Performance of present and planned electro-optical sensors could be significantly improved with the incorporation of filters deposited directly onto detector elements. The use of ion-assisted deposition and ion-beam sputtering in the fabrication of detector filter coatings will be investigated. These processes can be carried out at a low temperature and can be used to deposit a wide variety of optical coating materials. Issues such as process, filter and detector material compatibility, patterning techniques, and risk reduction will be addressed.Principal initial applications will be in space-based sensors, in which ultimate performance, power and weight savings, and reliability are critical. Later applications include spectroscopic detector arrays with integral order sorting filters and low-cost disposable filters and sensors for patient monitoring.ion-assisted deposition, ion-beam sputtering, filter-on-detector, detector coatingSTATUS: Phase I Only
