Award Data

To reduce the cost of new hardware development, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is developing fast new computational tools that enable in-the-loop hardware testing. The MDA and contractors have developed high-fidelity scene modeling tools such as the Fast Line-of-sight Imagery for Target and Exhaust-plume Signatures (FLITES) to test optical signature trackers. Currently, these high-speed tools ar ...

Current state-of-the-art infrared focal plane arrays are based on HgCdTe grown on bulk CdZnTe substrates. The use of Si-based substrates would eliminate a number of drawbacks related to the HgCdTe/CdZnTe system and permit larger formats. We have developed growth protocols that produce material with good crystal quality for such a highly mismatched heteroepitaxial system. Double crystal rocking c ...

Hydrogen isotopes have been shown to reduce the electrical effects of various semiconductor defects. Specifically, monoatomic hydrogen and deuterium passivate the electrical activity of defects such as dislocations in long-wavelength HgCdTe grown on Si. We propose a novel method of controlling the intake of hydrogen in HgCdTe IRFPAs by using the H2/He plasma afterglow formed by flowing plasma-gene ...

Current state-of-the-art infrared focal plane arrays (IRFPAs) are based on HgCdTe material epitaxially grown on bulk CdZnTe substrates. The size of the IRFPAs is limited by the size of the available CdZnTe substrates and the thermal mismatch between CdZnTe and the Si readout circuit, which misaligns the photodiode array with respect to the circuit during heating and cooling cycles. Having HgCdTe ...

The purpose of this STTR phase I proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of producing the survivable multi-functional engineered material systems for spacecraft surfaces at an affordable cost using the proposed novel material designs and processes. The objectives of these efforts are not only to demonstrate the technical feasibility, but also to illustrate that at least 50% cost savings for DOD ...

High-fidelity missile plume flowfield simulations of MDA interest require use of detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms, which significantly improve IR/UV/RCS/visible signature prediction but entail long solution runtimes for completion. These long runtimes result from the required iterative solution of large systems of stiff, non-linear chemical source terms at each CFD mesh point; this curtails t ...

Radiation Hardened Multi-color infrared (IR) focal planes are required for MDA/SMDC systems applications . Key to meeting these system requirements is to develop multi-color radiation hardened HgCdTe focal plane arrays for LWIR band ( 7-14 microns) and VLWIR band with wavelength of greater than 14 microns with high pixel uniformity, reduced readout noise, improved resolution, and higher temperatur ...

MDA is developing materials for several applications including hypersonic missiles, ma-neuvering reentry vehicles, advanced solid rocket motors, and divert and attitude control sys-tems. All of these applications employ components that must operate at temperatures above 3000°F. Viable structural materials for these conditions can be loosely grouped as graphite, ce-ramics (e.g. oxides, carbides) ...

This program will develop an appliqu"¦ based on a multi-layer film which will be conductive as well as possessing good optical properties (low ¦A, high ¦Å). The film will be designed to be highly resistant to the space environment. This white, conductive appliqu"¦ will be easily applied to most external areas of the spacecraft. The appliqu"¦ is expected to have multiple layers, each indiv ...

We propose to study the development of a dedicated neutron source for Single Event Effects (SEE)to be collocated and intregrated with an existing neutron source (LENS)at the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF). The study will maximize use of existing facilities to maximize the cost/benefit for the SEE neutron source.