HIGH TC SUPERCONDUCTOR ARRAYS FOR SMART SEEKERS

THIS EFFORT WILL INVESTIGATE THE CONTROLLED MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY (MBE) OF THIN FILM BISRCACUO ON A BUFFERED SI SUBSTRATE. THE EPITAXY, AIMED AT IN-SITU CONTROL OF STOICHIOMETRY, WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY USING A BEAM OF ATOMIC OXYGEN GENERATED BY A ELECTRONCYCLOTRON-RESONANCE (ECR) SOURCE REACTING WITH ATOMIC BEAMS OF BI, SR, CA AND CU GENERATED BY EFFUSION SOURCES. THE THIN FILM GROWN ON A SPECIALLY ETCHED SI SUBSTRATE WILL FORM AN ARRAY OF SUPERCONDUCTING BOLOMETERS WHICH ARE THEMALLY ISOLATED FROM ONE ANOTHER AND FROM THEIR SURROUNDINGS, MAKING THEM HIGHLY SENSITIVE TO DETECTING INFRARED RADIATION OVER THE ENTIRE INFRARED SPECTRUM OF CURRENT INTEREST. THE BOLOMETER ARRAY CAN BE MONOLITHICALLY COUPLED TO A READOUT CIRCUIT WHICH CAN ALSO BE FABRICATED ON THE SAME SI SUBSTRATE. THE RESULTANT FOCAL PLANE ARRAYS ARE VERY ATTRACTIVE FOR FABRICATING COMPLEX INFRARED SENSOR SYSTEMS.