Multiband Infrared Focal Plane Array for Seeker Applications

Improved interceptor seeker capability to detect, identify, and discriminate re-entry vehicles (RV’s) from countermeasures at distances of hundreds of kilometers is critical for missile defense. Development of an advanced infrared seeker combining high-spatial resolution with multiband detection for spectral discrimination is desired for material identification and RV discrimination. The challenge is to develop multiband sensors of greater sensitivity, higher resolution, and larger field-of-view to increase detection and tracking range. The sensor needs to be affordable, reliable, and operate at elevated temperature. Corrugated architecture quantum well infrared photodetectors (C-QWIPs) meet many seeker detector requirements and have recently demonstrated improved quantum efficiency and multiband capability. Black Forest Engineering's (BFE) readout integrated circuits provide large charge capacity and dark current subtraction that allows increase of C-QWIP operating temperature. BFE will design a 25x25 μm2 area pixel that will allow readout of 4-band collocated QWIPs in a near simultaneous mode. The Phase I design will include system modeling and fabrication plan for a large format sensor development on Phase II.