current beam-scanning technologies are limited by a fundamental trade-off: photonic-integrated-circuits with diffractive optics offer scalability but have poor mode quality, whereas inertially limited micromechanical scanners provide high-quality beams but lack scalable integration. Here we report a photonic ski-jump—a nanoscale waveguide monolithically integrated on a piezoelectric cantilever—to overcome these limitations. It passively curls ~90° out-of-plane within a less-than-0.1 mm 2 footprint, emits a submicrometre, broadband diffraction-limited beam, and exhibits kilohertz-rate mechanical resonances with quality factors of over 10,000. Fabricated in a volume complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) foundry, our device enables scalable two-dimensional beam scanning. Driven on-resonance at CMOS-level voltages, it achieves a footprint-adjusted spot rate of 68.6 mega spots s –1 mm–², exceeding state-of-the-art micro-electro-mechanical systems mirrors by more than 50-fold, which is sufficient for one million pixels at 100 Hz from an approximately 1.5 mm diameter footprint. We demonstrate full-colour image and video projection, and single-photon initialization and readout from silicon vacancy centres in diamond. Finally, by demonstrating uniformity across a 64 ski-jump array, we establish a pathway to achieving greater than one gigaspot resolution at kilohertz rates within a sub-5-cm-diameter footprint, creating a seamless optical pipeline between integrated photonic processors and the free-space world.

Displays↗
DOE OSTI2025

The AMACStar ASIC for the HL-LHC ATLAS ITk Strip detector: design, verification, testing, and quality assurance

For the high-luminosity upgrade to the LHC (HL-LHC), the ATLAS detector at CERN requires an all-new inner detector, the Inner Tracker (ITk). The ITk Strip subdetector is made up of silicon modules, which include three types of radiation-hard ASICs. One of these is the Autonomous Monitor and Control (AMAC). The AMAC is manufactured by Global Foundries using 130 nm CMOS8RF DM technology and is approximately 3 by 5 mm in size. This ASIC autonomously monitors the temperatures, voltages, and currents in the module components while controlling critical values in order to prevent these quantities from reaching dangerous levels. The final design, AMACStar, was verified, tested, and ensured to perform all necessary functions. A quality control procedure using an in-house probe station set-up was developed in order to ensure that every individual chip on each wafer of AMACStars required by the ITk Strip project met performance requirements. The average per wafer yield of usable AMACStars is 92.33%, exceeding the design-specific 90% yield estimated for project costing. This estimate was based on actual yields for similar designs in this process.

Analogue electronic circuits↗
DOE OSTI2026

Cryogenic-Refined MOSFET Modeling for Oscillator, Frequency Divider, and Amplifier Designs Below 4 K

Capturing device characteristic changes at cryogenic temperatures is crucial for cryo-CMOS circuit designs. In this work, we present an isothermal cryogenic-refined modeling approach for CMOS transistors that is simple, low overhead, and easy to implement while offering the required accuracy for predicting circuit performance at the designated temperatures. Guided by die-level measurement data and circuit design principles, the model introduces corrections to only five critical parameters: threshold voltage, carrier mobility, elevated low-frequency flicker noise, dominant high-frequency shot noise, and subthreshold swing (SS). These refinements are implemented around the foundry-provided SPICE model, which is typically validated only down to about 200 K. With these adjustments, the proposed cryogenic-refined model achieves less than 5% error in both large-signal metrics (I–V characteristics) and small-signal parameters (e.g., transconductance) when compared with device measurements at deep-cryogenic temperatures. The methodology is validated in two advanced technologies: TSMC 40-nm CMOS and GlobalFoundries (GF) 45-nm RF-SOI. We further demonstrate its applicability in three representative RF circuits: a 30-GHz LC oscillator, a high-speed current-mode-logic (CML) frequency divider (FD), and a subthreshold Gb/s amplifier, all showing close agreement between simulated predictions and measurements performed at 4 and 2.5 K. Finally, we believe that the proposed approach is implementation-friendly and can significantly accelerate the development of cryo-CMOS integrated circuits.

circuit modeling↗
DOE OSTI2025

Reconstitution of Sandia's Melt Laboratory: A Strategic Approach to Address Alloy Procurement and Quality Challenges - Part 1

In recent years, the procurement of essential materials such as Stainless Steels, Ni-Alloys, and Kovar has become increasingly challenging. Lead times for these materials have extended to over 24 months, placing significant stress on the reliability of attaining these alloys. This situation is exacerbated by the supplier’s minimum purchase requirement of excessively large quantities to meet unique purchase order (PO) requirements which is usually above the maximum requirements of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). Additionally, the reluctance of foundries to engage in small lot development for SNL specific needs further complicates the procurement process. This white paper explores the reconstitution of SNL’ Melt Laboratory as a strategic solution to mitigate these challenges.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

(U) STATEMENT OF WORK, UCD RadHard Collaboration

The following subcontract engages UC Davis (UCD) to collaborate with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) on the design and analysis of microelectronic circuits (macrocells). As part of the proposed statement of work UCD will be given access to information that is export controlled. Within this statement of work UCD is to acquire and install any applicable foundry PDK(s) and collaborate with LLNL on the design of new macrocells and assist in making improvements to existing macrocells as well as the design of ASICs using collections of macrocells. The intent is to increase the application space of the existing LLNL macrocell library and demonstrate the use of the macrocell library, including new designs, by making reference design ASICs.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Floating Offshore Wind US Manufacturing and Commercialization: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report)

NREL assessed the supply chain and workforce considerations for the OCG-Wind floater technology, a floating semi-submersible offshore wind substructure, as well sharing vessel needs to inform their installation strategy. This technical assistance was in support of the FLoating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize Phase 2 submission. NREL provided an assessment of domestic supplier capabilities for the main components of their floating offshore wind platform design and analyzed US regional and national supply chain constraints and gaps. Thirteen interviews with companies including steel distributors, forges, foundries, ports, large component fabricators, subcomponent fabricators, and secondary suppliers provided key insights such as 1) assembly ports are the key infrastructure barrier standing in the way of unlocking the domestic assembly and component fabrication for steel-based FOW platforms, 2) domestic steel producers can supply the types and quantities of steel necessary for FOW platforms, and 3) coordination between stakeholders will be a vital part of successfully developing the supply chain and infrastructure needed to domestically produce FOW platforms. In the workforce assessment, NREL documented a step-by-step approach to conduct a place-based assessment of the foundational workforce consideration for recruiting, upskilling, and retaining a workforce, such as supportive local and state policy, nearby education and training programs, and existing relevant industry. This approach was applied to Tacoma, Washington. Tacoma was indicated to have the potential be a successful location for fabrication and assembly of floating offshore wind energy in terms of workforce development. To share data on vessel requirements to install the OCG-Wind floater, NREL compiled resources that help answer the questions related to anchor handling tug vessels, shared a database of cable laying vessels, and answered questions on complying with the Jones Act.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Lower Cost Renewable Nanoparticle Platform to Increases Production of Cathode Material (CRADA Final Report)

Employees of Sylvatex synthesized candidate cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries in PI’s labs and at the Molecular Foundry using sustainable methods. They then benchmarked the synthesized materials against available commercial cathode materials in lithium half-cells (coin cell configurations) to compare performance and ensure that their materials met or exceeded metrics of the commercial materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fabrication and Testing of Solid-Solution Strengthened Corrosion Resistant Alloys For Service in Molten Fluoride Environments

The demand for higher system thermal efficiencies requires the operation of power generation cycles and heat conversion systems at progressively higher temperatures. As the system operating temperature increases, existing materials may not provide adequate mechanical properties or environmental compatibility or both. There is an increasing commercial interest in the development and deployment of liquid-fueled Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs). Hastelloy®N, the highest performing candidate MSR structural alloy, is not capable of operations at temperatures above 700°C, thus limiting the performance of these systems. Using an Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME)-approach and small laboratory scale heats, ORNL developed a class of patented alloys covered by U.S. Patent 9, 435, 011 B2, “Creep-resistant, Cobalt-free alloys for high temperature, liquid-salt heat exchanger systems,” similar to Hastelloy®N in that they are primarily solid solution strengthened. In contrast to precipitation strengthened alloys, the microstructure of solid solution alloys and hence the high temperature mechanical properties are stable for extended periods of time allowing long reactor operating life. The new alloys have shown to possess good resistance to liquid fluorides at temperatures up to 850°C and have significantly improved creep properties when compared to Hastelloy®N. The purpose of the CRADA project was for ORNL to collaborate with Haynes International- a materials producer, MetalTek International- a foundry, and Kairos Power – an advanced reactor developer – to scale-up selected alloys, evaluate their properties, and identify one solid solution strengthened alloy that can meet the property requirements for the reactor being developed by Kairos Power and other similar liquid fluoride-salt cooled reactors. As part of the project, eight alloys were down-selected and fabricated in larger industrial scale heats by Haynes International. Resistance to molten salt was evaluated in flowing FLiNaK and FLiBe by Kairos Power using their Rotating Cage Loop (RCL) system. Accounting for iron deposition during these tests, the new alloys displayed very low net mass change showing excellent corrosion performance in molten salt. Creep properties evaluated at ORNL were found to be better than that of Hastelloy®N and 316 stainless steel. Long-term stabilities of the alloys evaluated by Haynes International showed that these alloys have excellent thermal stability in the temperature range 704.4-815.6°C, with the change in strength and ductility being less than 10-15% after a 4000-hour exposure at 815.6°C. Autogenously Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) welded samples showed less than 10% change in yield strength / ultimate tensile strength / total elongation compared to the basemetal, indicating that the alloys have excellent weldability. Three parts were successfully investment-cast using one alloy with very little voiding showing feasibility of fabricating parts using the casting process. This project enabled extensive interaction between the material producer Haynes International, casting supplier MetalTek, and reactor developer Kairos Power. This facilitated testing of materials and components produced using the newly developed alloys by the end-user. This allowed the generation of critical dataset required for down-selection of a few promising alloys for further development. This data is also currently being shared with other reactor designers for them to evaluate the suitability of this alloy for their reactor design. The availability of this alloy will ultimately enable the design and development and deployment of MSRs with increased temperature of operation and thus, improved efficiencies.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Best of Both Worlds: Integrating Slurm with Kubernetes in a Kubernetes Native Way

We present K-Foundry, a framework that enables the integration of Simple Linux Utility for Resource Management (SLURM) with Kubernetes (K8s) via a Kubernetes-like Control Plane (KCP). Our implementation seamlessly enables a unified communication and scheduling layer for a fleet of multiple diverse computing platforms. While SLURM and K8s traditionally support distinct scheduling models, they have recently started aligning their objectives by moving towards a more converged execution environment.

Beltre, Angel Manuel↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fabrication and Testing of Solid-Solution Strengthened Corrosion Resistant Alloys For Service in Molten Fluoride Environments

The demand for higher system thermal efficiencies requires the operation of power generation cycles and heat conversion systems at progressively higher temperatures. As the system operating temperature increases, existing materials may not provide adequate mechanical properties or environmental compatibility or both. There is an increasing commercial interest in the development and deployment of liquid-fueled Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs). Hastelloy®N, the highest performing candidate MSR structural alloy, is not capable of operations at temperatures above 700°C, thus limiting the performance of these systems. Using an Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME)-approach and small laboratory scale heats, ORNL developed a class of patented alloys covered by U.S. Patent 9,435,011 B2, “Creep-resistant, Cobalt-free alloys for high temperature, liquid-salt heat exchanger systems,” similar to Hastelloy®N in that they are primarily solid solution strengthened. In contrast to precipitation strengthened alloys, the microstructure of solid solution alloys and hence the high temperature mechanical properties are stable for extended periods of time allowing long reactor operating life. The new alloys have shown to possess good resistance to liquid fluorides at temperatures up to 850°C and have significantly improved creep properties when compared to Hastelloy®N. The purpose of the CRADA project was for ORNL to collaborate with Haynes International- a materials producer, MetalTek International- a foundry, and Kairos Power – an advanced reactor developer – to scale-up selected alloys, evaluate their properties, and identify one solid solution strengthened alloy that can meet the property requirements for the reactor being developed by Kairos Power and other similar liquid fluoride-salt cooled reactors. As part of the project, eight alloys were down-selected and fabricated in larger industrial scale heats by Haynes International. Resistance to molten salt was evaluated in flowing FLiNaK and FLiBe by Kairos Power using their Rotating Cage Loop (RCL) system. Accounting for iron deposition during these tests, the new alloys displayed very low net mass change showing excellent corrosion performance in molten salt. Creep properties evaluated at ORNL were found to be better than that of Hastelloy®N and 316 stainless steel. Long-term stabilities of the alloys evaluated by Haynes International showed that these alloys have excellent thermal stability in the temperature range 704.4-815.6°C, with the change in strength and ductility being less than 10-15% after a 4000-hour exposure at 815.6°C. Autogenously Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) welded samples showed less than 10% change in yield strength / ultimate tensile strength / total elongation compared to the basemetal, indicating that the alloys have excellent weldability. Three parts were successfully investment-cast using one alloy with very little voiding showing feasibility of fabricating parts using the casting process. This project enabled extensive interaction between the material producer Haynes International, casting supplier MetalTek, and reactor developer Kairos Power. This facilitated testing of materials and components produced using the newly developed alloys by the end-user. This allowed the generation of critical dataset required for down-selection of a few promising alloys for further development. This data is also currently being shared with other reactor designers for them to evaluate the suitability of this alloy for their reactor design. The availability of this alloy will ultimately enable the design and development and deployment of MSRs with increased temperature of operation and thus, improved efficiencies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Aligned carbon nanotubes for 1,000x improvement in computing (CRADA Final Report)

As part of the Cyclotron Road program, the Aligned Carbon team worked to improve and bring to market their technology to manufacture carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for integrated circuits. There are multiple applications which can benefit from the use of CNT based transistors in integrated circuits, including high performance computing, RF data transmission, and biosensing. Each of these applications faces a problem of poor starting CNT material to come to market. Aligned Carbon offers material with the highest ceiling of performance based around a fully aligned, uniform, on-wafer growth of CNTs and our proprietary purification process to remove metallic CNTs leaving only the semi-conducting ones behind. Further, Aligned Carbon has been guided by scalable manufacturing processes that will fit seamlessly into the integrated circuit foundry model of chip fabrication.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Additive Manufacturing Evaporative Casting

Traditional lost foam casting has been around for decades. The process uses foam forms blown by an injection molding like process or CNC milled into the desired shape, then pouring molten metal over the foam pattern to create a metallic object. Additive Manufacturing Evaporative Casting (AMEC) is a new process that eliminates foam forms by using additive manufacturing to 3D print the desired cast geometry. This not only saves time and money but allows for more advanced and complex designs that can’t be achieved by carving foam. Additionally, AMEC doesn’t require molds and tooling like other casting and foundry options. Because the AMEC process is new, extensive testing is needed to develop a better understanding of the process to minimize defects, quantify material properties, and start computer modeling for the process. This CRADA (collaborative research and development agreement) between ORNL and Skuld seeks to improve the process, develop a computational model, characterize material properties, and explore new applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Identification and mitigation of memory block timing issue in ITk ABCStar during ASIC production

The ABCStar is a mixed-signal front-end readout ASIC for the strips sensor portion of the ATLAS ITk detector being developed as part of the High-Luminosity LHC upgrade. In pre-production testing, a subtle design flaw was uncovered in the ABCStar that was reducing wafer yields in some manufactured lots from the expected 90% to as low as 2%. The root cause was determined to be a timing issue in the logic synthesized to control previously silicon proven memory blocks re-used for this ASIC. The solutions proposed included manufacturing process changes by the wafer foundry, changes to the operating parameters for the ABCStar in the detector, and the possibility that a redesign might be required. The two mitigation efforts were undertaken in parallel, with the process modification route a less desirable solution since already manufactured wafers would need to be scrapped in favour of the new ones. Based on a knowledge of the existing process, and testing done on the worst performing wafers, it was proposed that raising the core operating voltage of the ABCStar from 1.20V to 1.25V could address the timing issue by sufficiently speeding up its transistors. An extensive testing program that included the effects of temperature and radiation expected over the lifetime of the ITk detector was conducted to validate that approach. Those tests and studies proved that even the worst performing wafers would have yields over 80% with the 1.25V core voltage, and neither the modified process nor redesign would be required for ensuring reliable operation of the ITk. Based on testing, a further timing mitigation was implemented to provide an additional margin of reliability by increasing the duty cycle of the clock to the ABCStar. Testing of all ABCStar wafers has been completed and the production of the detector modules using these ASICs is now well underway as a result of the efforts detailed herein.

FOS: Physical sciences↗
DOE OSTI2025

High-fidelity topochemical polymerization in single crystals, polycrystals, and solution aggregates

Topochemical polymerization (TCP) emerges as a leading approach for synthesizing single crystalline polymers, but is traditionally restricted to transformations in solid-medium. The complexity in achieving single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformations due to lattice disparities and the untapped potential of performing TCP in a liquid medium with solid-state structural fidelity present unsolved challenges. Herein, by using X-rays as the primary means to overcome crystal disintegration, we reveal the details of SCSC transformation during the TCP of chiral azaquinodimethane (AQM) monomers through in situ crystallographic analysis while spotlighting a rare metastable crystalline phase. Complementary in situ investigations of powders and thin films provide critical insights into the side-chain dependent polymerization kinetics of solid-state reactions. Furthermore, we enable TCP of AQM monomers in a liquid medium via an antisolvent-reinforced aggregated state, yielding polymer nanofibers with high crystallinity akin to that of solid-state. This study testifies high structural precision of TCP performed in different states and media, offering critical insights into the synthesis of processable nanostructured polymers with desired structural integrity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

AI‐Driven Robot Enables Synthesis‐Property Relation Prediction for Metal Halide Perovskites in Humid Atmosphere

Materials Acceleration Platforms (MAPs) – also known as self-driving laboratories– present a new paradigm for materials science and promise an order of magnitude accelerated materials discovery compared to the traditional trial-and-error approach. Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are an emerging class of materials for optoelectronic applications but are plagued by irreproducible optoelectronic quality, particularly for films fabricated in a humid atmosphere. Here, in this work, a machine learning (ML)-guided closed-loop platform is developed with a multimodal data fusion approach to predict synthesis–property relations for the optical quality of MHP thin films in relative humidities (RHs) ranging from 5–55%. The efficiency of this approach is confirmed by the fast-dropping learning rate to 2% after experimentally sampling less than 1% of the possible 5,000+ combinations. The prediction of synthesis–property relations is done by optical and imaging characterizations. In situ photoluminescence characterization revealed the origin of thin film quality variation at different RH. These insights provide an avenue for controlling the MHP crystallization by fine-tuning the synthesis parameters and RH for a given chemistry, thus lifting the need for stringent atmosphere control. The MAP enables an accelerated screening and understanding of the synthesis design space, facilitating rational synthesis recipe choice for a wide range of materials.

AI-driven robot↗
DOE OSTI2025

Intrinsic optical bistability of photon avalanching nanocrystals

Optically bistable materials respond to a single input with two possible optical outputs, contingent on excitation history. Such materials would be ideal for optical switching and memory, but the limited understanding of intrinsic optical bistability (IOB) prevents the development of nanoscale IOB materials suitable for devices. Here we demonstrate IOB in Nd 3+ -doped KPb 2 Cl 5 avalanching nanoparticles, which switch with high contrast between luminescent and non-luminescent states, with hysteresis characteristic of bistability. Here we elucidate a non-thermal mechanism in which IOB originates from suppressed non-radiative relaxation in Nd 3+ ions and from the positive feedback of photon avalanching, resulting in extreme, >200th-order optical nonlinearities. The modulation of laser pulsing tunes the hysteresis widths, and dual-laser excitation enables transistor-like optical switching. This control over nanoscale IOB establishes avalanching nanoparticles for photonic devices in which light is used to manipulate light.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗