Source: Mo Hosni, 785-532-5610; e-mail: hosni@k-state.edu
Pronouncer: Hosni (hahs-NEE')
McGregor bio and photo: http://www.mediarelations.ksu.edu/WEB/News/MediaGuide/dmcgregorbio.html
News release prepared by: Mary Rankin, 785-532-6715; e-mail: mrankin@k-state.edu

Friday, November 12, 2004

NEARLY $2 MILLION RESEARCH GRANT AWARDED TO K-STATE MECHANICAL AND NUCLEAR ENGINEERING PROFESSORS

MANHATTAN -- Three Kansas State University engineers have received nearly $2 million from the National Science Foundation for development of semiconducting neutron-imaging chips.

Douglas McGregor, William Dunn and Kenneth Shultis of K-State's mechanical and nuclear engineering department received a three-year award of $1,978,370.

The research effort, which includes the Electronics Design Laboratory at K-State, is in collaboration with the electrical and computer engineering department at the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The novel semiconducting neutron imagers will offer the highest imaging resolution for such devices to date, and will be installed at the U.S. Department of Energy Spallation Neutron Source to study stress and strain in materials and films at a microscopic level not previously attainable.

The Spallation Neutron Source is an accelerator-based neutron source being built in Oak Ridge, Tenn., by the U.S. Department of Energy. It will provide the most intense pulsed neutron beams in the world for scientific research and industrial development. At a total cost of $1.4 billion, construction began in 1999 and will be completed in 2006.

The radiation detectors are designed and manufactured in the Semiconductor Materials and Radiological Technologies -- SMART -- Laboratory in the mechanical and nuclear engineering department at K-State.

"This large NSF research grant recognizes the outstanding expertise of our faculty and brings much prestige and recognition to K-State," said Mo Hosni, department head of mechanical and nuclear engineering. "The grant will allow us to support several students, who will not only gain valuable knowledge but will also share in an effort leading to a device that will be used by scientists from around the world."

The neutron-detecting chips gain their high efficiency from the perforated-surface concept pioneered by the SMART Laboratory at K-State. Tiny microscopic holes, some only 5 microns in diameter, etched deep into silicon semiconductor chips are subsequently coated and filled with neutron-reactive materials. When neutrons interact in the filled holes, charged particles are released into the silicon semiconductor, which then detects the neutrons.

"The detectors show promise in a variety of fields such as personal dosimetry, homeland security and industrial imaging applications," said McGregor, director of the SMART Laboratory. "We feel fortunate that now, with the NSF funding, one of our detector designs will be deployed at a major national research facility."

According to McGregor, technology for the new chips has been under development for 10 years, and now allows for the coupling of both high-detection efficiency and high spatial-imaging resolution of neutrons in a low-power compact design. As a result, miniaturized neutron-imaging chips can be made using silicon microchip technology.

In addition to the National Science Foundation grant, the SMART Laboratory has received funding commitments for a wide variety of detector projects exceeding $2.5 million from various government agencies within the last two years, including the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense. The laboratory is fully equipped with semiconductor processing equipment to design, manufacture and deploy semiconductor-based radiation detectors. More than 20 students work in the lab on the numerous projects. To date, eight radiation detector patents have been awarded to SMART Laboratory researchers, with several more still pending.

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