Award Data

Current focal plane array (FPA) technologies for imaging in low-light conditions in the short wave infrared (SWIR) are limited by poor quantum efficiency and/or poor noise characteristics. To address this need, a new SWIR-sensitive linear-mode avalanche photodiode detector array, will be optimized for low-light imaging, fabricated, and demonstrated. Unlike existing SWIRavalanche photodiodes (APDs) ...

Idaho Scientific proposes to design and develop, SPUD, an irrefutable tamper logging protocol.During the course of this Phase I effort, Idaho Scientific will implement the core of the logging protocol and develop a set of unit tests designed to evaluate properties of that protocol that uphold its irrefutable claims. During a Phase II effort, Idaho Scientific would propose to encapsulate this proto ...

A 1280 x 1024, 12-micron-pitch format radiation-hardened dual-band digital infrared readout integrated circuit (ROIC) will be developed. The features of the reconfigurable adaptive detector integrated circuit (RadIC) include: low-noise in-pixel amplifiers, in-pixel analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), extended > 22-bit dynamic range with temporal-photon flux-rate encoding, high-rate readout, and as ...

The feasibility of using a low-cost, coal-based carbon foam (CFOAM) for providing lightning and thermal protection for ground-based missile systems was demonstrated during Phase I.Touchstone proposes to build on the Phase I efforts and take the development of this system to the next stage.During Phase I, a concept was developed that will provide sufficient thermal protection to the underlying mate ...

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has identified a need to reduce weight and improve manufacturability to insure cost effectiveness for structural components of its missile interceptors. Touchstone Research Laboratory, Ltd. (Touchstone) and San Diego Composites (SDC) have teamed to combine their respective tooling and composite materials technologies to achieve this goal. Touchstone has developed a ...

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 ...

Future seekers of the future will need to allow for multiple targets and various advanced countermeasures, likely including a dual-mode component to do so. A Dual Mode Seeker (DMS) has at least an infrared (IR) Focal Plane Array (FPA) as well as an active means to capture target range and preferably 3-D imagery. Future technology insertion will benefit from a monolithic dual mode focal plane, wher ...

A back-illuminated planar InGaAs photodiode tested to have 95% quantum effiiency (QE) at 1550 nm, area greater than 1 mm2, low capacitance (125 MHz) will be improved. Although the existing Phase I device exhibited bulk material dark current generation better than commercially available devices, the sidewall-generated dark current was found to dominate the noise equiva ...

A 128 x 128-format avalanche photodiode (APD) focal plane array (FPA), including a low-power dual-mode readout integrated circuit (ROIC) and low excess noise, high gain (M>1,200) will be developed for laser radar (LADAR) applications requiring reduced SWAP. The FPA gives LADAR seekers an advanced active tracking sensor capability, providing a sufficiently wide field of regard (FOR) to eliminate th ...