VIS-SWIR Solid State Silicon-Germanium Imaging Camera Development

This proposal responds to the Army’s effort to fuse image intensification with infrared technologies and to rapidly meet warfighter’s protection needs. Small, lightweight, low cost, high-sensitivity solid-state infrared cameras widely disseminated on the battlefield would revolutionize land warfare. An effective sensor utilizing covert illumination and nightglow background would require a camera with extended response in the visible (VIS) and short wave infrared (SWIR). The objective of this program is to demonstrate through design, analysis, and semiconductor process improvement the technical feasibility of low-cost, solid-state single-photon detection VIS-SWIR Silicon-Germanium digital cameras with gating, range discrimination capabilities, high photon utilization and frame rate greater than 60 Hz. The core of the imaging camera will be a silicon photon-counting array with integrated SWIR Ge converter and low-noise CMOS readout. In Phase I we will improve the Ge converter process performance, will develop specific readout circuitry and new operation modes for this VIS-SWIR camera, will determine the achievable performance and will deliver a small prototype camera to demonstrate functionality, specific features and speed. If feasibility and target performance are demonstrated, the goal of the Phase II is to integrate the infrared converter into the camera fabrication flow, scale down the technology node and deliver prototypes capable of meeting the performance of today’s’ lattice-matched InGaAs cameras, but with superior manufacturability and readiness for production.