Adaptive Infrared Thermal Signature Management
Abstract
There is a need for the development of IR camouflaging technology that will be beneficial for military applications. Our proposed solution involves the use of Engineered Optical Materials (EnMat) that promises dynamic tenability of IR properties. Two EnMat systems are considered, both of which consist of a nanostructured surface that is coupled to an optical cavity. The EnMat is designed such that it diffracts light in the visible domain, but can be imaged in the IR domain using infrared cameras. By incorporating a phase change material VO2, in the optical cavity, we show that the optical response of the EnMat can be controlled based on the semiconducting (transparent) or metallic (reflective) states of VO2. We provide proof of concept demonstration that the VO2 based EnMat devices provide an extra layer of security such that the coded information can be concealed to infrared cameras unless we drive the VO2 to its semiconducting state. The high-definition (HD) pixelated dynamically tunable IR devices will revolutionize the IR camouflage, thermal management, infrared tagging and labelling. Further, development of the concept in spray-able paint format allows low cost, high throughput scalability of the concept to any surfaces.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 29, 2020
- Source ID
- HM04762010010
Entities
People
- Debashis Chanda
Organizations
- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
- University of Central Florida Board of Trustees