OSW Basic Research STTR OSW26TZ06-NV006: Room Temperature THz and Infrared Sensing Using a Non-Toxic, Supply-Chain Secure Material Platform
Quick Answer
OSW26TZ06-NV006 is a Phase I STTR topic under the Office of the Secretary of War, Basic Research, 2026 STTR Broad Agency Announcement, Release 6. The program moves discoveries out of university laboratories into small businesses, and this topic descends from Department of War Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative investments. The ask is a chip-scale oxychalcogenide film sensor that detects terahertz and infrared radiation at room temperature. The award must not exceed $250,000 over 12 months, and the technical volume is capped at 15 pages. The topic opens September 23, 2026 and closes October 21, 2026 through the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal.
The problem statement is one of the sharpest in this release. Infrared sensing sits at an inflection point. The industry-standard mercury cadmium telluride requires bulky cryogenic cooling and is built on toxic, supply-chain-fragile elements, while uncooled microbolometers are limited to millisecond response times. That leaves unaddressed the regime of fast, uncooled, low size-weight-power-and-cost detection from the long-wave infrared through the terahertz, which hypersonic threat warning, proliferated drone platforms, and contested-spectrum operations now demand.
The proposed answer is oxychalcogenide films containing heavy elements, with Bi2O2Se and InBiSe3 named specifically. Two properties make them interesting. The response does not depend on an inter-band transition, so no cryogenic cooling is needed. And the mechanism is hot-electron rectification and photothermoelectrics, with hot electrons thermally decoupled from the lattice, which is what makes it fast. And they are composed of non-toxic, earth-abundant elements, which is where the supply-chain argument comes from.
One thing to flag before drafting: the topic's stated response-speed figures appear internally inconsistent, and that is worth a question to the government. Details are in their own section below.
Topic At a Glance
Topic number: OSW26TZ06-NV006
Title: Design Of Room Temperature THz And Infrared Sensing Devices Using Non-Toxic, Supply-Chain Secure Material Platform
Agency: Office of the Secretary of War, Basic Research, administered by the OUSW(R&E) Science and Technology Foundations STTR Program
Solicitation: OSW Basic Research 2026 Small Business Technology Transfer Broad Agency Announcement, Release 6, Proposal Submission Instructions
Program type: Phase I
Award: must not exceed $250,000
Period of performance: 12 months
Technical volume: not to exceed 15 pages. Technical volumes exceeding 15 pages will be deemed non-compliant and will not be evaluated
Component Technology Priority Areas: Integrated Sensing and Cyber, Advanced Materials, Microelectronics
OUSW (R&E) Critical Technology Area: Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance
Projected CMMC level requirement: Level 1
Export control status: no topic-level ITAR or EAR restriction paragraph appears on this topic, and none appears on any of the seven topics in this release
Classification: Phase I and Phase II efforts are expected to be performed at the Unclassified level
Material platform: oxychalcogenide thin films with strong spin-orbit coupling, with Bi2O2Se and InBiSe3 named
Mechanism: hot-electron rectification and photothermoelectrics, thermally decoupled from the lattice of heavy elements, rather than inter-band transition
Phase I benchmarks: responsivity approximately 0.5 A/W, noise-equivalent power approximately 0.1 pW per root hertz, and response speed on the millisecond scale, at room temperature
Phase I demonstrations required: direct absorption in the long-wavelength infrared and antenna-coupled rectification at terahertz frequencies
Phase II array target: approximately 8 by 8, for dual-band imaging at up to kilohertz rates
Incumbents to benchmark against: cooled mercury cadmium telluride and uncooled microbolometers
Prior investment: Department of War Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative funding has already enabled development of high-mobility chalcogenide films and their characterization via optical and terahertz spectroscopy
Research institution partner: required, as with all STTR awards, along with a written allocation of rights agreement if selected
Phase II structure: a 10 to 12 month base period not to exceed $1,000,000 plus a 10 to 12 month option period not to exceed $1,000,000, with the entire Phase II effort not exceeding $2,000,000
Technical and Business Assistance: Phase I up to $6,500, Phase II up to $50,000 per project, in addition to the cost ceilings and not subject to profit or fee, using the mandatory SBIR/STTR TABA Request Form in Volume 5
Percentage of Work: deviations from the POW requirements are not permitted
Company Commercialization Report: information contained in the CCR will not be considered by S&T Foundations during proposal evaluations
Topic open date: September 23, 2026
Proposal deadline: October 21, 2026
Submission portal: DSIP at dodsbirsttr.mil
Keywords: room temperature THz detection, low SWaP-C, supply chain fragility, high speed electronics, THz infrared sensing, long-wavelength infrared, oxychalcogenide films, THz spectroscopy
What the Program Is For, Which Shapes How You Write
The S&T Foundations STTR Program has a purpose distinct from most SBIR and STTR programs, and it is stated plainly.
The program aims to facilitate the transition of basic research to applied research by collaborations between academic researchers and small businesses, as well as stimulating technological innovation, strengthening the role of small business in meeting DoW research and development needs, fostering and encouraging participation by minority and disadvantaged persons in technological innovation, and increasing the commercial application of DoW-supported research or research and development results.
The program focuses on exploiting scientific discoveries from the DoW basic research programs and providing a mechanism to further scientific development, maturation, and commercialization. High-risk with potential for high-reward approaches are sought in addressing the scientific challenges described in the topics. These approaches should be stimulated by early research in academia supported by DoW basic research programs.
The consequence for your technical volume
In addition to the Phase I proposal content specified in the DoW STTR BAA, this program requires a narrative description of how early research in academic labs will be transitioned to the small business via this opportunity.
The Phase I Technical Proposal must also include a preliminary Phase II Plan specifying the overall vision, approach, and potential product proposed at the end of Phase II.
Both must be included within the 15-page limit.
So the technical volume carries three things a standard Phase I proposal would not: the transition narrative, the preliminary Phase II Plan, and the usual Phase I technical content, all in fifteen pages. Plan the page budget before you draft.
What the Topic Is Actually Asking For
The objective
Design a chip-scale oxychalcogenide film based room temperature terahertz and infrared sensor, on a non-toxic, supply-chain-secure material platform.
Three constraints in one sentence: chip-scale, room temperature, and a material platform chosen partly for supply chain reasons. The third is unusual in a basic research topic and it is a real evaluation dimension, not decoration.
The gap in the state of the art
Infrared sensing sits at an inflection point. The industry-standard mercury cadmium telluride requires bulky cryogenic cooling and is built on toxic, supply-chain-fragile elements, while uncooled microbolometers are limited to millisecond response times.
This leaves unaddressed the regime of fast, uncooled, low size-weight-power-and-cost detection from the long-wave infrared through the terahertz, which hypersonic threat warning, proliferated drone platforms, and contested-spectrum operations now demand.
That is a well-drawn gap and you should use its structure. Two incumbents, each failing for a different reason. MCT is fast and sensitive but needs a cryocooler and depends on mercury and cadmium. Microbolometers are uncooled and cheap but slow. The unserved regime is fast plus uncooled plus small, extending past long-wave infrared into terahertz.
The mechanism, and why it avoids cryogenics
Recently, new mechanisms have emerged that can fill this technical gap. Oxychalcogenide films containing heavy elements have characteristic responses in the terahertz range and can enable detection responses in the terahertz and far-infrared spectral regions through hot-electron rectification and photothermoelectrics, thermally decoupled from the lattice of heavy elements.
Notably, these phenomena do not require cryogenic cooling like the mercury cadmium telluride system because the signal is not based on an inter-band transition, and the response is driven by hot electrons decoupled from the lattice.
Moreover, these materials, such as Bi2O2Se and InBiSe3, are composed of non-toxic, earth-abundant elements, and are supply-chain-secure material platforms.
The physical argument is worth understanding because it is the whole basis of the topic. Cryogenic cooling in an MCT detector exists to suppress thermally generated carriers that would swamp a narrow-bandgap inter-band signal. If your signal does not come from an inter-band transition at all, that noise source is not the limiting one, and the cooling requirement goes away. Hot-electron detection instead relies on electrons heated above the lattice temperature, which is both why it works uncooled and why it can be fast: the electron subsystem cools much faster than the lattice.
The response speed inconsistency, which is worth a question
The topic makes three statements about speed that do not fit together cleanly.
Uncooled microbolometers are described as limited to millisecond response times, and this is presented as a limitation to be overcome.
Oxychalcogenide films are said to enable millisecond-scale detection responses in the terahertz and far-infrared.
And the mechanism is said to have a response orders of magnitude faster than that of room-temperature bolometers because it is driven by hot electrons decoupled from the lattice.
Those cannot all be right at once. If the new mechanism is orders of magnitude faster than a millisecond bolometer, its response is in the microsecond or nanosecond range, not the millisecond range. The Phase I benchmark then compounds it by specifying response speed on the millisecond scale, which matches the incumbent the topic says is too slow.
The physics favors the "orders of magnitude faster" claim, since hot-electron relaxation times are typically picoseconds to nanoseconds and the whole point of decoupling electrons from the lattice is to escape the thermal time constant that limits bolometers. The most likely reading is that the millisecond figures are drafting artifacts.
Send this to DSIP Topic Q&A before it closes on October 7. In the meantime, the defensible approach is to state your target response time explicitly with the physics that sets it, report it against both readings, and note that you are doing so because the topic's stated figures are inconsistent. Also address the topic's own later statement that the mechanism is fast enough to detect millisecond transients such as laser pulses and hypersonic signatures that slow uncooled microbolometers wash out, which is the operational requirement underneath the numbers.
Why the Department is funding this now
Department of War investments through the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative have already enabled the development of high-mobility chalcogenide films and their characterization via optical and terahertz spectroscopy.
Building on this, oxychalcogenide films can serve as room-temperature detectors offering uncooled, chip-scale access to the jam-free terahertz and far-infrared bands, a regime current sensor technologies cannot reach without cryogenic cooling, and will directly advance Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance.
Moreover, the hot-electron mechanism is fast, which allows detection of transients such as laser pulses and hypersonic signatures that slow uncooled microbolometers wash out.
Note "jam-free." Terahertz and far-infrared bands are not congested with communications or jamming energy the way the microwave spectrum is, which is a contested-spectrum argument for pushing detection to those wavelengths. That framing connects the material science to the Critical Technology Area, and it is worth carrying into your proposal.
The MURI provenance is again your transition narrative. Identify the MURI, the group, and the people who made those high-mobility films.
Phase I Requirements
Synthesis of oxychalcogenide thin film materials with strong spin-orbit coupling that can detect terahertz and long-wave infrared signals at room temperature.
Demonstration of direct absorption in the long-wavelength infrared and antenna-coupled rectification at terahertz frequencies.
These are to be benchmarked by responsivity of approximately 0.5 A/W, noise-equivalent power of approximately 0.1 pW per root hertz, and response speed on the millisecond scale, at room temperature.
These results should anchor an electromagnetic and thermal design of an integrated dual-band terahertz and long-wave infrared pixel.
Reading this scope
Four deliverables, and unusually for this release, Phase I involves actual material synthesis and measurement rather than design alone.
Synthesis, with a named material property requirement: strong spin-orbit coupling. That is not decoration. Heavy-element oxychalcogenides have strong spin-orbit coupling, and it is connected to the terahertz response and to the topological character several of the cited references explore.
Two distinct detection demonstrations with different physics. Direct absorption in the long-wave infrared, meaning the film itself absorbs. And antenna-coupled rectification at terahertz, meaning an antenna captures the field and the film rectifies it. Those are different device architectures on the same material, and a proposal that treats them as one thing has missed the requirement.
Three quantitative benchmarks. Responsivity around 0.5 amperes per watt and noise-equivalent power around 0.1 picowatts per root hertz are both specific and checkable, and both are respectable for a room-temperature detector. Note the word "approximately" on all three, which gives you some latitude, and note the speed ambiguity discussed above.
An electromagnetic and thermal design of an integrated dual-band pixel. That is the design deliverable the measurements feed, and it is what makes Phase II possible. Dual-band means one pixel serving both terahertz and long-wave infrared, which is a genuinely hard co-design problem: the antenna that couples terahertz efficiently is large compared to a long-wave infrared absorber, and the thermal design has to serve both.
Phase II and Phase III, For Planning Purposes
Phase II
Fabricate and validate the dual-band pixels, while adding quarter-wave cavity enhancement to the long-wave infrared channel and demonstrating simultaneous, low-crosstalk two-band readout.
Refine multilayer architectures and investigate the feasibility of even higher-mobility layers and quantum wells.
Scale to a small-format array of approximately 8 by 8 for as high as kilohertz-rate dual-band imaging of test scenes.
Deliver a size-weight-power-and-cost and manufacturability assessment benchmarked against cooled mercury cadmium telluride and microbolometer incumbents.
Four items, each concrete. Quarter-wave cavity enhancement is a standard infrared absorber technique and its inclusion tells you the topic author knows detector engineering. Low-crosstalk two-band readout is the hard part of dual-band operation and it is called out explicitly. An 8 by 8 array is deliberately modest, which is appropriate for a first array of a novel material. And the SWaP-C and manufacturability assessment against both incumbents is the commercialization argument in measurable form.
Note "kilohertz-rate dual-band imaging." A kilohertz frame rate is far beyond microbolometer capability and is the operational payoff of the fast mechanism. That figure also supports the reading that the intended detector response is much faster than a millisecond.
Phase III
Terahertz and infrared sensing devices operating at room temperature represent a critical dual-use technology. By eliminating the need for bulky, power-intensive cryogenic cooling systems, these sensors enable highly portable, lightweight, and low-cost systems.
The topic names two dual-use features specifically.
A fast uncooled oxychalcogenide focal plane enables short-range terahertz and infrared inspection of packages, vehicles, and surfaces, penetrating clothing, packaging, and dielectric coatings to reveal concealed weapons or contraband while keeping the operator at a safe standoff distance.
The same long-wavelength response allows the sensor to see through smoke, dust, and brownout obscurants, and makes a drone-borne payload effective in degraded visual environments where electro-optical and shortwave infrared imagers fail.
Both are strong commercial stories. Security screening is an existing market with a known terahertz interest and a known cost barrier, and the obscurant penetration case connects directly to rotorcraft brownout and to the proliferated drone platforms named in the problem statement.
The STTR Partnership and Allocation of Rights
This is an STTR, so a formal partnership with a research institution is a condition of the award rather than a feature of your approach.
If a small business concern is selected for an STTR award, they must negotiate a written agreement between the small business and their selected research institution that allocates intellectual property rights and rights to carry out follow-on research, development, or commercialization. The instructions point to the Model Agreement for the Allocation of Rights.
STTR awards also carry statutory minimum work shares: the small business must perform at least 40 percent of the work and the single partnering research institution at least 30 percent. The OSW Basic Research instructions direct proposers to follow all general instructions in the DoW STTR Program solicitation, which is where those requirements live. Read that document, not only this one.
What the split looks like on this topic
The natural division is clear. The research institution owns the film synthesis, the spin-orbit coupling and transport physics, and the optical and terahertz spectroscopy characterization, since that is where the MURI-funded capability and the instrumentation live. The small business owns the device architecture, the antenna design for terahertz coupling, the quarter-wave cavity and multilayer engineering, the readout electronics, the array packaging, and the SWaP-C and manufacturability assessment against MCT and microbolometer incumbents.
Because the topic explicitly credits MURI investments with enabling the high-mobility chalcogenide films and their spectroscopic characterization, the institution's contribution is central rather than supporting, which makes a 30 percent share straightforward to justify.
Note that the program instructions ask you to plan carefully for research involving animal or human subjects, biological agents, and similar elements, and warn that the short duration of a Phase I effort may preclude such plans unless coordinated before a contract is awarded.
The Phase II Submission Window, Which You Must Plan For Now
This program mechanic catches first-time applicants and it deserves its own section.
Phase II proposals may only be submitted by Phase I awardees. All Phase I awardees are eligible to submit a Phase II proposal. Phase II selections are based, in large part, on the success of the Phase I effort, so it is vital for small business concerns to discuss the Phase I project results with their Technical Point of Contact.
The 30-day window to submit a Phase II proposal is expected to commence 6 to 9 months into the Phase I period. The details on the due date, content, and submission requirements will be provided to Phase I awardees by the S&T Foundations STTR Program Management Office via subsequent notification.
This will be the only opportunity to submit a Phase II proposal for the Basic Research topics. The S&T Foundations STTR Program cannot accept proposals outside the established Phase II submission dates, and proposals received at any other time will not be evaluated.
Phase II proposals are expected to be structured as a 10 to 12 month base period not to exceed $1,000,000 plus a 10 to 12 month option period not to exceed $1,000,000, with the entire Phase II effort not exceeding $2,000,000.
Why this changes your Phase I plan
The Phase II window opens 6 to 9 months into a 12-month Phase I. You will be writing your Phase II proposal while the Phase I effort is still running, arguing Phase II merit on partial results.
Structure the Phase I schedule so your most persuasive results land in the first six months, and say in your Phase I plan what will be complete by then. Establish the Technical Point of Contact relationship early in performance, because the program says discussing Phase I results with the TPOC is vital and the missed window is unrecoverable.
Funding, Cost Structure, and Program Mechanics
The award
The Phase I amount must not exceed $250,000 over a period of 12 months. The Government anticipates making multiple Phase I awards under this topic, subject to the availability of funds and the receipt of meritorious proposals.
Note also that due to limited funding, S&T Foundations reserves the right to limit awards under any topic.
The 15-page limit is a hard compliance gate
The technical volume is not to exceed 15 pages and must follow the formatting requirements provided in the DoW STTR Program BAA. Technical volumes exceeding 15 pages will be deemed non-compliant and will not be evaluated.
Note the phrasing. Not "pages in excess will not be considered," which is what several other components say. Non-compliant and not evaluated. An over-length technical volume loses the whole proposal, not the extra pages. Count the pages before you submit, and remember that the transition narrative and the preliminary Phase II Plan both sit inside the limit.
Percentage of Work
Review the updated Percentage of Work calculation details included in the DoW Program BAA. Deviations from the POW requirements are not permitted.
With a research institution performing at least 30 percent of the work, your POW arithmetic needs to be right before you finalize the subaward. Model it first.
Technical and Business Assistance
Phase I awardees may request up to $6,500 in TABA funding. Phase II awardees may request up to $50,000 per Phase II project. TABA funding is in addition to the Phase I and Phase II cost ceilings and is not subject to profit or fee.
All requests for TABA must be completed using the SBIR/STTR TABA Request Form, and the completed form must be included in Volume 5 of the proposal submission in DSIP. OSW will not accept requests for TABA that do not utilize the form or that are not included as a submission document in Volume 5.
The form requirement is absolute. For this topic, manufacturing and foundry transition consulting is the standout use, since the Phase II deliverable includes a manufacturability assessment benchmarked against two mature incumbent technologies. Intellectual property counsel is a close second, given MURI-derived material IP and a required allocation of rights agreement.
The Company Commercialization Report is not evaluated
Completion of the CCR as Volume 4 is required, but information contained in the CCR will not be considered by S&T Foundations during proposal evaluations. Complete it because it is required, and put your commercialization effort into the technical volume instead, where it is scored.
Evaluation criteria, in stated order of importance
This is one of the most useful things in the OSW Basic Research instructions.
All proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria listed in the DoW solicitation. The criteria will be in descending order of importance with technical merit, soundness, and innovation of the proposed approach being the most important, followed by qualifications of key personnel, and then followed by commercialization potential.
Evaluation of the Phase I proposal will include an assessment of not only the feasibility studies planned for Phase I but the overall approach and product proposed at the end of Phase II.
Awards will be made on the basis of technical evaluations using the criteria described in the DoW Solicitation and availability of S&T Foundations STTR funds.
Three things follow. Technical merit dominates, so that is where your pages belong. Key personnel ranks second, ahead of commercialization, which means naming the right people matters more than the market analysis. And the preliminary Phase II Plan is not a formality, because the evaluation explicitly assesses the overall approach and product proposed at the end of Phase II.
Only Government personnel will evaluate proposals, with the exception of personnel from Strategic Analysis, Inc who provide programmatic and administrative assistance for all topics.
Notification and debriefings
Proposing firms will be notified of selection or non-selection status for a Phase I award within 90 days of the closing date of the topic. Notifications will be issued through DSIP to both the firm's Corporate Official and Principal Investigator of record. Ninety days from October 21, 2026 is approximately January 19, 2027.
Non-selected proposers may request a written debriefing within 30 calendar days of the select or non-select notification, as specified in that notification. Debriefs are typically provided in writing via email to the Corporate Official identified in the firm proposal within 30 days of receipt of the request. Requests for oral debriefs may not be accommodated. If contact information for the Corporate Official has changed since proposal submission, a notice of the change on company letterhead signed by the Corporate Official must accompany the debrief request.
The debriefing provision is genuinely valuable and underused. If you are not selected, a written debrief tells you what to fix, and this program recurs.
Refer to the DoW solicitation for procedures to protest the announcement. As prescribed in FAR 33.106(b) and FAR 52.233-3, protests after award should be submitted to osd.ncr.ousd-r-e.mbx.sbir-sttr-protest@mail.mil.
Foreign nationals, privacy, and classification
If the offeror proposes to employ a foreign national, refer to the DoW Solicitation for definitions and reporting requirements. Ensure no Privacy Act information is included in the submittal.
Phase I and Phase II efforts are expected to be performed at the Unclassified level.
The unclassified expectation matters, because university research groups are typically open-research environments with international students and postdocs. This program is compatible with that, unlike several other components in this cycle, and no topic-level ITAR restriction appears anywhere in this release. Follow the DoW Solicitation reporting requirements for any foreign nationals you propose.
Questions
Specific questions pertaining to the administration of the STTR Program and these proposal preparation instructions should be directed to Jason Day at jason.o.day.civ@mail.mil.
The instructions do not state that DSIP Topic Q&A is unavailable, so the standard DoW STTR Program BAA process applies and Topic Q&A closes to new questions two weeks before the topic closes, on October 7, 2026.
The References
Six, split cleanly into two groups of three, and the split tells you what the topic expects you to know.
The first three are the topic's own physics lineage, from the terahertz spectroscopy and topological materials side.
Romero III, Ralph, and colleagues, "Planckian scattering and parallel conduction channels in an iron chalcogenide superconductor," Nature Physics, 2026.
Mekonen, Sirak M., and colleagues, "Coupled metamaterial-phonon terahertz range polaritons in a topological insulator," ACS Photonics 11.6, 2242 to 2246, 2024.
Tagay, Zhenisbek, and colleagues, "Electrodynamics of the quantum anomalous Hall state in a magnetically doped topological insulator," Physical Review B 110.24, L241106, 2024.
These are the MURI-derived work the topic refers to when it says Department investments enabled high-mobility chalcogenide films and their characterization via optical and terahertz spectroscopy. Note that all three are spectroscopy and fundamental physics papers, not device papers.
The second three are the device precedents in the specific materials named.
Chen and colleagues, "Broadband Bi2O2Se photodetectors from infrared to terahertz," Advanced Functional Materials 31.14, 2009554, 2021.
Chen, Hang, and colleagues, "Broadband InBiSe3 alloy photoelectric detector from visible to terahertz," AIP Advances 14.3, 035324, 2024.
Ding, Xiang, and colleagues, "Bi2O2Se: A rising star for semiconductor devices," Matter 5.12, 4274 to 4314, 2022.
These are where your device performance baseline comes from. The two Chen papers are the closest published analogues to what you are proposing, and the Ding review is the survey of Bi2O2Se as a device material. Read all three and position your responsivity, noise-equivalent power, and response speed against their reported values, because a reviewer will.
The asymmetry between the two groups is informative. The physics is well developed and Department funded. The device demonstrations exist but are broadband single-pixel detectors, not dual-band pixels in arrays. That gap between spectroscopy and a focal plane is exactly the transition this program funds.
Timeline and What to Do When
The dates
Topic opens: September 23, 2026
DSIP Topic Q&A closes: October 7, 2026, two weeks before the topic closes, per the DoW STTR Program BAA
Proposal deadline: October 21, 2026
Selection notification: within 90 days of the closing date, approximately January 19, 2027, through DSIP to both the Corporate Official and the Principal Investigator of record
Debriefing request window: within 30 calendar days of notification
Period of performance: 12 months
Phase II submission window: a 30-day window expected to commence 6 to 9 months into the Phase I period, and the only opportunity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is OSW Basic Research STTR topic OSW26TZ06-NV006?
OSW26TZ06-NV006 is a Phase I STTR topic titled "Design Of Room Temperature THz And Infrared Sensing Devices Using Non-Toxic, Supply-Chain Secure Material Platform," released under the OSW Basic Research 2026 STTR Broad Agency Announcement, Release 6. The objective is to design a chip-scale oxychalcogenide film based room temperature terahertz and infrared sensor.
What gap in the state of the art does this address?
Mercury cadmium telluride, the industry standard, requires bulky cryogenic cooling and is built on toxic, supply-chain-fragile elements. Uncooled microbolometers are limited to millisecond response times. That leaves unaddressed the regime of fast, uncooled, low size-weight-power-and-cost detection from the long-wave infrared through the terahertz, which the topic says hypersonic threat warning, proliferated drone platforms, and contested-spectrum operations now demand.
Why does this material not need cryogenic cooling?
Because the signal is not based on an inter-band transition. Cryogenic cooling in an MCT detector suppresses thermally generated carriers that would swamp a narrow-bandgap inter-band signal. The oxychalcogenide mechanism is hot-electron rectification and photothermoelectrics, with hot electrons thermally decoupled from the lattice of heavy elements, so that noise source is not limiting.
Which materials are named?
Bi2O2Se and InBiSe3, described as composed of non-toxic, earth-abundant elements and as supply-chain-secure material platforms. Phase I requires oxychalcogenide thin films with strong spin-orbit coupling.
The topic's response-speed numbers seem inconsistent. Are they?
They do not fit together. The topic says microbolometers are limited to millisecond response times and presents that as the limitation, says oxychalcogenide films enable millisecond-scale responses, and says the mechanism is orders of magnitude faster than room-temperature bolometers. The Phase I benchmark then specifies response speed on the millisecond scale. The physics favors the faster claim, since hot-electron relaxation is typically picoseconds to nanoseconds, and Phase II calls for kilohertz-rate imaging. Raise it through DSIP Topic Q&A before October 7, and in the proposal state your target with the physics that sets it while noting the discrepancy.
What are the Phase I benchmarks?
Responsivity of approximately 0.5 amperes per watt, noise-equivalent power of approximately 0.1 picowatts per root hertz, and response speed on the millisecond scale, all at room temperature. Note that all three carry the word approximately.
What must Phase I demonstrate?
Synthesis of oxychalcogenide thin films with strong spin-orbit coupling that can detect terahertz and long-wave infrared at room temperature. Demonstration of direct absorption in the long-wavelength infrared and antenna-coupled rectification at terahertz frequencies, against the stated benchmarks. And these results should anchor an electromagnetic and thermal design of an integrated dual-band terahertz and long-wave infrared pixel.
Are the two detection demonstrations the same thing?
No. Direct absorption in the long-wave infrared means the film itself absorbs. Antenna-coupled rectification at terahertz means an antenna captures the field and the film rectifies it. Those are different device architectures on the same material and both are required.
What does Phase II require?
Fabricate and validate the dual-band pixels, add quarter-wave cavity enhancement to the long-wave infrared channel, and demonstrate simultaneous low-crosstalk two-band readout. Refine multilayer architectures and investigate higher-mobility layers and quantum wells. Scale to an approximately 8 by 8 array for up to kilohertz-rate dual-band imaging of test scenes. And deliver a size-weight-power-and-cost and manufacturability assessment benchmarked against cooled MCT and microbolometer incumbents.
What is the hardest part of the dual-band design?
Putting a terahertz antenna and a long-wave infrared absorber in the same pixel with low crosstalk. The antenna that couples terahertz efficiently is large relative to a long-wave infrared absorber with a quarter-wave cavity, and the thermal design has to serve both. The Phase I deliverable is precisely the electromagnetic and thermal design that resolves it.
What are the Phase III applications?
Short-range terahertz and infrared inspection of packages, vehicles, and surfaces, penetrating clothing, packaging, and dielectric coatings to reveal concealed weapons or contraband at safe standoff. And seeing through smoke, dust, and brownout obscurants, making a drone-borne payload effective in degraded visual environments where electro-optical and shortwave infrared imagers fail.
Is this MURI-derived work?
Yes. The topic states that Department of War investments through the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative have already enabled the development of high-mobility chalcogenide films and their characterization via optical and terahertz spectroscopy.
Why does the topic call the terahertz band jam-free?
Because the terahertz and far-infrared bands are not congested with communications or jamming energy the way the microwave spectrum is. That is a contested-spectrum argument for pushing detection to those wavelengths, and it connects the materials work to the Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance Critical Technology Area.
How much funding is available?
The Phase I amount must not exceed $250,000 over a period of 12 months. Phase I awardees may also request up to $6,500 in Technical and Business Assistance, in addition to the cost ceiling and not subject to profit or fee, using the mandatory SBIR/STTR TABA Request Form in Volume 5.
When is the proposal deadline?
The topic opens September 23, 2026 and proposals are due October 21, 2026 through the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal at dodsbirsttr.mil.
How long can my technical volume be?
Not to exceed 15 pages. Technical volumes exceeding 15 pages will be deemed non-compliant and will not be evaluated, which is stricter than simply disregarding the extra pages. The transition narrative and the preliminary Phase II Plan both count inside that limit.
What extra content does this program require in the technical volume?
Two things beyond the standard DoW STTR Phase I content. A narrative description of how early research in academic labs will be transitioned to the small business via this opportunity. And a preliminary Phase II Plan specifying the overall vision, approach, and potential product proposed at the end of Phase II. Both must fit inside the 15 pages.
Do I need a research institution partner?
Yes. This is an STTR, which requires a formal partnership with a single partnering research institution, with statutory minimum work shares of at least 40 percent by the small business and at least 30 percent by the institution per the DoW STTR Program solicitation. If selected, you must negotiate a written agreement between the small business and the research institution allocating intellectual property rights and rights to carry out follow-on research, development, or commercialization, using the Model Agreement for the Allocation of Rights.
How does the Phase II submission window work?
Phase II proposals may only be submitted by Phase I awardees, and all Phase I awardees are eligible. A 30-day submission window is expected to commence 6 to 9 months into the Phase I period, with details provided by the S&T Foundations STTR Program Management Office. This will be the only opportunity to submit a Phase II proposal for the Basic Research topics, and proposals received outside the established window will not be evaluated.
What does that mean for how I plan Phase I?
You will be writing the Phase II proposal on partial Phase I results, six to nine months into a twelve-month effort. Front-load the work so your most persuasive results land early. The program also says it is vital to discuss Phase I results with your Technical Point of Contact, so establish that relationship early in performance.
How is Phase II funded?
A 10 to 12 month base period not to exceed $1,000,000 plus a 10 to 12 month option period not to exceed $1,000,000, with the entire Phase II effort not exceeding $2,000,000.
How are proposals evaluated?
Against the DoW solicitation criteria, in descending order of importance: technical merit, soundness, and innovation of the proposed approach first, then qualifications of key personnel, then commercialization potential. The evaluation includes an assessment not only of the Phase I feasibility studies but of the overall approach and product proposed at the end of Phase II. Only Government personnel evaluate proposals, except personnel from Strategic Analysis, Inc who provide programmatic and administrative assistance.
Is the Company Commercialization Report evaluated?
No. Completion of the CCR as Volume 4 is required, but information contained in it will not be considered by S&T Foundations during proposal evaluations.
Are there Percentage of Work restrictions?
Yes. Deviations from the Percentage of Work requirements described in the DoW Program BAA are not permitted. With a research institution performing at least 30 percent of the work, model the arithmetic before finalizing the subaward.
What CMMC level applies?
The projected requirement for this topic is CMMC Level 1.
Is this work classified?
No. Phase I and Phase II efforts are expected to be performed at the Unclassified level, and no topic-level ITAR or EAR restriction paragraph appears on this topic or on any of the seven topics in this release.
Can I employ foreign nationals?
If the offeror proposes to employ a foreign national, refer to the DoW Solicitation for definitions and reporting requirements. The unclassified expectation makes this program more compatible with an open university research environment than several other components in this cycle.
Can I request a debriefing if not selected?
Yes. Non-selected proposers may request a written debriefing within 30 calendar days of the select or non-select notification. Debriefs are typically provided in writing via email to the Corporate Official within 30 days of receipt of the request. Oral debriefs may not be accommodated. If the Corporate Official's contact information has changed, a notice on company letterhead signed by that official must accompany the request.
When will I hear back, and who is notified?
Within 90 days of the closing date of the topic, approximately January 19, 2027, through DSIP to both the firm's Corporate Official and the Principal Investigator of record.
Who do I contact with questions?
Technical questions about the topic go through DSIP Topic Q&A, which closes October 7, 2026. Administrative questions about the STTR Program and these proposal preparation instructions go to Jason Day at jason.o.day.civ@mail.mil.
Positioning Advice for Companies Considering This Topic
Ask about the response-speed inconsistency, and handle it transparently. The topic says bolometers are limited to milliseconds, says this mechanism is orders of magnitude faster, and then benchmarks Phase I at milliseconds. Raise it in Topic Q&A before October 7. In the proposal, state your target response time with the physics that sets it, address both readings, and note the discrepancy. Silently picking whichever number suits you is riskier than showing you read carefully.
Treat the two detection demonstrations as two devices. Direct absorption in the long-wave infrared and antenna-coupled rectification at terahertz are different architectures. A proposal that describes one film and one measurement has answered half the Phase I requirement.
Design the dual-band pixel co-design problem explicitly. A terahertz antenna is large; a long-wave infrared absorber with a quarter-wave cavity is thin and small. Putting both in one pixel with low crosstalk is the real engineering challenge, and the Phase I deliverable is precisely the electromagnetic and thermal design that solves it. Show the geometry.
Take the supply chain claim seriously as a scored argument. The topic put non-toxic and supply-chain-secure in the title. Name the constituent elements, their crustal abundance and sourcing, and contrast explicitly with mercury, cadmium, and tellurium. That is a real evaluation dimension and it costs you a paragraph.
Benchmark against both incumbents on their own terms. Cooled MCT wins on sensitivity and pays in cryogenics and toxicity. Microbolometers win on cost and pay in speed. Put your numbers next to theirs on responsivity, noise-equivalent power, speed, operating temperature, and cost, and let the unserved regime emerge from the table rather than asserting it.
Use the jam-free spectrum argument. The topic calls the terahertz and far-infrared bands jam-free, which connects a materials result to contested-spectrum operations and to the Critical Technology Area. Most proposals will lead with detector figures of merit and miss the operational framing that the government itself supplied.
Anchor to the two published device papers. The Chen Bi2O2Se and InBiSe3 detector papers are the closest prior art to your device, and the reviewer will know them. State what your responsivity, noise-equivalent power, and speed are relative to theirs, and what you add.
Claim the MURI lineage explicitly. The topic credits Department MURI investment with the high-mobility films and their spectroscopic characterization. Naming that program, that group, and those people is the transition narrative this program exists to fund.
Address spin-orbit coupling as a requirement, not a property. Phase I calls for films with strong spin-orbit coupling specifically. Say why your material has it, how you verify it, and how it connects to the terahertz response you are claiming.
Write the transition narrative as a real plan, not a paragraph. This program exists to move academic discoveries into small businesses. Whose discovery, moving how, through what mechanism, with what people, and what does the small business own afterward. That narrative is a program requirement and it is where the S&T Foundations mission lives.
Put key personnel forward. Qualifications of key personnel is the second-ranked evaluation criterion, ahead of commercialization potential. On a basic research transition topic, naming the people who actually did the underlying science is worth more proposal space than a market sizing exercise.
Take the preliminary Phase II Plan seriously. The evaluation explicitly assesses the overall approach and product proposed at the end of Phase II, not just the Phase I studies. Fit it to the program's own structure of a base plus option, each 10 to 12 months and each up to $1,000,000, and make the product concrete.
Front-load the Phase I schedule. The Phase II window opens 6 to 9 months in and it is the only one. Whatever a Phase II reviewer needs to see must exist by month six. Say in your Phase I plan what will be complete by then.
Count your pages. Exceeding 15 pages makes the technical volume non-compliant and unevaluated, which is a harsher rule than most components apply, and it applies to a volume that must also contain the transition narrative and the Phase II Plan.
Start the allocation of rights conversation now. A written agreement allocating intellectual property and follow-on rights is required upon selection. On a topic where the core science originates in a university laboratory, that negotiation determines whether you have a commercial product at the end. Do not leave it until award.
Use the debriefing if you lose. A written debrief within 30 days of notification is available on request, and this program recurs. That is cheap, specific feedback most applicants never ask for.
