Two-color LWIR Sensing for Enhanced EKV/GMD Seekers

We propose to develop a dense focal plane array (FPA) tunable between two select long wave infrared (LWIR) bands to extract a missile target from clutter for enhanced lock-on range performance in an exo-atmospheric kill vehicle (EKV) seeker. This FPA consisting of 512x512 pixels of micro interferometric sensing elements is capable of high sensitivity and speed at 300K or 77K. The signals from the select bands are ratioed to achieve a long lock-on range. The entire FPA is processed by CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) and MEMS (micro electro-mechanical system) processes. Phase 1 will analyze and design the FPA structure and layout, delineate the processes for fabrication and fabricate a simple structure to demonstrate its fabricability.