High Speed Low Cost MID-IR Imager

This program addresses a revolutionary approach to an uncooled Mid-Wave IR (MWIR) imager providing intrinsic advantages in cost and performance in comparison with competitive approaches. The innovation is based on pixel-level integration of bi-material cantilevers that directly convert the IR image into a visible image, providing unprecedented opportunity to produce affordable MWIR imagers by eliminating the need for costly electronic amplification and fan-out. The optical readout scheme eliminates additional signal loss that inevitably occurs in electronic read-out methods due to thermal loss through electrical contact made to the detector elements. This unconventional approach facilitates the use of a variety of high-sensitivity IR sensing materials without the obstacle of processing incompatibility and offers near instantaneous full-array imaging. Moreover, the design is simple, compact, lightweight, low power consumption, and rugged. The Phase I work has successfully demonstrated the fabrication of a PbSe/MEMS IR detector achieving high specific detectivity D* ~ 4E08 (cmHz^1/2W). Our complex simulation analysis indicates two order of magnitude sensitivity improvement is achievable as the device fabrication process is further optimized. As a technology demonstration, the Phase II effort undertakes the fabrication of a fully functional prototype uncooled PbSe/MEMS based MWIR imager of 160x120 pixels with 360o large FOV IR optics and imaging speed over 400 FPS.