92
Indium
Arsenide Antimonide Very Long Wavelength Photodiodes for
Near-Room-Temperature Operation--SVT
Associates, 7620 Executive Drive, Eden Prairie, MN
55344-3677; 952-934-2100, www.svta.com
Dr.
Aaron Moy, Principal Investigator, moy@svta.com
Ms.
Jane Marks, Business Official,
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG02-02ER83547
Amount:
$499,934
Commercially
available photodetectors that operate in the 3-12 micron wavelength range are
needed for the Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) monitoring of chemical weapons.
However, these photodetectors are susceptible to high degrees of noise,
have a low operating bandwidth, and require cryogenic cooling.
This project will use indium arsenide antimonide, a compound
semiconductor alloy with an energy bandgap suitable for LWIR applications, in
the development of a low noise, high bandwidth LWIR photodetector for operation
at or near room temperature. In
Phase I, a materials growth study demonstrated that a prototype infrared
photodetector could provide mid-IR operation at room temperature.
The device was determined to be viable and worthy of continued
development. Phase II will optimize
the photodetector to reduce noise, increase sensitivity, and extend the detected
wavelength. After the single-element
photodiode is optimized, arrays of infrared photodetectors will be fabricated.
Commercial Applications and Other
Benefits
as described by awardee: Without the
need for cryogenic cooling, mid- and long- wavelength IR imaging systems that
are smaller, cheaper, more portable could be engineered.
These systems can be utilized for astronomy, agricultural and industrial
monitoring, night-vision, biomedical imaging, and optical chemical sensing.