SBIR-STTR Award

Gallium Nitride Based Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) for Pathogen Elimination, Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration
Award last edited on: 4/3/2008

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
DOD : DARPA
Total Award Amount
$847,756
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
SB012-011
Principal Investigator
Sean Zhang

Company Information

Rainbow Communications Inc

2362 Qume Drive Suite F
San Jose, CA 95131
   (408) 577-0109
   seanz@rainbowcoms.com
   www.rainbowcoms.com
Location: Single
Congr. District: 17
County: Santa Clara

Phase I

Contract Number: ----------
Start Date: ----    Completed: ----
Phase I year
2001
Phase I Amount
$97,803
Rainbow Communications proposes to investigate a compact, high-output-power, cost efficient, light-emitting diodes (LED) based on III-V nitride materials, quantum-well, and a tapered-optical-amplifier structure for applications in pathogen eliminations, wound healing, and tissue regeneration. The LED will be capable of producing more than 50-mW output power in the UV and/or visible wavelength region. Several unique features distinguish it. First, Rainbow will monolithically integrate a light emitting waveguide, and a tapered optical amplifier into a INGaN/AlGaN quantum well substrate. Second, a tapered waveguide structure will increase the coupling efficiency between the LED section and the optical amplifier section, and improve the optical amplifier efficiency. Third, by providing different wavelengths and broad-beam characteristics, the LED source will be a superior method for wound healing and tissue regeneration comparing to traditional suturing or lasers. Forth, the LED source can be used to excite visible fluorescence from the light sensitive detergent, thus providing the residual distribution of pathogens. In Phase I, Rainbow will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed Gallium Nitride (GaN) LED source for medical usage. In Phase II, a LED source based sensing, decontaminating, and regenerating system will be developed and demonstrated under in vivo stimulation of tissue growth condition. This project will enable development of a compact, low-cost, reliable, highly efficient, high-power LED source for use in pathogen eliminations, wound healing, and tissue regeneration for wounded soldiers caused by chemical, biological, thermal, and radiation burns. The resulted products can be used in effective sterilization of contacted surfaces in a medical treatment facility without any residual chemical by-products.

Phase II

Contract Number: ----------
Start Date: ----    Completed: ----
Phase II year
2003
Phase II Amount
$749,953
In Phase I, Rainbow Communications demonstrated the proof of the principle of innovative gallium nitride (GaN) based light-emitting diodes (LED) for pathogen elimination, wound healing, and tissue regeneration. In Phase II, Rainbow will improve the design and fabrication of the GaN based LED devices, adding the following new features: (1) new architecture of GaN based LED source; (2) new LED and device packaging technologies; (3) new thermal management system for the high power and high performance LED; (4) rugged packaging that utilizes Rainbowíªs unique glue technologies for very rough environmental conditions; (5) integrating the GaN LED with optical coherent tomograhpy (OCT) and optical Doppler tomography (ODT) systems for wound healing studies based on chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), an organotypic (RAFT), and rodent burn models; (6) clinical studies of wound healing using the developed GaN LED based on human models. The proposed GaN LED devices will find many applications for warfighters.

Keywords:
Gallium Nitride, Led, Led Array, Thermal Management, Wound Healing, Tissue Regeneration, Pathogen Elimination, Biostimulation