Study of A Newly Unveiled Complex-Oxide and Semiconductor for Low-Cost Uncooled MWIR/LWIR Camera Application
Abstract
We propose to study a newly unveiled PbSe-related complex oxide and semiconductor system with their micro-and nano-structures to achieve the following threefold objective. The first is to develop new deposition methods that has never been tried previous on Pb-salt materials to emulate the sensitized Pb-salt material system. The new growth methods will have much improved thin film homogeneity and reproducibility and will eliminate the high temperature sensitization process. The second is to better understand the sensitized Pb-salt complex oxide and semiconductor material system by studying each individual layer and their integrated material system, which in tum should lead to better understanding of the Pb-salt photoconductor modeling. The third is to optimize and fabricate Pb-salt polycrystalline detector by design, instead of by "trial and error", which should lead to a disruptive improvement in performance and reliability. Advanced materials, composites, and manufacturing process are critical to sustain military readiness and superiority. New materials and improvements to existing materials are important for applications for aircraft, am1or, munitions, prosthetics, and batteries. While investments in fundamental and applied materials research and development have led to notable advancements, challenges remain to understand and characterize materials performance and reliability for critical defense applications. Performance and reliability issues are found across the Services that impact current and new systems and the life extension of existing platforms. Polycrystalline Pb-salt semiconductor material is one of the earliest semiconductor material being studied for military applications, and remain critical strategic importance for some military smart weapons programs. Performance and reliability issues for polycrystalline Pb-salt photoconductors, however, have been the major concern due to lack of understanding of the material and the operation mechanism. Our new study reveals that sensitized PbSe is actually monolithically integrated complex oxides with semiconductor and its nano-structures. Such structure perhaps enables their respective properties to be electrically coupled to realize functionalities that cannot be achieved independently in either material alone, leading to high detectivity in mid-infrared region. The century long unsolved mystery of Pb-salt photoconductor could be explained and disrupt improvement of device performance and reliability could be achieved as successful outcomes of this proposed research. The proposed study of Pb-salt complex oxide and semiconductor as a material system has never been done previously. In addition to much improved detector performance and reliability, such study could also lead to new findings in such material system and it may also open doors to create new structures of Pb-sal complex oxides with its semiconductors that have new functionalities for new applications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 14, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1810418
Entities
People
- Zhisheng Shi
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of Oklahoma