Two solid-state lighting (SSL) projects were among 78 recipients of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)-Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II grants announced in March by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science and Basic Energy Sciences.

SBIR Phase II grants — awarded to successful SBIR Phase I Release 1 recipients — are each worth about $1 million, and their duration is 24 months.

The Phase II recipients working on SSL were Lumisyn of Rochester, N.Y., selected for its advanced synthesis of compositionally novel nanocrystals that will maintain high efficiency simultaneously at high temperatures and optical flux; and PhosphorTech of Kennesaw, Ga., selected to maximize the luminous efficacy of a phosphor down-converting LED system using a combination of high-quantum-yield red phosphors, surface plasmon resonance, and enhanced light-extraction efficiency, which is expected to yield more than a 42 percent improvement in efficacy while significantly reducing the amount of phosphor material.