Research Collaboration Offered

We have experience in product development of technical materials: amorphous, crystalline, polycrystalline, and polymorphic morphologies. We have extensive knowledge and experience of materials' energetics and thermodynamics which are critical criteria in interface failure determination and remedy. Our research projects listed below are a blend of solid state physics and chemistry combined with engineering knowhow. These come together creating progress in materials based R&D featuring:

Energetics, Thermodynamics and Kinetics in Materials
R&D in Advanced Adhesive Technology
Developing New Material Interfaces
Confidential Consultancy in all the above, please download our preferred NDA here.

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UK Research Projects

  • 2015-16 BRL successfully investigated the feasibility of a novel way to qualify laser optics and optical coatings in regions where hydroxyl (–OH) absorbance occurs. We were given the opportunity to test out alternative test methods for 2&3-micron laser damage. This is the range -OH resonance frequencies accelerate damage and lower the threshold from what would be expected from pure energy calculations. We are presently collecting data to gain quantitative confidence in the technique.
  • 2012-13 we completed our first SMART project to give us access to a source of wavelengths ranging from 355 nm to 1600 nm.
  • 1994/5 Wolfson Foundation Research Grant for a Materials Deposition Station.
  • 1993 Royal Society of Edinburgh Support Fellowship for one year.
  • 1992-95 A Research Scholarship was won, up to sponsored by British Gas PLC., for a three year project on "AC Impedance Techniques for Solid State Gas Analysis".
  • 1991-93 A Link Award for a two-year project on "Solid State Chemical Sensors". The funding bodies were SERC, DTI and Russell pH Ltd Fife, UK.
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Exhibitions

  • 2020 September: BRL presents at SPIE Security + Defence Virtual Exhibition - "BRL: Laser damage for optical coaters", Proc. SPIE SD20EX, SPIE ESD20 Exhibition Product Demonstrations, SD20EX02 (18 September 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2582546.
  • 2020 March: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, BRL's attendance of SPIE Photonics Europe 2020 was conducted via virtual exhibition. We released our planned demonstration online in video format, titled "Laser Damage for Optical Coaters" by Kieran R Ross.
  • 2017 26th-28th June: BRL attended the CLEO exhibition in Munich, Germany. We showcased a new whitepaper cowritten by Dr Rona Belford and Mike Wilde of Gooch & Housego.
  • 2016 27th-28th September: SPIE Security+Defence Edinburgh - BRL exhibited and showcased BRL laser damage media.
  • 2016 5th-6th April: SPIE Photonics Europe Brussels - BRL exhibited and presented the demo talk on "Laser Damage Basics".
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Presentations

  • Kieran Mulholland invited talk, "Insights into Laser Damage Testing", PHOTONEX Optical Engineering & Design Meeting V, Coventry, 13th Oct 2016.
  • Rona E. Belford gave the demo talk "Laser Damage Basics", SPIE Photonics Europe, Brussels, 5th Apr 2016.
  • Rona E. Belford invited talk, "Laser Damage - A Balanced View", Photonex Optical Engineering & Design Meeting III, Coventry, 16th Oct 2013.
  • Sumant Sood and Rona E. Belford, "Strained silicon via plasma enhanced dCTE bonding", International Symposium on Semiconductor Wafer Bonding, Cancun Mexico, Oct/Nov 2006.
  • Rona E. Belford, Qing Xu, Sumant Sood, Antonio Acosta, Alan Thrift, Jordan Zell, Lloyd Bosworth, "Novel Process Combining SOI and Strained Circuitry", 2006 IEEE International SOI Conference, New York, Oct 2-5 2006.
  • Sumant Sood and Rona E. Belford, "Surface Activation Using Remote Plasma for a New Wafer Bonding Route to Strained-Si", 209th Electromechanical Society Meeting, Denver, May 2006.
  • Rona E. Belford, "No Strain, No Gain", invited paper, IEEE International Electron Device Materials Colloquium, Feb 2006.
  • Rona E. Belford, Wei Zhao, Jim Potashnik, Qingmin Liu and Alan Seabaugh, "Performance Augmented CMOS Using Back-End Uniaxial Strain", Device Research Conference, San Diego, Jun 2002.
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Patents

  • US Patent No. 6,514,836 B2 “Method of Producing Strained Microelectronic and/or Optical Integrated and Discrete Devices”, Rona E. Belford, Feb 2003.
  • U.S. Patent, No. 6,455,397 B1, “Method of Producing Strained Microelectronic and/or Optical Integrated and Discrete Devices”, Rona E. Belford, Sep 2002.
  • UK Patent GB 2 295 677 B, “A Method of Measuring the Concentration of Ions in a Solution”, Rona E. Belford, 1998.
  • US Patent 5,725,754, “Method of Measuring the Concentration of Ions in Solution”, Rona E. Belford, 1998.
  • UK Patent GB 2 295 898 B "Solid State Blown Glass pH and Other Ion Sensor Systems", Rona E. Belford and P. C. W. Brehier, 1998.
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Selected Publications

  • Rona E. Belford, Kieran R Ross, "Testing Matters", including Whitepaper "High Power Laser Damage - Threshold Elevation", Electro Optics Magazine, March 2021
  • Rona E. Belford "Laser power in the making", Viewpoint Article, Electro Optics Magazine, 12th Aug 2020.
  • Rona E. Belford, Kieran R Ross, "High Power Laser Damage and Annealing", Electro Optics Magazine, 30th June 2020.
  • Rona E. Belford, Kieran R Ross, "Understanding the differences in high-power pulsed and CW damage", Electro Optics Magazine, 1st April 2020.
  • Rona E. Belford, Mike Wilde, "Coating techniques push laser component limits", Electro Optics Magazine, 25th May 2018.
  • Rona E Belford, "A New Slant on Strain", Web Exclusive Featured Article, Semiconductor International Magazine, 1st Oct 2006.
  • Rona E Belford, "Smart mechanical strain techniques to improve device performance", Featured Article, Semiconductor Manufacturing Magazine, Sep 2006.
  • Rona E Belford featured in "Silicon Takes the Strain", IEE Review special report on Microelectronics Dec 2003.
  • Rona E. Belford and Sumant Sood, "Surface activation using remote plasma for silicon to quartz wafer bonding", Microsystem Technologies: Vol. 15(3), 407 2009.
  • R. E. Belford, Q. Xu, A. Acosta, S. Sood and L. Lu "Anisotropic Mechanical Stress Route to Optimally Strained Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors", Submitted to IEEE Trans 2007.
  • Sumant Sood and Rona E. Belford, "Strained silicon via plasma enhanced dCTE bonding", ECS Transactions, Vol. 3 (6), 99-106, 2006.
  • R. E. Belford, B. P. Guo, Q. Xu, S. Sood, A. A. Thrift, A. Teren, A. Acosta, L. A. Bosworth, and J. S. Zell "Strain enhanced p-type metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors". J. Appl. Phys. 100, 064903 2006.
  • Sumant Sood and Rona E. Belford, "Surface Activation Using Remote Plasma for a New Wafer Bonding Route to Strained-Si", ECS Transactions, Vol. 2 (4), 23-29, 2006.
  • Becca M. Haugerud, Mustayeen, B. Nayeem, Ramkumar Krithivasan, Yuan Lu, Chendong Zhu, John D. Cressler, Rona E. Belford, Alvin J. Joseph, "The effects of mechanical planar biaxial strain in Si/SiGe HBT BiCMOS technology", Solid-State Electronics 49 pp 986–990 2005.
  • B. M. Haugerud, L. A. Bosworth and R. E. Belford, "Elevated-Temperature Electrical Characteristics of Mechanically Strained-Si Devices", J. Appl. Phys. Vol. 95, No. 1 pp 2792-2796, Mar 2004.
  • Wei Zhao, Jianli He, Rona E. Belford, Lars-Erik Wernersson, and Alan Seabaugh, "Partially-Depleted SOI MOSFETs Under Uniaxial Tensile Strain", IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, Vol. 51, No. 3, pp 317-323, Mar 2004.
  • B. M. Haugerud, L. A. Bosworth and R. E. Belford, "Mechanically Induced Strain Enhancement of Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors", J. Appl. Phys. Vol. 94, No.6 pp 4102-4107, 2003.
  • Rona E. Belford, Wei Zhao; J. Potashnik,Qingmin Liu and Alan Seabaugh, "Performance-augmented CMOS using back-end uniaxial strain", Device Research Conference, 2002, 60th DRC. 24-26 Jun 2002, Conference Digest Page(s): 41 - 42.
  • Rona E. Belford, "Uniaxial, Tensile Strained-Si Devices", J. Elect. Mat., Vol. 30, No.7, 2001.
  • P C W Brehier and Rona E. Belford, "Effects of Ion Migration and Electrolysis in Glass Electrode Fabrication" Anal. Proc. Vol. 32, pp 327-328, 1995.
  • Rona E. Belford and P C W Brehier, "Thick-Film Reference Electrodes for Solid State pH Measurement", Anal. Proc. Vol. 32, pp 323-326, 1995.
  • S Jiang, J D Myers, D Rhonehouse, M J Myers, Rona E. Belford and Scott Hamlin, "Laser and Thermal Performance of a New Erbium Doped Phosphate Laser Glass", SPIE, Vol. 2138, 1994.
  • Jiang, J D Myers, Rona E. Belford, et al. "Flashlamp Pumped Lasing of Ho:Germanium Oxide Glass at Room Temperature", Advanced Solid State Lasers, Tech. Dig., OSA, Washington DC, pp 329-331, 1994.
  • E Hajto, P J S Ewen, Rona E. Belford and A E Owen, "Interference Grating Fabrication in Spin Coated As2S3 Films", Thin Solid Films, 200, pp.229-237, 1991.
  • E Hajto, Rona E. Belford, P J S Ewen and A E Owen, "Electrical Properties of Silver Doped As-S Glasses", JNCS, 137 and 138, pp.1039-1042, 1991.
  • R. E. Belford and A E Owen, "Interfacial Aspects of Glass", Invited Chapter in "Glasses and Glass-ceramics", Ch.9, pp.316-335, Ed. M H Lewis, Publ. Chap. & Hall, 1989.
  • Rona E. Belford, E Hajto and A E Owen, "The Selective Removal of the Negative Photo Resist System Ag-As-S", Thin Solid Films, 173, 1989.
  • E Hajto, Rona E. Belford, P J S Ewen and A E Owen, "Dry Etched High Resolution Positive and Negative Inorganic Photoresists", JNCS 115, pp.129-131, 1989.
  • Rona E. Belford, R G Kelly and A E Owen, "Thick Film Devices", Invited Chapter in "Chemical Sensors"e;, Chapter 11, pp.236-255, Ed. T E Edmonds, Publ. Blackie & Son, 1988.
  • Rona E. Belford and A E Owen, "The Selective Removal of the Negative Photo Resist System Ag-As-S by a Dry Etch Plasma of Sulfur Gas", Patent App.No.8816978.4, 1988.
  • Rona E. Belford and A E Owen, "Temperature Dependent AC Impedance Studies of Solid Glass to Metal Contacts in Solid State Glass pH Sensors", JNCS, Vol.92, No.1, pp.73-88, 1987.
  • Rona E. Belford, A E Owen and R G Kelly, "Thick Film Hybrid pH Sensors", Sensors and Actuators, 11, pp.387-398, 1987.
  • S Reynolds and Rona E. Belford, "Amorphous Electronic Materials and Their Applications" Invited review for "Physics in Technology", Vol.18, No.5, pp. 193-302, 1987.
  • E Hajto, P J S Ewen, Rona E. Belford, J Hajto and A E Owen, "Optical Properties of Spin Coated Amorphous Chalcogenide Thin Films", JNCS, Vol. 97 & 98, pp.1191-1194, 1987.
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USA Research Projects

Belford Research, Inc. functioned as a US Federal Prime Contractor with a record of successful research and technical development gaining congressional recognition in both 2003, and 2004 and recognition from the IEEE Devices and Materials division.

  • 2005-7 HQ0006-05-C-7110Congressional Award Next-Again-Generation Radiation Hard CMOS.
  • 2004-7 NSF SBIR Phase II: Ge-Free Strained Silicon Via Differential Thermal Coefficient of Expansion Bonding.
  • 2003 DA972-03-C-0019 DARPA MTO BAA SPARWARSYSCEN Research Contract: Novel Approach to Ultra-High-Speed, Fully Integrated Bipolar and Uni-polar Devices.
  • 2003 HQ0006-03-C-0071 MDA Phase I: Strained GaN Device Technology Enhancements.
  • NSF SBIR Phase I: Ge-Free Strained Silicon Via dTCE Bonding Differential Thermal Coefficient of Expansion Bonding.
  • 2003 HQ00006-03-C-0029 MDA SBIR Phase I: Ge-Free Strained Silicon.
  • 2002 DASG60-02-P-0108 MDA SBIR Phase I: Strain-Enhanced Tunnel Diode Technology.
  • 2001 N00014-01-C-0164 ONR BAA Research Contract for research into Strained Si MOSFETs.
  • 2001 DASG60-01-C-0039 BMDO, SBIR Phase II: Next-Again-Generation Radiation Hard CMOS.
  • 2000 BMDO SBIR Phase I: Next-Again-Generation Radiation Hard CMOS.
  • 1996 DAAL01-96-C-0064 ARMY Artillery Laser Ignition.
  • 1995 DAAB07-95-M026 ARMY Laser Rangefinder Module.
  • 1995 National Science Foundation SBIR Phase I: IR Ge-Glass Delivery Optics.
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