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Unipolar nBn HgCdTe on Silicon for High Performance, Low Cost NIR/SWIR Imagers

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Special Operations Command
Contract: H92222-12-P-0057
Agency Tracking Number: S121-002-0008
Amount: $149,995.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: SOCOM12-002
Solicitation Number: 2012.1
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2012
Award Year: 2012
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2012-06-13
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
590 Territorial Drive, Suite B
Bolingbrook, IL -
United States
DUNS: 068568588
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Jeremy Bergeson
 Engineer
 (630) 771-0203
 contracts@epir.com
Business Contact
 Sivalingam Sivananthan
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Phone: (630) 771-0201
Email: ssivananthan@epir.com
Research Institution
 Stub
Abstract

We propose the development of a near infrared/shortwave infrared (NIR/SWIR) sensor based on mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) in an n-type/barrier/n-type (nBn) architecture, designed for room-temperature operation in the 0.7 to 2.8µm NIR/SWIR spectral range. The sensor will compete as a low cost/high performance alternative to near infrared indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs)-based cameras by providing reduced fabrication costs and an extended detection wavelength range. The detectors will be composed of n-type and undoped HgCdTe material, which simplifies the manufacturing and lowers costs by eliminating the complications associated with p-type doping. This Phase I proposed effort will fabricate a prototype nBn HgCdTe NIR/SWIR sensors on silicon substrates with room-temperature spectral response from the silicon absorption band edge (~1.1µm) to 2.8µm. In Phase II, the nBn devices will be incorporated in high-resolution FPAs, and, with substrate removal, have responsivity from 0.7µm to 2.8µm. In the nBn architecture, HgCdTe has tremendous potential for advanced NIR/SWIR imaging applications that can realize an"out-of-band"capability advantage over InGaAs detectors while maintaining cost competitiveness because of the simplified processing of nBn devices as well as the low cost and large format of Si substrates.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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