Night Vision Enhancement Technology for Paratrooper Eye Protection Goggles

This SBIR project aims at developing a high sensitivity night vision viewer with broadband coverage. Utilizing a unique transparent functional material developed at Boston Applied Technologies Incorporated (BATi) that has excellent pyroelectric effect, strong absorption at near-, mid- and LW-IR wavebands, perfect transmittance in visible wavelengths, the intensity variation of an incident IR radiation from a warm object can be transferred into intensity variation of a visible beam by a smart use of a second electro-optic material. The output visible image can then be viewed directly by naked eyes. Take the advantage of maturity in the display industry and excellent capability of production of large size functional materials at BATi, the aperture of the viewer can fit the need for paratroopers. Compared with existing thermal imaging techniques, this invention will generate an uncooled imaging system of unprecedented low costs, yet with higher resolution, greater sensitivity, and lower power consumption. In our Phase I work, we have successfully demonstrated the feasibility and provided detailed design of the proposed viewer. In the subsequent Phase II efforts, we will advance towards the implementations of a night vision viewer prototype with full functionalities.