ALPHACORE INC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N212-124

Description

Alphacore will develop an innovative, low-cost mid-wave infrared (MWIR) focal plane array (FPA) technology with the goal to achieve > 20x cost reduction over existing MWIR FPAs. The innovations include a unique readout integrated circuit (ROIC) design optimized for use with a novel low-cost infrared (IR) detector technology based on colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) - a promising nanomaterial for higher temperature (> 250 K) operation - deposited directly on the Si wafer containing the ROIC to minimize cost. The innovative ROIC design comprises built-in advanced noise-mitigation schemes to pick the photocurrent out of high dark current and noise of the CQD detector: per-pixel dark current compensation and in-pixel chopping technique to reduce the 1/f noise. The detector uses new CQD nanomaterial: Ag2Se (silver selenide) - without toxic Hg (mercury) - for the MWIR wavelengths (3 - 5 um).  In Phase I, in collaboration with research faculty at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the new CQD-based IR photodetector prototype will be fabricated and characterized. Using the prototype CQD IR sensor characterization and the measured device data and characteristics, Alphacore will develop appropriate ROIC unit cells and ROIC architectures for the specific CQD detector characteristics, for use in Phase II development.