VLWIR HgCdTe FPA Reliability and Yield Enhancement through Nanostructural Analysis

The state-of-the-art FPA manufacturing technologies commonly generate some critical defects in the pixel elements, which adversely impact their operability and reliability. In Phase I, the feasibility of identifying, analyzing, and on exemplary basis, eliminating these defects indirectly through nanostructural analysis was demonstrated. In Phase II, this defect analysis and correlation approach will be integrated with the FPA manufacturing technology to be able to eliminate critical structural defects effectively and efficiently at any FPA foundry. Once these structural defects have been removed, one could conceivably expect an FPA component to deliver its optimal performance as per intended design specifications. Furthermore, the resulting intra-array and inter-array reproducibility of the pixel elements will ensure minimal variability of the FPAs fabricated through the same baseline manufacturing process.