Sydor wins two grants from DOE and DOD for fast x-ray detector development

Within the month of May 2016, High-speed imaging and diagnostics company Sydor Instruments (Rochester, NY), a Sydor Technologies Company, was first awarded a $150,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) within the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and shortly thereafter was awarded a $1,000,000 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II grant from the Department of Energy (DOE). The DOD SBIR will demonstrate the feasibility of developing a high-energy x-ray detector to study fast, irreversible processes, while the DOE Phase II STTR will commercialize that detector for material behavior studies.

DOD Phase I SBIR

This grant from the DTRA is the first for Sydor Instruments from an agency within the U.S. DOD. Sydor Instruments will use this grant in collaboration with Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) to demonstrate the feasibility of developing a high energy x-ray detector, called the Keck-PAD fast-framing hybrid x-ray pixel array detector, to meet immediate and future detector needs for the emerging applications in the study of fast, irreversible processes.

Irreversible processes or "single-shot" experiments are challenging since they require detectors that can obtain a succession of x-ray images within the time frame of the process in question. The limitations of current technology have raised the need for the Keck-PAD which will be capable of sampling at megahertz rates, will have single x-ray sensitivity, high dynamic range/pixel/frame and high efficiencies at high x-ray energies.

"We are very pleased with being awarded this SBIR Phase I grant and would like to thank Cornell University for its partnership and collaboration during this process. The Keck-PAD provides an ideal platform for the development of a high energy x-ray detector to address the limitations of current technology and the emerging needs in the study of fast irreversible processes in fields such as material processing under extreme conditions, material failure analysis and fuels spray analysis. This grant reinforces the importance of this advanced technology in helping to further the DTRA's unique focus of countering threats posed by weapons of mass destruction and high-yield explosives," said Mark Katafiaz, general manager, Sydor Instruments.

DOE Phase II STTR

The STTR Phase II grant from the DOE will be used by Sydor, again in collaboration with Cornell University, to further advance the commercialization effort of the Keck-PAD fast-framing hybrid x-ray pixel array detector to meet immediate and future detector needs for emerging applications in the study of material behavior. The Phase II program will advance the Phase I detector design from 2015 to where it can be readily manufactured to meet immediate market needs and will produce two beta prototypes for testing.

The laboratory prototype Keck-PAD has been shown to be capable of acquiring up to 12 successive x-ray images at frame rates of approximately 7 MHz with single x-ray sensitivity and with a dynamic range exceeding 103 x-rays/pixel/frame, a significant improvement over current technology. The ability of acquiring x-ray data in the megahertz regime through direct x-ray detection will significantly improve the ability to study single shot or irreversible structural transformations over current technology and will allow users to extract more time resolved data with high accuracy.

Sydor Instruments, a Sydor Technologies Company, provides customers with custom diagnostics and ultrafast imaging systems for a variety of applications in science and industry where the highest resolution and accuracy is required. Sydor Instruments offers streak cameras, x-ray detectors, x-ray beam monitors, image intensifiers, photomultipliers, and more.

Sydor Technologieshas two primary operating units, Sydor Instruments, A Sydor Technologies Company, which specializes in high-speed imaging systems and diagnostics and Sabre Ballistics, a Sydor Technologies Company, which specializes in ballistic and impact test systems. The company operates in 33 countries around the world with its world headquarters located in Rochester, NY.

SOURCE: Sydor; http://sydortechnologies.com/sydor-instruments-receives-150000-grant/ and http://sydortechnologies.com/sydor-instruments-receives-1-million-grant-department-energy-grant-will-fund-commercialization-state-art-x-ray-detector-technology-advancing-study-material-scie/