Antenna Polarimetric Imaging Sensor to Detect IEDs

We propose to develop a dense micro antenna focal plane array (FPA) sensor for imaging polarized infrared (IR) emitted by man-made IEDs, emitting IR having a distinct polarization discriminating them from the randomly-polarized IR emitted by the natural background. Each pixel of this FPA consists of two micro dipole antennas disposed orthogonally to each other to detect two planar polarized LWIR. The signals from these are read out independently so that they can be summed vectorially to maximize contrast irrespective of the direction of polarization of the IR emitted by the IED, identifying it with little post-sensor data processing. The entire FPA is processed by CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) and MEMS (micro electro-mechanical system) processes. Phase 1 will design the FPA structure and layout, delineate the processes for fabrication and fabricate a simple structure to demonstrate its fabricability.