Tim Bobosky | Photo Editor
Voxtel Senior Engineer and University Associate Researcher Andreas Stonas explains how his
research could increase the capabilities of telecommunication and solar power technologies.
Voxtel partnership
with University
a natural pairing
The collaboration will combine Voxtel's and ONAMI's
research to improve telecommunication technologies
NICHOLAS WILBUR
NEWS REPORTER
A small, privately owned compa
ny in Portland obtained a two-year
$750,000 research contract with the
University’s Oregon Nanotechnolo
gy and Microtechnologies Institute
(ONAMI) earlier this month.
The new partnership, between
Voxtel, Inc. and ONAMI, will work
to develop high-speed, microwave
circuit technology by pairing Vox
tel's quantum dot technology with
ONAMI scientists' research of poly
mers — the conducting matrixes
that surround the embedded dots.
Both ONAMI and Voxtel were start
ed in 2000.
“The things Voxtel is interested in
studying overlapped with the Uni
versity and it was only natural for
us to form a collaboration,” An
dreas Stonas said of the contract.
Although the collaboration
has yet to yield any products, ad
vances in this basic science will be
commercialized and a part of peo
ple's daily lives in a couple years,
Stonas said.
The Air Force Small Business Ini
tiative Research program funded
this contract, but not solely for mili
tary use, Stonas said. He said he
wanted funding from the National
Science Foundation, but that it has
too small a pool of money. The De
partment of Defense had a $401.7
billion base budget for 2004 and lat
er requested nearly $100 billion on
top of that. The National Science
Foundation budget was $5.48 bil
lion, according to its Web site.
“We're not doing military re
search,” Stonas said. “This is basic
science. It may be militarily funded,
but it's non-military in application.”
Stonas cites the Internet as an
example of the type of militarily
funded research that benefits Ameri
can citizens more than it does the
military. To further diminish skepti
cism, Stonas said all the research will
be published.
“If we were keeping something a
secret, then you could worry,”
Stonas said.
Stonas, a senior engineer at
Voxtel, is working with chemists
Mark Lonergan and Jim Hutchison
of the University's Materials
Science Institute.
“Voxtel's area of research is a nat
ural extension of the work conduct
ed in my labs,” Lonergan said in a
press release.
The University will contribute its
expertise in the organic polymer
properties that surround the quan
tum dots (nanocrystals).
Stonas described the process
as follows:
Nanocrystals within the router
device of a fiber optic cable, for ex
ample, absorb light and “knock off”
an electron, leaving a positively
charged hole. Two contacts on the
top and bottom of the device, each
containing variations of metal com
pounds, pull the electrons and holes
in opposite directions. After the
device separates the charges, the
number of absorbed photons can be
measured and the currents can be
recombined to generate basic
electronic charges. The variations of
electronic charge recombination
will allow advancements in the
fundamental science of nanotech
nology. Eventually, these advance
ments will make longer-lasting,
more durable devices that are capa
ble of uninterrupted communica
tion of complex information over
long distances.
nwilbu.r@ dailyemerald. com
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Contracts: Supporters were
encouraged to call governor
Continued from page 1
Thursday. The governor offered the
University service employees a 2 per
cent wage increase, but Moore said
that after a two-year salary freeze, a
2 percent increase was not sufficient.
“We need to recognize the sacrifice
for having steps frozen,” Moore said.
Petitions were sent around the
crowd asking for support in health
care and minimum low-end salary
increases, necessary, Moore said,
to keep up with the increased cost
of living.
The main speaker of the rally ex
plained to the crowd that two Oregon
University System representatives
were at the bargaining table trying to
reach a settlement with the governor.
At one point during the rally,
the speaker called the governor's
office and had the crowd yell in
unison, “We want a contract,
now!” Everyone in the crowd was
aiso given a Dy o-mcii caru wiui
the governor's phone number on
it. Supporters were encouraged to
call and leave a message that ex
pressed the concern for a new set
tlement “that meets our needs.”
The crowd chanted, “2 percent
won't pay the rent!” and, “We need a
real raise, not a raw deal raise! ”
Although there have only been
two strikes in the last 20 years — in
1986 and 1995 — the SEIU workers
said they will fight until a fair settle
ment is reached. The SEIU said a
strike is possible in the fall if a fair
contract is not negotiated.
About an hour into the rally, the
organizers marched down to Uni
versity President Dave Frohnmayer's
office to chant and protest outside of
his office.
OUS representatives will continue
negotiations tomorrow.
nwilbur@ daily emerald, com
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