NASA SBIR 2009 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
TechnoScience Corporation
P.O. Box 60658
Palo Alto, CA 94306 - 0658
(650) 838-9833

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Jam Farhoomand
jam.farhoomand@nasa.gov
P.O. Box 60658
Palo Alto, CA 94306 - 0658
(650) 650-9833

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 5

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
We propose to fabricate a germanium blocked-impurity-band (BIB) detector using a novel process which will enable us to:

1- fabricate a suitably-doped active layer using the well-established bulk crystal-growth process, which guarantees excellent dopant control and extremely low compensating impurities, and

2- grow the blocking layer using an implant-passivation technique which will produce the required high purity and a very sharp transition from the active to blocking layer.

These features are key in design and optimization of the multi-layered structure of BIBs, and their implementation and quality are crucial in optimum operation of these detectors. The proposed process is a drastic departure from conventional epitaxial methods, such as chemical vapor deposition and liquid phase epitaxy, which have yet to produce far IR BIBs suitable for astronomical instruments.

Germanium BIBs will offer extended wavelength response up to at least 200µm, high quantum efficiency, high immunity to ionizing radiation, and elimination of long-term transient and memory effects. Coupled with their compatibility with Si cryo-CMOS readout multiplexers and the planar, bump-bond hybridization process, these detectors will make possible the construction of large format, high sensitivity FPAs for far IR astronomy and will replace the current unstressed and stressed germanium detectors.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Far-infrared astronomical instruments on board SOFIA, balloon experiments, and any follow-on missions to Spitzer and Herschel such as SAFIR/CALISTO.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Far-infrared astronomical instruments on board SPICA, a japanese-led, JAXA-ESA joint mission scheduled to launch in 2017.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)

Microwave/Submillimeter Semi-Conductors/Solid State Device Materials