The following quotes are from technical experts at the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) and the National Cancer Institute (NIH-NCI) that evaluated the UFT and PPS technology in their reviews of the most recent Integrated Sensors SBIR Phase-I and Phase-II proposals from DOE in 2019 and 2020, and the most recent SBIR Phase-II proposal from NIH in 2021, all of which resulted in SBIR Awards.
Phase-IIB DOE reviewers for the Office of Nuclear Physics (February 2023):
“A beam monitoring system has been developed that allows for fast, high-resolution imaging of ion beams with a very wide range of intensities down to single ions. The position resolution, dynamic range, and radiation hardness are all significant steps forward.”
“An optical system has been constructed and built and used to demonstrate its superiority to the traditional beam monitoring systems.”
“The radiation tolerance of the scintillator is very good, presumably as a consequence of very small energy deposition. This makes the proposed technology an attractive solution of very intense beams and potential medical applications (FLASH).”
“The results presented are very impressive, although the actual amount of the experimental tests is rather limited. The underlying technology is very promising.”
“The novel approach of thin film scintillator with optical readout has tremendous potential for vast improvements in beam monitoring capabilities of various research laboratories. The improvement of the efficiency of operations and the improved quality of the delivered beams will contribute to the overall scientific output of the laboratories.”
“The potential for the transformational impact is huge in the area of the external beam radiation therapy and the newly developed FLASH technique.”
Phase-II NIH reviewers at the National Cancer Institute (April 2021):
Summary of Reviewers Discussion: “The proposal has been considered by the study section as very significant because the real time dosimetry in FLASH-RT is a critical enabling functionality. The applicant and collaborators form a technically strong team that is well suited for conducting the proposed developmental work. The innovation level of the proposed study is also high with very good IP position. This direct Phase II application is based on prior funded development work, and the detector development is well-planned and well-structured with sufficient details included… Overall, this application is rated as highly meritorious by the study section.”
Public Health Relevance: “This 3-year program carried out by a business-academic collaboration will develop an ultrafast and precise dose monitor for FLASH radiation therapy with a novel, recently patented, beam imaging technology, providing real-time dosimetry, beam control, and verification for FLASH-RT to enhance patient safety. This development will ensure the safety, quality, and efficiency of FLASH radiation therapy, which delivers a high radiation dose in less than 0.1 seconds, affording maximum sparing of healthy tissues and excellent tumor control.”
Phase-II DOE reviewers at the Office of Nuclear Physics (April 2020):
“This Phase II proposal strongly builds on the successful completion of a Phase I project in which the goals have been completed and some estimated performance characteristics have been exceeded.
The proposed beam monitoring system could have transformational impact in the area of proton beam therapy, especially in its FLASH form. Its societal impact would be huge.
The total cost of this R&D effort is justified by the transformative improvement in beam monitoring at accelerator facilities. When considering the potential for an even larger benefit to society through enabling next-generation particle beam therapy, this proposal stands out as being a particularly worthwhile use of taxpayer funds.
If successful, this proposal has remarkable upside.”
Phase-I DOE reviewer at the Office of Nuclear Physics (Jan 2019):
“This [proposal] is aimed to develop novel high-performance [redacted] material for detecting and counting charged particles. Because of its unique properties, the material undoubtedly has great potentials to move the current state-of-the-art charged particle detector technology to a new level.
This is the first group to design a particle beam detection system based on this material.
As stated in the proposal, a preliminary evaluation has generated significant interest at MSU-NSCL/FRIB and the LHC-ATLAS detector group at the University of Michigan (UM), with both groups having committed to working with I-S as subcontractors on the proposed program. Interest has also been expressed at JLab and BNL which have provided Letters of Support.
Both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, participating in this project as subcontractors, are the top research centers specialized in radiation detection and nuclear instrumentation.
It is clearly beneficial for DOE-NP that one of the tasks of the proposed work focus on improving beam quality primarily for high-energy experiments and especially for exotic beams, as well as reducing the time spent on beam tuning/development and therefore lower operational costs and more time for experiments.
If successful, the proposed technology will provide a new type of material and a novel beam monitor to enable enhanced particle accelerator performance. Nuclear and high energy physics, high-tech industries and medical treatment of cancer can all benefit by this technology.”
Integrated Sensors 