Affordable, High-Performance Infrared Resistive Array Technology for the Stimualtion of Infrared Targets and Scenes in a Test and Evaluation Environme

For over two decades, researchers have investigated a wide variety of technologies for use as a real-time infrared scene generator. The key element necessary to develop a practical and cost effective infrared scene projector for test and evaluation of infrared sensors and seekers is a real-time thermal infrared scene generation device. During the past several years, the most promising technology to meet the myriad of infrared scene projection applications appears to be the silicon micromachined resistive -array approach where each thermal pixel is created by a micro-scale resistor. The principal objectives of this proposed effort by Optical E.T.C., Inc. (OETC) are to (I) investigate alternative technologies that could lead to the fabrication of affordable, rugged, uniform, and efficient high-performance emissive resistive thermal pixel arrays (TPA) and (2) begin exploring the potential for joining together multiple TPAs to produce a larger format TPA. The baseline TPA architecture to be considered will be based upon planar silicon micromachined CMOS technology. This research is relevant to the development of TPA technology for inclusion in a cost-effective high-fidelity, real-time infrared scene projector as an element of infrared sensor/seeker test and evaluation at Government and various commercial facilities.