At Sandia/California, we apply our multidisciplinary expertise to an broad array of engineering projects — from atomic-scale materials design to macroscale systems engineering and prototype fabrication. We adopt a science-based approach, tightly integrating computer simulation with experiments to rapidly find the optimal solutions to national-security challenges. Our multiphysics models solve complex problems, coupling chemical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical behavior to yield accurate, detailed results. As needed, we develop new algorithms and computer codes to facilitate our work. With our seasoned scientists and engineers, high-performance supercomputers such as Red Storm, and state-of-the-art laboratory capabilities, Sandia/California offers the convenience of “one-stop shopping” for answers to complex engineering problems.
Colors indicate temperature distributions within the projection chamber for a prototype EUVL tool characterized by our group. We’re currently working on the next-generation tool: an optical maskless lithography system.
We are conducting a thermomechanical engineering analysis for an optical maskless lithography tool, adopting a similar approach to our previous characterization of an extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) prototype.
We have developed a unique microfluidic mixing device based on the principle of induced-charge electroosmosis. By enabling mixing to be turned on or off, this approach prevents sample dilution, a common problem with sample mixing on microfluidic platforms. High-performance computation of electric field, fluid flow, and mass transport in multispecies liquids enabled us to quickly create prototypes of a wide range of device designs and to identify the geometries that promised best performance.
Our advanced constitutive models allow us to track material microstructure and residual stresses through each step of the manufacturing process and to use this information to assess aging issues. By embedding optimization software into the analysis process, we can produce first-time-correct parts with optimal material properties in just a fraction of previous procurement times.
Microscopic view of Sandia’s TufFoam™
Our chemical engineers create purpose-designed materials to meet demanding performance criteria. We specialize in foams, composites, adhesives, and replicated plastics. Current research interests include reversible self-assembling macromolecules, thermally removable encapsulants, thermally cleavable surfactants, and triboluminescent sensor materials.
For example, Sandia’s TufFoam™ features a rigid, closed-cell polyurethane structure that helps it resist impact damage despite its light weight. Originally developed to protect sensitive electronics in nuclear weapons, TufFoam™ has potential applications from surfboards to airplane wings.
Computer-aided design (left) and photo (right) of gamma tube (100-cm long, 40-cm diameter, 12-MeV gamma rays).
We are developing an advanced monoenergetic photon source, or gamma tube, for low-dose interrogation of heavily shielded special nuclear material (SNM). The gamma tube will operate in either continuous or pulsed modes. In addition, the gamma tube will be scalable — a feature unique to low-energy accelerators — and “tunable” to quantify the enrichment level of shielded SNM. Through modeling, we have found that if monochromatic photons are used for interrogation, much lower interrogation doses (~1/1000) are needed to obtain the same detection signal from highly enriched uranium. As such, this technology will allow shipping containers to be effectively screened within U.S. radiation dosing limits.