[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 73 (Friday, April 17, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17819-17820]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8873]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Notice of Inventions Available for Licensing

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of inventions available for licensing.

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SUMMARY: The inventions listed below are owned in whole or in part by 
the U.S. Government, as represented by the Secretary of Commerce. The 
U.S. Government's interest in these inventions is available for 
licensing in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 and 37 CFR part 404 to 
achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally funded 
research and development.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Technical and licensing information on 
these inventions may be obtained by writing to: National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, Office of Technology Partnerships, Attn: Mary 
Clague, Building 222, Room A240, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Information is 
also available via telephone: 301-975-4188, fax 301-975-3482, or e-
mail: [email protected]. Any request for information should include 
the NIST Docket number and title for the invention as indicated below.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIST may enter into a Cooperative Research 
and Development Agreement (``CRADA'') with the licensee to perform 
further research on the invention for purposes of commercialization. 
The inventions available for licensing are:

[NIST Docket Number: 06-003]

    Title: Zeroeth Order Imaging.
    Abstract: The invention provides a method of imaging critical 
dimensions by measuring the zeroeth order of diffracted light. The 
method involves providing a target, directing light onto the target so 
as to cause the target to diffract the light. The zeroeth order of the 
diffracted light is collected and analyzed to determine structural 
features of the target. The target can be an article of manufacture, 
such as a semiconductor device, or a separate target that is provided 
or fabricated on an article of manufacture. One of at least the 
wavelength and the angle at which the light is directed onto the target 
can be scanned. The target can fill all or only a portion of the field 
of view.

[NIST Docket Number: 08-013]

    Title: The Microfluidic Palette: Generation of Multiple Chemical 
Gradients Within a Microfluidic Chamber.
    Abstract: This invention is jointly owned with KT Consulting, Inc. 
The invention is a microfluidic device, capable of generating multiple 
spatial chemical gradients simultaneously inside a microfluidic 
chamber. The chemical gradients are generated by diffusion, without 
convection, and can either be maintained constant over long time 
periods, or modified dynamically. A representative device is described 
with a circular chamber in which diffusion occurs, with three access 
ports for the delivery and removal of solutes. A gradient typically 
forms in minutes, and can be maintained constant indefinitely. The 
device can also be used to evaluate chemotactic responses of bacteria 
or other microorganisms in the absence of convective flow.

[NIST Docket Number: 08-033]

    Title: A New Technique for Combinational Circuit Optimization and a 
New Circuit for the S-box of AES.
    Abstract: This invention is jointly owned with the University of 
Southern Denmark. The invention provides a new

[[Page 17820]]

technique for combinational circuit optimization. The technique is a 
two-step process. In the first step, the non-linearity of the circuit--
as measured by the number of nonlinear gates it contains--is reduced. 
The second step reduces the number of gates in the linear components of 
the circuit. The technique can be applied to arbitrary circuits, and 
seems to yield improvements even on circuits that have already been 
optimized by standard methods. The technique is applied to the S-box of 
the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The result is, as far as we 
know, the smallest circuit yet constructed for this function.

    Dated: April 7, 2009.
Patrick Gallagher,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. E9-8873 Filed 4-16-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P