Award Data

New materials and processes are needed to achieve performance requirements of future ballistic missile defense systems (BMDS). Ever increasing demands on achievable speed and performance require thermally stable, lightweight and mechanically robust thermal protection systems to protect underlying structures from aerothermal heating, radiative heating, as well as impact from rain and other particul ...

The deployment of next generation focal plane arrays sensing in the long wavelength infrared will improve the detection capabilities in all major MDA infrared systems. However, a major limitation to the employment of these high sensitivity arrays is the cooling system. Current tactical cryocoolers cannot meet the desired temperature requirements. The goal of this project is to develop the technolo ...

The MDA is developing deployable airborne systems such as the Airborne Laser (ABL) for boost-phase missile defense. The ABL’s mission would significantly benefit from the development of sensors that enhance target detection and ranging capabilities. We propose near-infrared, linear mode, photon counting avalanche photodiode (APD) arrays that are compatible with ABL and based on highly sensitive ...

EpiWorks will demonstrate an MOCVD capability to manufacture of GaSb/InAs strained layer superlattice (SLS) epitaxial wafers for 10um FPAs in a low-cost commercial, production environment. In our proposed effort EpiWorks would initially focus on duplicate state-of-the-art results that have been achieved to date in research labs using MBE growth. This would lay the groundwork for EpiWorks to con ...

A collaborative effort is proposed between IllinoisRocstar LLC and the University of Illinois to develop and commercialize a computational framework to investigate nozzle erosion in solid-propellant rocket motors (SRM) and tangential instability modes in liquid rocket engines (LRE). For SRM, highly resolved simulations will be performed to understand the effects of turbulent inlet conditions, as w ...

An opportunity exists to lower cost and improve thermal battery performance by applying a unique separator material, ceramic fiber separator (CFS), developed by Inventek Corporation. The paper-like material can also serve as a foundation for thin-electrode fabrication and a continuous method for battery/cell fabrication. Additional InvenTek will apply low-temp nitrate chemistry in development by ...

Tracking and recognition of fast moving targets require fast, sensitive, uniform focal plane arrays (FPAs). However, high performance single band FPAs are sometimes unable to discriminate a target from its background when they present similar infrared radiation at a given wavelength. This may occur even if the temperature of the objects is very different. In such a case, Two Color FPAs offer an ...

We propose a large-format collinear LWIR Type II Strained Superlattice (SLS) Focal Plane Array with digital signal readout and near-focal-plane digital image processing that can reduce demands on computer power and data bandwidths. This proposed approach, supported by Lockheed Martin, is based on a novel dual pixel design that consists of using pairs of adjacent pixels each connected in an invert ...

There is a need for a high-resolution two-dimensional focal plane array (FPA) with single photon sensitivity (SPS), pulse amplitude storage, and GHz bit rates that can record both the time (with 10 bits) from multiple returns from a single laser pulse. Such a system has the potential to significantly reduce LADAR size, weight, and power (SWAP) by alleviating the laser requirements. In this program ...

New, modular radiation hard [>300 kRad (Si)] ROIC designs are required to address the needs of planned ballistic missile defense system. Anticipating the needs for large formats, small pixel sizes, and multiple spectral bands, the features of an existing radiation-hard space imager ROIC will be used to develop the design of an extensible 1024 × 1024, 15-μm pixel ROIC design. The design includes ...