Newark, N.J.-based Simphotek Inc. has been awarded a two-year $750,000 Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II contract by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The grant will enable the company to continue developing optical computer-aided design (CAD) software to simulate the interactions of light with linear and nonlinear optical materials. The software could have applications in analyzing photoactivated phenomena in materials used for optical devices, medical diagnostics and renewable energy.