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FAQs - DARPA BAA 08-51: Terahertz Electronics

What is DARPA BAA 08-51 "Terahertz Electronics"?

DARPA BAA 08-51 is a discretionary research and development funding opportunity focused on advancing electronic devices and integrated circuits into true terahertz operation. It is issued as a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category.

What does DARPA mean by "true terahertz operation" in this BAA?

In this announcement, "true terahertz operation" is defined as operation at frequencies at or above 1.0 x 10^12 cycles per second (1 THz).

What is the main goal of this opportunity?

The main goal is to enable electronics to operate at or beyond the terahertz regime through genuinely new concepts that could create major step-changes in performance or capability, rather than incremental improvements to existing technologies.

What kinds of research approaches is DARPA interested in for this BAA?

DARPA is interested in proposals that explore breakthrough approaches such as unconventional device physics, new materials or device structures, and novel circuit and integration strategies, or other approaches that could enable terahertz electronics in ways mainstream technologies cannot readily achieve.

What kinds of projects does the solicitation explicitly discourage?

The BAA explicitly discourages work that is mainly evolutionary, meaning projects that primarily extend existing state-of-the-art methods through standard optimization. Examples mentioned include straightforward scaling, routine process refinements, or incremental circuit improvements that do not change the underlying approach.

Is this funding intended for incremental optimization of current device or IC platforms?

No. The emphasis is on revolutionary advances and not incremental performance tuning of today's approaches.

What funding instrument(s) might DARPA use to make awards under this BAA?

The announcement indicates DARPA may use multiple types of instruments depending on the work and DARPA's preferred relationship with performers. These may include cooperative agreements, grants, other transaction-like arrangements (as applicable), or procurement contracts.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA listing referenced in the synopsis is 12.910 (Research and Technology Development).

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement is stated in the provided opportunity description.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to any type of applicant entity, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may appear in the full BAA text.

What are the key dates mentioned for submissions?

The timeline provided includes a posted/creation date of June 13, 2008. Proposal abstracts were due by 4:00 pm EDT on July 14, 2008, and full proposals were due by 4:00 pm EDT on August 29, 2008.

What is the overall solicitation closing date and archive date?

The solicitation closing date is shown as June 15, 2009, and the archive date is June 26, 2009.

Does the listing specify expected award sizes?

The listing shows award floor and ceiling values as 0. This typically indicates that specific award sizes were not predetermined in the public synopsis and that funding levels would be driven by program needs, proposal merit, and available budget.

How do applicants contact DARPA with questions about submitting an abstract or proposal?

For questions and administrative correspondence related to submitting a proposal abstract or full proposal under the BAA, DARPA directs applicants to use the email address BAA08-51@darpa.mil.

Who is the point of contact if there are issues accessing the full announcement electronically?

If there are issues accessing the full announcement electronically, the point of contact listed is Mark Rosker, ATTN DARPA BAA 08-51, at DARPA headquarters.

What are the contact details provided for the electronic-access point of contact?

The provided contact details are: Mark Rosker, ATTN DARPA BAA 08-51, DARPA, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1714; phone (571) 218-4507; fax (703) 807-1796.

Where is the full BAA expected to be available?

The opportunity references the DARPA Solicitations page as the primary link for additional information and access to the full BAA document.

What is the submission structure described in the timeline?

The solicitation used a two-step schedule: proposal abstracts were due first, followed by full proposals due at a later date.

What time zone is used for the abstract and full proposal due times?

The due times listed for both the abstract and full proposal are stated in EDT (Eastern Daylight Time).

Is the opportunity focused on devices only, or also integrated circuits and integration approaches?

It is focused on both electronic devices and integrated circuits, and it also highlights interest in novel circuit and integration strategies.

What is the core evaluation theme implied by the solicitation language?

The solicitation language emphasizes "revolutionary" or "breakthrough" approaches that could unlock fundamentally different performance, capability, or integration at terahertz frequencies, rather than marginal gains over established platforms.