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STRAINED TYPE II SUPERLATTICE FOR LONG WAVELENGTH INFRARED DETECTORS

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 15256
Amount: $49,625.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1991
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
7388 Washington Avenue
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Peter Chow
 Principal Investigator
 (612) 941-1898
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO MERCURY-CADMIUM TELLURIDE (MCT), WE PROPOSE TO INVESTIGATE THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF A RECENTLY INVENTED CLASS OF TYPE II STRAINED-LAYER SUPERLATTICES MADE OF (GA, AS)RELATED COMPOUNDS. THE NEW CONCEPT HAS ADVANTAGES COMPARED WITH PREVIOUS EFFORTS IN THAT SMALL BAND-GAPS MAY BE ACHIEVED WITH SUFFICIENTLYTHIN REPEATING LAYERS IN THE SUPERLATTICES SO THAT THEY HAVE GOOD OPTICAL ABSORPTION PROPERTIES AND FAVORABLE ELECTRICAL TRANSPORT PROPERTIES ORIGINAL CALCULATIONS HAVE INDICATED GA1-XINXSB/INAS TO BE THE BESTCHOICE FOR SUCH APPLICATION. VERY RECENTLY IT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVETHE HIGHEST ABSORPTION COEFFICIENT AT 10UM WAVELENGTH COMPARED TO ALLOTHER SUPERLATTICE MATERIALS. TO EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL OF THIS MATERIAL SYSTEM, WE PROPOSE TO FABRICATE THEM BY MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY (MBE). THE MBE SYSTEM IS EQUIPPED WITH ADJUSTABLE COLUMN V CRACKER SOURCES AND THE GROWTH PROCESS IS AUTOMATED. THE SAMPLES WILL BE CHARACTERIZED OPTICALLY AND EVALUATED FOR INFRARED DETECTION APPLICATIONS IN THE 8-12 UM REGION. ANTICIPATED BENEFITS/POTENTICIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS OF THE RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT. A VERY FAVORABLE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE STRAINED-LAYER TYPE II SUPERLATTICES SUGGEST THAT THEY COULD BE VERY USEFUL FOR INFRARED DETECTORS AND DETECTOR ARRAYS USED IN SPACE ASTRONOMY, PHYSICS AND ATMOSPHERIC STUDIES, AS WELL AS MEDICAL AND INDUSTRIAL THERMAL IMAGING APPLICATIONS.

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

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