A plasmonic photonic antenna (PPA) enhanced mid-wave infrared (MWIR) and longwave infrared (LWIR) emitter array

Two-dimensional (2-D) midwave and longwave infrared (MWIR/LWIR) emitter arrays are of great importance in numerous military and commercial applications, including infrared (IR) scene generation and infrared detection system emulation, IR radiometric duplication and counter measurement, medical applications and spectroscopic trace-gas sensing. Existing technologies have limited dynamic range. This SBIR Phase I proposal aims to develop a new type of plasmonic photonic antenna (PPA) coupled MWIR/LWIR light emitting diode (LED) array with low cross-talk, high frame rate of> 400 Hz and large dynamic range of over 2,000 K. In the Phase I project, we will demonstrate the feasibility of the PPA-coupled MWIR/LWIR LED, including the epi-growth of the MWIR/LWIR LED structures, fabricating a 2x2 PPA-enhanced MWIR/LWIR LED array, and characterizing its performance the external quantum efficiency (QE), the dynamic range, the inter-pixel cross talk, and the thermal heating. In Phase II, we will develop a prototype of a large-format (4kx4k) MWIR/LWIR LED array and perform initial commercialization of the proposed highly efficient MWIR/LWIR LED emitter technology.(Approved for Public Release 15-MDA-8482 (17 November 15))