The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Inrad Optics (Northvale, NJ) a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to continue development of soft x-ray crystals used in fusion plasma diagnostics. The award of $999,926 extends funding beyond the successfully completed Phase I effort.
In Phase I, Inrad Optics demonstrated growth of large crystalline boules of the soft x-ray material potassium acid phthalate (KAP) and fabricated thin, curved optics from the grown boules. During Phase II, crystal growth of other soft x-ray crystals will be conducted and fabrication processes will be optimized. Collaborators at research facilities throughout the U.S. have expressed interest in evaluating prototypes as part of the Phase II effort.
Candace Lynch, the project’s principal investigator, said, “We are excited about the opportunity to leverage our expertise in both crystal growth and bent crystal fabrication to develop a high-quality supply of soft x-ray crystals to benefit fusion energy research.”
Spectroscopy and imaging of low energy (soft) x-rays is important for the fusion research efforts underway at facilities in the U.S. and abroad. The critical component in these systems is a crystal, thinned and bent to a precise geometry to permit diffraction and focusing of x-ray radiation. Inrad Optics is a leading supplier of bent crystals for hard x-ray applications and has four decades of experience in crystal growth.
Source: Inrad Optics
Conard Holton
Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.