Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc. SBIR Phase II Award, January 2019

The Navy is actively seeking midinfrared wavelength infrared (MWIR) detectors that can use spectral signatures in the 3-5 µm range to remotely detect and characterize explosive chemicals or chemical warfare species. Most of the MWIR bands can be accessed by alloying lead selenide (PbSe) with lead sulfide (PbS) or lead telluride (PbTe). Most importantly, these alloys can operate at room temperature without cryogenic cooling, which is a significant cost saving feature. However, growing high-detectivity PbSeS alloy absorber poses a challenge for the traditional deposition techniques. To address this challenge, RMD has demonstrated in the Phase I the technical feasibility to grow high-quality mixed lead salt absorber layers using a non-traditional technique, which exhibited high detectivities in mid-infrared region, tuned for specific wavelengths. During the Phase II program, RMD proposes to design, fabricate and test prototype MWIR detectors based on lead-salt ternary phases for specific wavelengths between 3.5 and 4.6 microns.