Wednesday, November 9, 2011

SiOnyx wins $3M DoD contract for better targeting tech

By Rodney H. Brown

SiOnyx Inc., a Beverly maker of a special semiconductor material called Black Silicon, has won a $3 million Department of Defense deal to help develop next-generation laser targeting systems.

The Office of Naval Research and Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division awarded SiOnyx the multiphase contract under the DoD’s Detect program, according to a release from the company. SiOnyx’s Black Silicon enhances the sensitivity of silicon-based photonics, and the company has already received awards from the Office of Naval Research and the Night Vision Electronic Sensors Directorate to develop “infrared enhanced silicon detector designs.”

Under the new award, SiOnyx will specifically be tasked with developing enhanced focal plane array designs for tactical imaging systems. The focal plane array is the grid of light sensors at the heart of any imaging system – an infrared targeting system or a digital camera.

Just last month, SiOnyx touted the ability of Black Silicon to show improved performance in another area the company is focused on – solar photovoltaic cells. SiOnyx cited tests in Germany that showed an average efficiency of more than 17 percent for solar cells made with Black Silicon, an efficiency improvement of 0.3 percent in comparison with solar cells already in the market.

SiOnyx, founded in 2006, is backed by Polaris Ventures, Harris & Harris Group, Vulcan Capital, Coherent Inc., CrossLink Capital and RedShift Ventures. In October 2010, SiOnyx closed a $12.5 million Series B funding round.