Abstract
Many commercial and government applications need high performance, large format, long-wavelength IR (LWIR) detector arrays in the range of 6-20 micrometers . NASA and the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) have devoted a significant effort to develop highly sensitive IR detectors and large format focal plane arrays (FPAs) based on novel, 'artificial' low effective band-gap semiconductor material system such as GaAs/AlGaAs. Caltech's JPL under contract form NASA and BMDO has extensively pursued GaAs/AlGaAs based multi-quantum wells for IR radiation detection. Optimization of the detector design, light coupling schemes, large format focal plane array fabrication and packaging have culminated in the realization of portable IR cameras with a mid-format FPA of QWIP detectors and the demonstration of a TV format QWIP camera. QWIP Technologies under an agreement with Caltech is manufacturing the QWIP-Chip, a 320 X 256 element FPA, which will be available in the summer of 1999. In this paper we discuss the advantages of MQW technology and our experience in the commercialization of QWIP FPAs.
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