VLSI-Scale Programmable Architectures Supporting FPA Operation and Pre-Processing Functions

Seeker system drive electronics have historically been orders of magnitude larger in size and power dissipation than the FPA devices which they operate. Technology advances have permitted the development of a wide variety of sensor types including visible and infrared imagers, LADAR and millimeter-wave imagers, range-to-target detection systems, hyperspectral systems and biologically-inspired sensors. While varied in operation principles, the basic nature this group's respective drive electronics is remarkably similar. This proposal outlines a program that will investigate the design and development of a programmable Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI)-scale drive and pre-processing electronics system that may be applied to virtually any sensor type that requires some form of digital clocking, analog preprocessing and digitization of the resulting single- or multiple parallel-output sensor type. The scope and variety of digitally-applied preprocessing operations will also be investigated in such a VLSI-scale single chip and/or hybrid chip structure. Many of the sensor types that will be operated by the "DriveChip" will require operation at cryogenic temperatures. This design investigation will define and investigate a wide variety of system requirements including that of cryogenic operation. The existence of such a DriveChip will enable the continued miniaturization of seeker/processing systems for future AFRL/MNG applications.