Enhanced Capability Point Combined Bio and Chem Sensor

In this Phase II program, to enable long-standoff-range, small-sized, high-performance, cost-effective LWIR DISC LIDAR systems, a six-element array of 1-mm, segmented HgCdTe avalanche photodiodes (APDs) will be designed, optimized and each APD will be directly coupled to a unique narrow-band cold-filter, with unique spectral bandpass filters <18-cm^-1 in width and optimized for f/0/.9 optics reduce the shot noise resulting from the background-radiation, and these noiseless HgCdTe APD gain boosts the DISC LIDAR signal above downstream electronics noise - providing a nearly-optimal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Improved SNR allows increased standoff range, improved discrimination, and reduced laser power, and can dramatically improve system size, weight, and power for UAVs, UGVs, and manportable, long-standoff and point-detection CBD systems. The infrared HgCdTe APDs also offers improved performance for existing and planned passive and active CBD detectors. Phase I work demonstrated high-gain, infrared HgCdTe APDs operate noiselessly low operating voltage, and that 1-mm detectors with excellent uniformity and good yields can be produced using a simple three-step manufacturing processes. In Phase II, a multi-spectral LWIR HgCdTe detector assembly will be manufactured, characterized, integrated with a cryogenic housing, and control electronics, and the resulting LWIR receiver will be field-demonstrated to demonstrate superior performance to alternative approaches.