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Complex Material and Devices (RTD)
The Complex Materials and Devices Department leads the discovery and development of the fundamental and integrated science that provides novel options that increase operational flexibility and performance of systems and environments of relevance to the U.S. Air Force. A key emphasis is the establishment of the foundations necessary to advance the integration or convergence of the scientific disciplines critical to maintaining technological superiority. The Department carries out its ambitious mission through leadership of an international, highly diverse, and multidisciplinary research community to find, support and fosters new scientific discoveries that will ensure future novel innovations to transform the U.S. Air Force of the future.
This Department focuses on meeting the basic research challenges by leading the discovery and development of fundamental science and engineering across three integrated research focus areas:
Complex Materials and Structures: Focus on complex materials, microsystems and structures by incorporating hierarchical design and functionality from the nanoscale through the mesoscale, ultimately leading to controlled well understood material or structural behavior capable of dynamic functionality and/or performance characteristics to enhance mission versatility.
Complex Electronics and Fundamental Quantum Processes: This includes exploration and understanding of a wide range of complex engineered materials and devices, including non-linear optical materials, optoelectronics, Metamaterials, cathodes, dielectric and magnetic materials, new classes of high temperature superconductors, quantum dots, quantum wells, and Graphene. In addition to research into underlying materials and fundamental physical processes, this area considers how they might be integrated into new classes of devices and a fundamental understanding of materials that are not amenable to conventional computational means (e.g. , using optical lattices to model high-temperature superconductors).
Natural Materials and Systems Research: This area focuses on multidisciplinary approaches for studying, using, mimicking, or altering the novel ways that natural systems accomplish their required tasks. Nature has used evolution to build exquisite materials and sensors that often outperform manmade versions. This scientific thrust discovers how to mimic existing natural sensory systems, and adds existing capabilities to these organisms for more precise control over their material production.
The program descriptions that follow address specific sub-areas of interest as well as explore novel ideas to bridge disciplines across the research scoped through the three broad areas above. Many critical research activities fostered under the programs discussed here are multidisciplinary and involve support from the other scientific Departments within AFOSR. Research at the interfaces across disciplines often provides insights necessary for and leading to new technological advances. Creativity is highly encouraged in proposing novel scientific approaches for our consideration.
Adaptive Multimode Sensing
Program Description: This program seeks to discover and exploit scientific breakthroughs in natural and artificial (Meta) solid-state electronic and photonic materials, micro/nanostructures, novel device physics concepts, and sensing and data exploitation schemes potentially enabling for future transformational capabilities in adaptive combinatorial multimodal sensing methods. Breakthrough novel EO/IR sensor designs and methods are essential for meeting envisioned long-term game-changing U.S. Air Force Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance C4ISR capability needs. Future U.S. Air Force universal situational awareness needs include near real-time detection, tracking, and identification of low-contrast and complex targets in broad areas and highly-cluttered dynamic environments, integrated with near real-time communication of resultant actionable data to battlefield commanders. Resulting near instantaneous sensor-to-shooter capability will require remote and autonomous real-time-closed-loop-controlled target spectra sensing, data fusion and processing, knowledge objective exploitation, and communications.
A promising approach for near real-time sensor-to-shooter capability is performance-driven sensing(PDS). PDS relies on sensing, processing and exploiting only the most decision-relevant sets of target/scene spectra data in order to reduce by many orders-of-magnitude requirements on data processing throughput and communications bandwidth. The key to PDS is the ability in near real-time to autonomously and dynamically select and process data from only the most judicious sets of sensor pixels (spatial locations) and pixel photon modes (wavelength, polarization, and perhaps phase). It is well known that the fusion of optimum sets of mixed-mode target spectra data can exponentially quicken exploitation (e.g. , target ID) and dramatically reduce false alarms. The basic advantage of multi-spectral (λi) sensing includes enhanced clutter filtering to improve target-scene contrast, and reflectance spectroscopy to identify component chemicals and specific material type. Spectral polarimetry (Sλ) enables discrimination of natural versus manmade objects, object shape, and material surface roughness. Phase-shift (f) sensing holds significant promise for LIDAR-based 3D imaging. Spatial discrimination (r) yields object shape, internal features, context, and range profiling. The dimension of time (t) is essential for recording evolution of r, λi, Sλ and f, which are crucial for tracking objects. Further, for a given target/scene and specified knowledge objective, there exists some optimum combination of fused r, λi, Sλ, f and t modalities for which exploitation can be optimized in terms of minimum processing time for a defined acceptable false alarm rate and resultant data communications bandwidth. Herein lies a significant C4ISR capability breakthrough opportunity; the optimum minimum combination of mixed modality target/scene information will reduce by many orders of magnitude the time required to sense, process and communicate actionable data to commanders.
One can envision a hypothetical imaging focal plane array possessing individually addressable pixels of one construct or another, and each pixel having tunable wavelength, polarization, and phase set-and-read capability, i.e. , a multimodal-sensor-in-a-pixel. Then in principal one could find the optimum minimum number of pixels and pixel modalities needed to achieve a specified knowledge objective as governed by closed-loop decision and exploitation algorithms. However, a fully adaptive and integrated multimodal sensing (AIMS) capability, along with complimentary closed-loop sensor-mode decision and control algorithms do not yet exist. Today, a majority of military ISR platforms are single-mode and independently operated, forwarding data via their own specialized (stove-piped) ground processing channels with poor interoperability. Many ISR assets generate enormous volumes of data that greatly bottleneck communications bandwidth (e.g. , Gbps-Pbps versus Mbps) and completely overwhelm ground C2 man-in-loop exploitation and recognition capabilities. In fact in many cases the vast majority of collected and transmitted ISR data is deemed redundant and/or useless. Herein lies a crucial breakthrough opportunity for PDS, whereby one senses, processes, exploits, and communicates only the most decision-relevant target/scene spectra data. However, very significant and substantial basic and applied research challenges presently confront the realization of PDS. These challenges span multidisciplinary topics in electronics and photonics, novel solid-state materials sciences, novel electromagnetic spectra, micro/nanostructures interactions and phenomenology, innovative compact mixed-mode device constructs and physics, and breakthrough closed-loop decision and exploitation algorithms.
Basic Research Objectives: Fundamental solid-state materials science and device physics challenges facing many envisioned multimodal sensing concepts are primarily driven by three factors: 1) incompatible electronic and optical interactions at complex device heterointerfaces, where lattice-mismatched layers produce a plethora of deleterious structural and electrical defect states that enhance photo-carrier generation and, more importantly, recombination, 2) interface electronic band-discontinuities yield deleterious potential barriers that retard carrier transport, and 3) paramount challenge associated with non-demolition interrogation of mixed-mode spectra, preserving electromagnetic wave properties under test. For example, methods are needed to determine the number of photons in some range ∆λ, while preserving the photon (or a large fraction of them) properties long enough to query their polarization state.
Principal basic research interests include, but are not limited to 1) novel methods for combining, modeling, simulating, and synthesizing multiple low-dimensional heterogeneous micro/nanostructures (e.g. , quantum dots/wires/wells, carbon nanotubes, Graphene, nanorods, core-shell nanocrystals, plasmonic structures, nanoantenna structures, Metamaterials, transparent films and interconnects, etc. ) to generate entirely new and useful photon/media phenomenological interactions, 2) novel methods for capturing and/or interpreting novel phenomenological interactions between photon waves or photon particles, and electronic states of novel materials/structures to yield unique signature spectra modality (r, λi, Sλ, f) information, 3) novel methods for circumventing deleterious effects of heterogeneous media and structures integration, 4) approaches for real-time dynamic tuning and/or manipulating absorber media bulk and heterointerface properties, such as bandgap, absorption coefficient, transport properties, band-offsets, defect levels, etc. , 5) novel sensor materials/device physics methods for enhanced Auger recombination lifetime and increased detector signal-to-noise ratio and effective operating temperature, and 6) innovative approaches for non-demolition light-wave property interrogation.
Additionally, novel multimodal sensor device constructs, concepts and methods are desired for achieving co-bore sighted multimodal spectra imaging in a staring format, as well as non-image detection and spectral discrimination techniques. Novel concepts are sought for tunable/reconfigurable pixel/detector element approaches offering multiple modes in one or more UV-LWIR bands, same-pixel multicolor (4+ wavelength bands) designs with suitable pixel-to-readout interconnect schemes, and biologically inspired multimodal detection processes and devices. Possible sensor structures include, but are not limited to, integrated monolithic/hybrid approaches utilizing homogeneous/heterogeneous material layers and structures, multi-dimensional quantum and nanobased structures, and any combination thereof, with a requirement that novel sensor device concepts should have a reasonable expectation of yielding external quantum efficiencies in excess of 50%.
Dr. James Hwang, AFOSR/RTD (703) 696-7339
DSN 426-7339; FAX (703) 696-8451
E-mail: Adap.Physics@afosr.af.mil
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Aerospace Materials for Extreme Environments
Program Description: The objective of basic research in Aerospace Materials for Extreme Environments is to provide the fundamental knowledge required to enable revolutionary advances in future U.S. Air Force technologies through the discovery and characterization of high temperature materials (nominally temperatures above 1000°C) including: ceramics, metals, hybrid systems including composites that exhibit superior structural, functional and/or multifunctional performance. Interest domain includes the fundamental science at the interface of phases of heterogeneous structures, nanotechnology and mesotechnology efforts are focused on new architectures using crystal chemistry principles to create pathways to synthesize transparent ceramics, fiber materials, three dimensional power structures and heterogeneous materials.
Basic Research Objectives: While the focus of this basic research is the design, creation, and employment of nontraditional approaches on synthesis of novel materials and nanostructures, for example, by using electric fields, lasers, microwave and other external field approaches that take into account of geometric or topological descriptors to characterize similarity and scaling between stimuli under the multi-dimensional external fields to secure revolutionary advances. This area includes a wide range of activities that require understanding and managing the non-linear response of materials to combined loads (i.e. thermal, acoustic, chemistry, shear or pressure loads) under high energy density non-equilibrium extremities. This program also embraces materials that are far from the thermodynamic equilibrium domain (bulk metallic glasses, highly doped polycrystalline materials and supersaturated structures etc. ). Realization of these multi-component systems that are far from equilibrium may also require new approaches to how computation itself is modeled or even an entirely new understanding of computation. Often the modeling approaches make casual inference about the microstructural features and basic research methodologies and metrics are needed. The aim is to explore the possibility for the quantification of microstructure through reliable and accurate descriptions of grain and particle shapes, and identifying sample distributions of shape descriptors to generate and predict structures which might revolutionize the design and performance.
A specific thrust area of interest is the discovery of new techniques for modeling, measuring, and analyzing thermal phenomena at multiple time and length scales in emerging novel material systems with the ultimate goal of exploiting these phenomena to design future materials and components that break the paradigm of today's materials where the boundaries of performance/failure are defined by conduction, convection, and radiation physics. This portfolio is seeking to establish the scientific foundations that will enable a sophisticated level of control of heat transfer via interfacial phenomena in materials. Ideas relating to interactions among the vibrations of the atoms (phonons), excitations of the valence electrons (electrons and holes), and electromagnetic fields (photons) are interest to this program, and scientific concepts that combines their interactions with the interface that engender a rich basic science of heat transport and offer exciting potential for discovery of new physical phenomena will be considered.
It is important to consider cross-disciplinary teams with material scientist and engineers in collaboration with mathematicians, statisticians, and physicist, and chemist, etc. , are encouraged, especially when collaboration is likely to generate multidimensional benefits. While single investigator and multidisciplinary team proposals also are encouraged and will be considered on a case by case basis. Researchers are highly encouraged to submit short (max 2 pages) White papers by email prior to developing full proposals. White papers should briefly describe the proposed effort and describe how it will advance the current state-of-the-art; an approximate yearly cost for a three to five year effort should also be included. Researchers with White papers of significant interest will be invited to submit full proposals.
Dr. Ali Sayir, AFOSR/RTD (703) 696-7236
DSN 426-7236; FAX (703) 696-7320
E-Mail: Extreme.Environment@afosr.af.mil
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GHz-THz Electronics
Program Description: This program seeks scientific breakthroughs in solid-state materials and device that are vital for game-changing capabilities in sub-millimeter-wave radar, ultra-wideband communications, chemical/biological/nuclear remote sensing, and ultra-high-speed on-board and front-end data processing. Such capabilities are crucial for long-term U.S. Air Force C4ISR capability breakthroughs. Research proposals are sought that address high-risk, high-payoff topics having fundamental challenges that are scientifically interesting as well as technologically relevant. Currently, the research portfolio is organized in three thrusts:
Basic Research Objectives:
I) THz Electronics: These include devices that are mainly based on covalent-bond semiconductors such as C, Si, Ge, GaAs, InP, GaN, and related compounds. The main challenges are in perfecting crystals, interfaces, transports and hetero-structures, as well as scaling to nanometer dimensions for THz operations, while maintaining adequate device characteristics such as on/off current ratio, sub-threshold turn-on slope, and breakdown voltage. Particular emphasis will be placed on approaches that can lead to room-temperature compact and high-power THz sources that can be tuned and modulated over wide bandwidth.
II) Novel GHz Electronics: These include devices that are mainly based on ionic-bond semiconductors such as complex oxides of transition metals, with less overlapped electron orbital's and much higher bandgaps or dielectric constants that may relax the requirement on crystalline perfectness while delivering much higher power than covalent-bond semiconductors can. The main challenges are in understanding different mechanisms for higher-quality, larger-area, and lower-cost growth on flexible substrates, as well as in understanding composition control, doping mechanism, correlated transport, metal-insulator transition, and topological insulating properties, especially in p-n and other hetero-junctions. Scaling to advance operation speed from the GHz range toward the THz range will also be explored.
III) Reconfigurable Electronics: These include devices that are mainly based on non-semiconductors that can perform multiple electronic, magnetic and optical functions. Devices based on meta-materials, artificial dielectrics, ferrites, multi-ferroics, nano-magnetics, and micro/nano electromechanical systems for reconfigurable radio-frequency front-ends will be of interest. The main challenges are in understanding the interaction between electromagnetic waves and electrons, plasmons and phonons on the nanometer scale. Additional challenges involve understandings for reproducible material preparation and approaches for devices that are compact, light, low-power-consumption, and low-cost.
Dr. James Hwang, AFOSR/RTD (703) 696-7339
DSN 426-7339; FAX (703) 696-8451
E-mail: GHz.THz@afosr.af.mil
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Low Density Materials
Program Description: The Low Density Materials portfolio supports transformative, basic research in materials design and processing to enable radical reductions in system weight with concurrent enhancements in performance and function. Such materials can transform the design of future U.S. Air Force aerospace and cyber systems for applications which include airframes, satellites, and adaptive vehicles. Among the routes to achieving game-changing improvements in low density materials currently emphasized within the program are understanding the impact of nanoscale porosity on aerospace structures and the creation of hierarchical architectures that combine materials of different classes, scales, and properties to provide synergistic and tailorable performance.
Basic Research Objectives: Proposals are sought that advance our understanding of hierarchical or hybrid materials and our ability to design, model and fabricate multi-material, multi-scale, multi-functional material systems with a high degree of precision and efficiency. Fundamental research targeting radical improvements in stimuli-responsive materials that can be used to couple structure and function in aerospace platforms is also a keen program interest. Material classes may be polymeric, ceramic, and metallic, possibly combining synthetic and biological species to engender lightweight structural integrity and multifuctionality.
Researchers are highly encouraged to submit short (max 2 pages) White papers by email prior to developing full proposals. White papers should briefly describe the proposed effort, the fundamental challenges to be addressed, and how the proposed research will advance the current state-of-the-art; an approximate yearly cost for a three to five year effort should also be included. Researchers with White papers of significant interest will be invited to submit full proposals.
Dr. Joycelyn Harrison, AFOSR/RTD (703) 696-6225
DSN 426-6225; FAX (703) 696-7320
E-Mail: LDMaterials@afosr.af.mil
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Mechanics of Multifunctional Materials and Microsystems
Program Description: The main goals of this program are to establish safer, more maneuverable aerospace vehicles and platforms with unprecedented performance characteristics; and to bridge the gap between the viewpoints from materials science on one side and structural engineering on the other in forming a science base for the materials development and integration criteria.
Basic Research Objectives: Specifically, the program seeks to establish the fundamental understanding required to design and manufacture new aerospace materials and microsystems for multifunctional structures and to predict their performance and integrity based on mechanics principles. The multifuctionality implies coupling between structural performance and other as-needed functionalities (such as electrical, magnetic, optical, thermal, chemical, biological, and so forth) to deliver dramatic improvements in system-level efficiency. Structural performance includes the ability to carry the load, durability, reliability, survivability and maintainability in response to the changes in surrounding environments or operating conditions. Among various visionary contexts for developing multifuctionality, the concepts of particular interest are: (a) "autonomic" structures which sense, diagnose and respond for adjustment with minimum external intervention, (b) "adaptive" structures allowing reconfiguration or readjustment of functionality, shape and mechanical properties on demand, and (c) structural integration of energy harvesting/storage capabilities for "self-sustaining" system. This program thus focuses on the developing new design criteria involving mechanics, physics, chemistry, biology, and information science to model and characterize the integration and performance of multifunctional materials and microsystems at multiple scales from atoms to continuum. Projected U.S. Air Force applications require material systems and devices which often consist of dissimilar constituents with different functionalities. Interaction with Air Force Research Laboratory researchers is encouraged to maintain relevance and enhance technology transition.
Dr. Byung-Lip ("Les") Lee, AFOSR/RTD (703) 696-8483
DSN 426-8483; FAX (703) 696-7320
E-mail: MMMM@afosr.af.mil
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Natural Materials and Systems
Program Description: The goals of this multidisciplinary program are to study, use, mimic, or alter how living systems accomplish their natural functions or to take those biomaterials and systems and use them in new ways such as seen with bionanotechnology. Nature has used evolution to build materials and sensors that outperform current sensors such as a spider's haircells that can detect air flow at low levels even in a noisy background. Nature is very good at solving the problem of working in a noisy environment. This program not only wants to mimic existing natural sensory systems, but also add existing capabilities to these organisms for more precise control over their material production. The research will encompass three general areas: biomimetics, biomaterials (non-medical only), and biotic/abiotic interfaces.
Basic Research Objectives: Biomimetics research attempts to mimic novel sensors that organisms use in their daily lives, and to learn engineering processes and mechanisms for control of those systems. This program also focuses on natural chromophores and photoluminescent materials found in microbial and protein-based systems as well as the mimicking of sensor denial systems, such as active and passive camouflage developed in certain organisms addressing predator-prey issues.
The biomaterials (non-medical only) area is focused on synthesis of novel materials and nanostructures using organisms as material factories. The program also focuses on understanding the structure and properties of the synthetic materials. We are also interested in organisms that disrupt or deny a material's function or existence in some way.
The biointerfacial sciences area is focused on the fundamental science at the biotic and abiotic interface. The nanotechnology and mesotechnology sub-efforts are focused on surface structure and new architectures using nature's idea of directed assembly at the nanoscale to mesoscale to create desired effects, such as quantum electronic or three dimensional power structures. The use of these structures is in the design of patterned and templated surfaces, new catalysts, and natural materials based-optics/electronics (biophotonics).
Dr. Hugh C. De Long, AFOSR/RTD (703) 696-7722
DSN 426-7722; FAX (703) 696-7360
E-mail: Nature@afosr.af.mil
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Optoelectronics and Photonics
Program Description: This program supports U.S. Air Force requirements for information dominance by increasing capabilities in image capture; processing, storage, and transmission for surveillance, communications and computation; target discrimination; and autonomous navigation. In addition, high bandwidth interconnects enhance performance of distributed processor computations that provide real-time simulation, visualization, and battle management environments. Further important considerations for this program are the airborne and space environment in which there is a need to record, read, and change digital data at extremely high speeds. Five major areas of interest include Integrated Photonics (including Optical Components, Optical Buffer, Silicon Photonics; Nanophotonics (including Plasmonics, Photonic Crystals, Metamaterials, Metaphotonics and Novel Sensing); Reconfigurable Photonics (including optoelectronic computing); Nanofabrication, 3-D Assembly, Modeling and Simulation Tools for Photonics; and Quantum Computing using Optical Approaches.
Basic Research Objective: The major objective is to explore new fundamental concepts in photonics; understand light-matter interactions at the nanoscale; investigate novel optoelectronic materials; improve the fundamental understanding of photonic devices, components, and architectures; and enable discovery and innovation in advancing the frontier of nanophotonics with the associated nanoscience and nanotechnology.
The thrusts in Integrated Photonics include investigations in two affiliated areas: (1) the development of optoelectronic devices and supportive materials and processing technology, and (2) the insertion of these components into optoelectronic computational, information processing and imaging systems. Device exploration and architectural development for processors are coordinated; synergistic interaction of these areas is expected, both in structuring architectural designs to reflect advancing device capabilities and in focusing device enhancements according to system needs. Research in optoelectronic or photonic devices and associated optical material emphasizes the insertion of optical technologies into computing, image-processing, and signal-processing systems. To this end, this program continues to foster interconnection capabilities, combining arrays of sources or modulators with arrays of detectors, with both being coupled to local electronic or potentially optical processors. Understanding the fundamental limits of the interaction of light with matter is important for achieving these device characteristics. Semiconductor materials, insulators, metals and associated electromagnetic materials and structures are the basis for the photonic device technologies. Numerous device technology approaches (such as silicon photonics, tin based Group IV photonics, Graphene and novel III-V optoelectronics) are part of the program as are techniques for optoelectronic integration.
The program is interested in the design, growth and fabrication of nanostructures that can serve as building blocks for nano-optical systems. The research goals include integration of nanocavity lasers, filters, waveguides, detectors and diffractive optics, which can form nanofabricated photonic integrated circuits. Specific areas of current interest include nanophotonics, use of nanotechnology in photonics, exploring light at the nanoscale, nonlinear nanophotonics, plasmonics and excitonics, sub-wavelength components, photonic crystal and negative index materials, optical logic, optical signal processing, reconfigurable nanophotonics, nanophotonics enhanced detectors, chip scale optical networks, integrated nanophotonics and silicon-based photonics. Coupled somewhat to these areas are optoelectronic solutions to enable practical quantum computing schemes, quantum plasmonics and quantum Metamaterials, plus novel approaches to ultra-low power optoelectronic devices.
To support next generation processor architectures, image processing and capture and new multi-media application software, computer data buffering and storage research is needed. As devices are being developed that emit, modulate, transmit, filter, switch, and detect multi-spectral signals, for both parallel interconnects and quasi-serial transmission, it is important to develop the capability to buffer, store, and retrieve data at the rates and in the quantity anticipated by these devices. Architectural problems are also of interest that include, but are not limited to, optical access and storage in memory devices to obviate capacity, access latency, and input/output bandwidth concerns. Of interest has been the ability to slow, store, and process light pulses. Materials with such capabilities could be used for tunable optical delay lines, optical buffers, high extinction optical switches, novel image processing hardware, and highly efficient wavelength converters.
Dr. Gernot S. Pomrenke AFOSR/RTD (703) 696-8426
DSN 426-8426; FAX (703) 696-8481
E-mail: Opto.Elec@afosr.af.mil
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Organic Materials Chemistry
Program Description: The goal of this research area is to achieve unusual properties and behaviors from polymeric and organic materials and their inorganic hybrids through a better understanding of their chemistry, physics and processing conditions. This understanding will lead to development of advanced organic and polymeric materials for future U.S. Air Force applications. This program's approach is to study the chemistry and physics of these materials through synthesis, processing control, characterization and establishment of the structure properties relationship of these materials. There are no restrictions on the types of properties to be investigated but heavy emphases will be placed on unusual, unconventional and novel properties. Research concepts that are novel, high risk with potential high payoff are encouraged. Both functional properties and properties pertinent to structural applications will be considered. Materials with these properties will provide capabilities for future Air Force systems to achieving global awareness, global mobility, and space operations.
Basic Research Objectives: Proposals with innovative material concepts that will extend our understanding of the structure-property relationship of these materials, discover previously unknown properties and/or achieve significant property improvement over current state-of-the-art materials are sought. Current interests include photonic polymers and liquid crystals, polymers with interesting electronic properties, polymers with controlled dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability including negative index materials, and novel properties polymers modified with nanostructures. Applications of polymers in extreme environments, including space operation environments, are of interests. Material concepts for power management, power generation and storage applications are of interest. In the area of photonic polymers, research emphases are on materials whose refractive index can be actively controlled. These include, but are not limited to, third order nonlinear optical materials, electrooptic polymers, liquid crystals, photorefractive polymers and magneto-optical polymers. Examples of electronic properties of interest include conductivity, charge mobility, electro-pumped lasing and solar energy harvesting. Controlled growth and/or self-assembly of nanostructures into well-defined structures (e.g. carbon nanotubes with specific chirality) or hierarchical and complex structures are encouraged. Organic based materials, including inorganic hybrids, with controlled magnetic permeability and dielectric permittivity are also of interest. Material concepts that will provide low thermal conductivity but high electrical conductivity (thermoelectric), or vice versa, (thermally conductive electrical insulator) are of interest. Nanotechnology approaches are encouraged to address all the above-mentioned issues. Approaches based on biological systems or other novel approaches to achieve material properties that are difficult to attain through conventional means are encouraged. Potential proposers are encouraged to submit a one-page White paper by email outlining the proposed research for FY14 considerations before 15 May, 2013. The White paper should outline the research concept and approach, state the novelty of the research idea, and include a one-sentence proposed budget for the effort.
Dr. Charles Y-C Lee AFOSR/RTD (703)-696-7779
DSN 426-7779; FAX (703) 696-7320
Email: Organic@afosr.af.mil
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Quantum Electronic Solids
Program Description: This program focuses on materials that exhibit cooperative quantum electronic behavior. The primary emphasis is on superconductors, Metamaterials, and on nanoscopic electronic devices based mainly upon Graphene, and on pure and doped nanotubes, with low power dissipation and the ability to provide denser non-volatile memory, logic and/or sensing elements that have the potential to impact future U.S. Air Force electronic systems.
Basic Research Objectives: The superconductivity portion of this program is now wholly devoted to a search for new classes of superconducting materials that either have higher transition temperatures or have isotropic superconducting properties at temperatures in the range of the transition temperatures of the cuprates, e.g. , YBCO. While the 2008 discovery of iron-pnictide superconductors has provided new insights, these materials are not sufficiently promising. This major change in emphasis is part of a coordinated international activity that is multidisciplinary in nature, and proposals that address both the physics and chemistry of potential new types of superconductors are welcome, as are multinational research efforts. However, major awards under this program were made in FY09, so while any promising new ideas will be considered, funding for new projects in this area will be somewhat limited for the next couple of years. The program is primarily an experimental one, but theorists who interact with experimental groups constructively are welcome. The primary goal of this part of the program is to uncover superconducting materials that can be made into forms that are amenable to U.S. Air Force applications.
The Metamaterials portion of this program is devoted to the production of 2-D and 3-D Metamaterials that operate over a wide swath of the electromagnetic spectrum, from microwaves, to IR and the visible. The long-term goal is to produce materials that improve the efficiency and selectivity of, and reduce the size of communications system components such as antennas, filters and lenses. Another important aspect is to study the ability to create sub-wavelength, near-field (and possibly far-field) imaging. These desired properties could lead to denser information storage and retrieval.
A new area of interest involves thin-film, oxide-based materials that are critical for the development of devices with the new functionalities that will lead to useful, reprogrammable, controllable and active systems at the nanoscale with properties difficult to attain by other means. The utilization of oxides for revolutionary technologies critically relies on acquiring fundamental understanding of the physical processes that underlie spin, charge and energy flow in these nanostructured materials. The oxides to be considered are generally complex, multi-element materials with complicated crystal structures, and that can be synthesized in unusual nanostructured geometries which exhibit strong electronic correlations.
A relatively minor part of this program is the inclusion of nanoscopic techniques to fabricate, characterize, and manipulate atomic, molecular and nanometer-scale structures (including Graphene, and Nanotubes of carbon and other elements), with the aim of producing a new generation of improved communications components, sensors and non-volatile, ultra-dense memory, resulting in the ultimate miniaturization of analog and digital circuitry. This aspect of the program includes the use of polarized electrons to produce nuclear magnetic polarization as a basis for dense, non-volatile memory, with possible application to quantum computing at room temperature.
Dr. Harold Weinstock AFOSR/RTD (703) 696-8572
DSN 426-8572; FAX (703) 588-1025
E-mail: Quantum.Solids@afosr.af.mil
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