AQUILA, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: A20-135
AQUILA, INC. — SBIR Phase I award from Department of Defense.
Phase I SBIR feasibility signal
- Phase I awards fund proof-of-concept work. For capture teams, they mark early interest from Department of Defense in a technical approach.
- Watch for Phase II follow-ons from the same firm/topic family — that conversion path is where budgets and transition pressure rise.
- Obligated amount $108,210. Cross-check similar awards in the same agency and technology tags for going-rate context.
- Topic code A20-135 links this award to a solicitation family — search the same topic stem for incumbents and recompete timing.
- Amount
- $108,210
- Agency
- Department of Defense · Army
- Program / Phase
- SBIR · Phase I
- Topic
- A20-135
- Solicitation
- 20.2
- NAICS
- —
- Place of performance
- NM
- Period
- 2020-10-08 → 2021-08-18
Description
The Geiger-Müller tube (or G-M tube) tube is in common use as a dose rate sensor. However, it is expensive for large-scale deployment, requires a high voltage and counting circuitry to operate, and requires several tubes in the device, if a large dose rate range is to be covered. Many alternative detector technologies exist. Many of them can be mass produced at reasonable price, but they are either limited in the dose range that they can cover, or are susceptible to damage at high dose rates. The DOD would like to have low-cost gamma dose rate sensors that are suitable for military operations that require a large dose rate range and are survivable on the nuclear battlefield. AQUILA proposes using COTS technology to replace GM tube technology. We propose integrating the sensors from a commercially available detector technology from the supplier Kromek combined with AQUILA’s nuclear survivability protection circuit. The newly integrated device will function as a GM tube replacement without the need of a high voltage power supply. The ultimate object will be to provide a “click” mode for GM tube replacement in older designs and a data mode for new instrument designs. The COTS Kromek device will be used as a convenient test platform to prove the integration.