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High speed, low noise, near infrared HgCdTe avalanche photodiodes

Award Information

Agency:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 		Branch:
N/A 		Award ID:
51727 		Program Year/Program:
2001 / SBIR
Agency Tracking Number:
NASA2022 		Solicitation Year:
N/A 		Solicitation Topic Code:
N/A 		Solicitation Number:
N/A
Small Business Information
EPIR Technologies Inc
590 Territorial Drive, Suite B Bolingbrook, IL -
View profile »
Woman-Owned: No
Minority-Owned: No
HUBZone-Owned: No
 
Phase 1
Fiscal Year: 2001
Title: High speed, low noise, near infrared HgCdTe avalanche photodiodes
Agency: NASA
Contract: N/A
Award Amount: $70,000.00
 

Abstract:

High efficiency and speed silicon avalanche photodiodes (APD) are currently available for low-light detection in the 200 to 1150nm range. However, silicon has weak optical absorption beyond 1000 nm. The NASA Surface Topography and Oceanic Measurements programs requires high efficiency, high speed, and low noise detectors in the 1500 to 2200 nm wavelength region. The semiconductor alloy Hg1-xCdxTe, with its wavelength tunability over a broad spectral range, high quantum efficiency, low dielectric constant permitting high speed operation, and low noise in APDs (due to the resonant enhancement of hole ionization coefficient), is an attractive material for meeting NASA's specifications. We propose a new generation of high quantum efficiency, high speed, photon counting, near infrared (1500-2200 nm) avalanche photodiodes with excellent noise and gain-bandwidth performance. They will be an asset to NASA's proposed Earth Science Enterprise program and related space programs as part of three-dimensional imaging systems. The goals will be achieved by i) using the established flexible manufacturing molecular beam epitaxy technology for device quality HgCdTe material growth on silicon substrates, and ii) developing novel APD device architectures including separate absorption and multiplication.

Principal Investigator:

Silviu Velicu
Research Associate
6308424486
silviu@smartpixelinc.com

Business Contact:

Sivalingam Sivananthan
President
6302153324
ssiva@smartpixelinc.com
Small Business Information at Submission:

Smart Pixel Inc.
1416 Dun Robin Road Naperville, IL 60540

EIN/Tax ID:
DUNS: N/A
Number of Employees:
Woman-Owned: No
Minority-Owned: No
HUBZone-Owned: No