Multi-Spectral Infrared Focal Plane Arrays

In this program, Alphacore will develop the capability to provide critical elements for multi-band infrared imagers. These include infrared detector materials, readout integrated circuits (ROICs), and focal plane arrays (FPAs). Alphacore will establish itself as a reliable supplier for these components, as well as for full camera systems, for both defense and commercial customers. These components and full cameras will be optimized or multi-band operation in SWIR-eSWIR and MWIR bands. The emphasis will be on temporally simultaneous and spatially co-registered data capture. Alphacore will include radiation tolerance into the multi-band design to support both Air and Space Force applications. Alphacore has extensive experience as a supplier of radiation hard electronics, as well as a radiation test provider, to numerous customers.  Alphacore’s designs will include colloidal quantum-dot (CQD) based multi-band detectors for NIR – SWIR – eSWIR and MWIR wavelengths. Unlike epitaxial semiconductors grown using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), CQDs are produced in a large quantity using low-cost colloidal synthesis and the device fabrication is conducted by spin-coating CQD solution directly on a silicon ROIC at the wafer-scale. This solution-based, monolithic fabrication of infrared CQDs opens the path to realizing multispectral focal plane arrays (FPAs) with dramatic reduction in cost. In this SBIR phase I project, we will investigate the experimental feasibility of realizing multispectral sensing using four different sizes of PbS CQDs operating in four different SWIR bands (between 1 to 2.2 µm, 2x2 subpixels). The research partner, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), also has developed a very promising MWIR CQD detector technology which is not as mature as the PbS QDOT based SWIR detector technology. Regardless, it is also a goal in this program to  pursue multiband MWIR, and mixed multiband SWIR-MWIR technologies.  The CQD optimization/fabrication capability will be matched with Alphacore’s wide variety of ROIC designs, including high-framerate ROICs (e.g., VGA at 5,000fps), high dynamic range (24 bits, 8 billion electrons quantum well), and event-based sensor, EBS, functionality (latency <1us). The goal is that Alphacore’s ROIC library, enabled with CQD detectors, will be able to cover as many  multiband applications as possible.   The team in this program includes experts on all the technology areas involved: Alphacore’s team has experienced ROIC design engineers, IR camera system experts and test engineers, whereas NJIT has extensive experience in CQD technologies.