Scaling the Pixel from 24um to 12um Using the Low Cost and High Volume Manufacturing Process LAMP (Large Area MEMS Platform)

Obsidian Sensors is currently shipping VGA class microbolometers and cameras using the manufacturing technology called LAMP (Large Area MEMS Platform).  The pixel pitch of our first technology offering is 24um.  The cost and scale benefits for adopting the microbolometer on glass paradigm are huge, as we argue in the proposal.  10X lower costs and 100X increase in manufacturing scale are key aspects that the conventional way cannot match.  For reasons of SWAP and also to optimize even further, a pixel scaling effort from 24 to 12um is described in this proposal.   The resulting manufacturing process that we call LAMP2 (Large Area MEMS Platform) can not only reduce the overall size of the VGA sensor, it will enable the production and introduction of higher resolution formats on a blistering ly fast schedule, SXGA to 4K in 2026.  While the current LAMP process running at Innolux, in Taiwan, with pilot production at 24um and plans to scale to 17um by the end of this year, the 12um technology requires several improvements that are not available at Innolux.   The proposed effort will be pursued with Japan Display Inc., in the Gen 4.5 Ishikawa fab.   GIven the geopolitical climate, the move to open a second supply in Japan is a very prudent option to pursue.   The JDI facility has proven expertise in the development and mass production of high resolution near eye displays (1200ppi today with 2000ppi being developed) which provides an excellent base for LAMP2.   Moreover, a new sensor material that we call Thermolyte, will be introduced for the first time, providing a technical advantage over VOx, the industry standard today.   This proposed effort is envisioned as a 2 year overall effort, assuming that this D2P2 is funded as a $2M. 18 month project with another $2M augmentation.  Two SXGA class uncooled thermal cameras shall be delivered to the US Army, incorporating the new ROIC to be developed in another parallel SBIR effort.