SBIR-STTR Award

EPIR proposes to fabricate and deliver radiation-hardened 8m pitch, 1280720 mid-wave infrared (MWIR) focal plane arrays (FPAs) and cameras using HgCdTe material grown utilizing molecular beam epitaxy and commercial digital readout integrated circuits. HgCdTe infrared photon detectors have high sensitivity, require low integration time and are capable of operating at high frame rates, hence are ideal for high-speed navigation in high dynamic range and low contrast scenes and for detecting fast-moving targets. With the emergence of high operation temperature design concepts, reducing the cooling requirements became feasible and our FPAs can achieve background limited performance at 160K. The proposed work leverages EPIRs previous radiation hardening efforts. Our FPAs were tested under 1.5E13 n/cm2 accumulated neutron dose up to 66MeV, instant flux of 2E9 n/cm2/s for two hours and maintained full imaging capabilities. In the current Phase 1, EPIR will conduct modeling and simulation studies to improve MWIR HgCdTe FPA performance, design MWIR FPAs and imagers based on simulation results to improve strategic sensor performance. EPIR will also establish procedures to fabricate the FPAs and imagers to confirm the feasibility of our design. Finally, we will design FPA and camera testing methodologies to mimic radiation application scenarios for Navys strategic systems.

Benefit:
EPIR Inc. will work on the research and development of the radiation-hardened IRFPA detectors and subsequent cameras for use in high radiation environments, where high doses of high energy protons, neutrons, photons and electrons are present. Although radiation hardness of IR detectors and cameras is needed in Department of Defense (DOD) and NASA applications, as well as future DOE large-scale facilities such as the next-generation rare isotope beam facilities, there are currently no dedicated commercially-available radiation-hardened IR-FPAs and cameras. Defense Applications: The imaging and sensor industry is an important and growing part of the U.S. technology defense and civilian industrial base. This industry has been dominated by the manufacturing of these products based on HgCdTe material technology. Imaging and sensor products are used in defense applications such as strategic navigation, target imaging, homing, detection and tracking. In space-based applications, the device is exposed to high-energy protons and gamma rays, which can cause displacement damage and ionization effects. The radiation can cause progressive degradation, so designs that are less vulnerable to such degradation and deliver predictable performance are of great value. In addition to missile seeker applications, such detectors have applications in threat warning, surveillance and even interception systems. Energy Sector Applications: Notable applications for such infrared cameras are robotic tools for nuclear accident response and recovery. High reliability can be crucial in time-sensitive operations that may be required in accident response. The special perception enabled by thermal imaging can help greatly in remotely defining unknown environments and hazards. A large number of operations, maintenance, and remediation activities in high radiation facilities could benefit from radiation-hardened imagers. Radiation worker exposure can be reduced by the low maintenance requirements of radiation-hardened sensors, as well as the enhanced remote sensing functionality provided. Space Applications: In addition to energy-related applications, our proposed HgCdTe camera development can enable missions to comets and asteroids within 1 AU of Earth. HgCdTe arrays with integrated linear-variable-filters (LVFs) have become an efficient tool for planetary science remote sensing spectroscopy. The fast response of our HgCdTe arrays and cameras will enable their use in imaging Fourier transform spectrometers (FTS) where fast interferogram sampling is required. The achievement of increased operating temperatures for high-performance HgCdTe infrared detectors and the development of passive cooling technologies provide an exciting opportunity for the development of high-performance infrared spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging systems.

Keywords:
MCNP, MCNP, HgCdTe, Infrared, radiation hardened, Neutrons, fpa, protons