Broadband LWIR C-IHET FPA for Discrimination Seekers

This Phase I STTR proposes to develop Focal Plane Array (FPA) based on Corrugated-Infrared Hot Electron Transistor (C-IHET) technology as a passive sensor for discrimination seekers. The initial goal of achieving high sensitivity with operating temperature >77K for C-IHET in the 8 - 12 µm LWIR spectral region will be investigated. This IHET effort will be developed in collaboration with the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and L-3 Communication Cincinnati Electronics (CE). GaAs-based IHET epitaxy materials will be developed using multi-wafer production Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) reactor at IntelliEPI. University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) will lead the device/epi structure design and optimization effort. Non destructive epitaxy materials characterization will be performed by IntelliEPI. UIC will characterize IHET test device for optical and electrical properties. UIC will develop processes for the epi wafers to create FPA die with the corrugated coupling geometry design. The process will be developed based on device fabrication facility at ARL. As proof of concept, CE will hybridize a C-IHET FPA to a fan-out or specially modified Read-Out Integrated Circuit (1024x768 format ROIC). UIC will work with ARL and CE to characterize a hybridized C-IHET FPA. The results will be compared with a comparable QWIP FPA.