Advanced Photonix Inc. (Camarillo, CA) has won a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract worth $75,000 from the US Department of Energy. The company`s proposal aims to develo¥production techniques for largearea silicon avalanche photodiodes sensitive to blue and ultraviolet wavelengths. One technique involves coatings that convert the incident radiation to longer wavelengths, while another seeks to eliminate subsurface defects that tra¥energy.