Near/Short Wavelength HgCdTe/Si-Based Infrared Focal Plane Arrays

We propose the development of a near infrared/short wavelength infrared (NIR/SWIR) sensor based on molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) designed for room-temperature operation in the 0.4 to 1.3 micron spectral range for the next generation of night vision goggles (NVGs), weapon sights, and handheld or airborne systems. The sensor will compete as a low cost and high performance alternative to NIR InGaAs-based cameras by providing reduced fabrication costs.This proposed effort will fabricate HgCdTe NIR/SWIR sensors on silicon substrates with room-temperature spectral response down to 0.4 micron wavelength after the removal of the Si substrates. The potential benefit to DARPA of the proposed program will be a low cost camera technology that can be used in NVGs required by SOCOM, the Marines and the Army. EPIRs proprietary MBE processes offer another advantage, namely they will allow for the fabrication of in situ double sided passivated structures. Such structures are needed by DRS Technologies, a major DoD manufacturer of NVGs and other infrared products. They can be used in the DRS high density vertically integrated photodiode (HDVIP) process to fabricate 640x480 format, 12 micron pitch and 1280x960 format, 6 micron pitch FPA products for many applications.