Mid-Wavelength and Long-Wavelength Infrared Focal Planes for SmallSat Applications
No abstract provided
Ghuman, Parminder↗
Engineering topics
Baker, Justin
Publications and source records attributed to Baker, Justin.
Mid-Wavelength and Long-Wavelength Infrared Focal Planes for SmallSat Applications
In this presentation, we will report our recent efforts in achieving high performance in Antimonides type-II superlattice (T2SL) based infrared photodetectors using the barrier infrared detector (BIRD) architecture. The high operating temperature (HOT) BIRD focal plane arrays (FPAs) offer the same high performance, uniformity, operability, manufacturability, and affordability advantages as InSb. However, mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) HOT-BIRD FPAs can operate at significantly higher temperatures (>150K) than InSb FPAs (typically 80K). Moreover, while InSb has a fixed cutoff wavelength (~5.4 µm), the HOT-BIRD offers a continuous adjustable cutoff wavelength, ranging from ~4 µm to >15 µm, and is therefore also suitable for long wavelength infrared (LWIR) as well. The LWIR detectors based on the BIRD architecture has also demonstrated significant operating temperature advantages over those based on traditional p-n junction designs. Two 6U SmalSat missions CIRAS (Cubesat Infrared Atmospheric Sounder) and HyTI (Hyperspectral Thermal Imager) are based on JPL’s T2SL BIRD focal plane arrays (FPAs). Based on III-V compound semiconductors, the BIRD FPAs offer a breakthrough solution for the realization of low cost (high yield), high-performance FPAs with excellent uniformity and pixel-to-pixel operability. We have also exploring the possibilities of integrating either metasurface resonator cavity or metasurface based flatlens with individual pixels to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the detectors. Furthermore, we will discuss the advantages of the utilization of all digital read out integrated circuits with HOT-BIRDs.
Ghuman, Parminder↗
T2SL Focal Planes for Compact Remote Sensing Instruments
In this presentation, we will report our recent efforts in achieving high performance in Antimonides type-II superlattice (T2SL) based infrared photodetectors using the barrier infrared detector (BIRD) architecture. The high operating temperature (HOT) BIRD focal plane arrays (FPAs) offer the same high performance, uniformity, operability, manufacturability, and affordability advantages as InSb. However, mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) HOT-BIRD FPAs can operate at significantly higher temperatures (>150K) than InSb FPAs (typically 80K). Moreover, while InSb has a fixed cutoff wavelength (~5.4 µm), the HOT-BIRD offers a continuous adjustable cutoff wavelength, ranging from ~4 µm to >15 µm, and is therefore also suitable for long wavelength infrared (LWIR) as well. The LWIR detectors based on the BIRD architecture has also demonstrated significant operating temperature advantages over those based on traditional p-n junction designs. Two 6U SmalSat missions CIRAS (Cubesat Infrared Atmospheric Sounder) and HyTI (Hyperspectral Thermal Imager) are based on JPL’s T2SL BIRD focal plane arrays (FPAs). Based on III-V compound semiconductors, the BIRD FPAs offer a breakthrough solution for the realization of low cost (high yield), high-performance FPAs with excellent uniformity and pixel-to-pixel operability. We have also exploring the possibilities of implementing either metasurface resonator cavity or metasurface based flatlens to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the detectors.
Ghuman, Parminder↗
High operating temperature T2SL digital focal plane arrays for earth remote sensing instruments
In this presentation, we will report our recent efforts in achieving high performance in Antimonides type-II superlattice (T2SL) based infrared photodetectors using the barrier infrared detector (BIRD) architecture. The high operating temperature (HOT) BIRD focal plane arrays (FPAs) offer the same high performance, uniformity, operability, manufacturability, and affordability advantages as InSb. However, mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) HOT-BIRD FPAs can operate at significantly higher temperatures (>150K) than InSb FPAs (typically 80K). Moreover, while InSb has a fixed cutoff wavelength (~5.4 µm), the HOT-BIRD offers a continuous adjustable cutoff wavelength, ranging from ~4 µm to >15 µm, and is therefore also suitable for long wavelength infrared (LWIR) as well. The LWIR detectors based on the BIRD architecture has also demonstrated significant operating temperature advantages over those based on traditional p-n junction designs. Two 6U SmalSat missions CIRAS (Cubesat Infrared Atmospheric Sounder) and HyTI (Hyperspectral Thermal Imager) are based on JPL’s T2SL BIRD focal plane arrays (FPAs). Based on III-V compound semiconductors, the BIRD FPAs offer a breakthrough solution for the realization of low cost (high yield), high-performance FPAs with excellent uniformity and pixel-to-pixel operability. We have also exploring the possibilities of integrating either metasurface resonator cavity or metasurface based flatlens with individual pixels to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the detectors. Furthermore, we will discuss the advantages of the utilization of all digital read out integrated circuits with HOT-BIRDs.
Ghuman, and Parminder↗
2012 Alabama Lunabotics Systems Engineering Paper
Excavation will hold a key role for future lunar missions. NASA has stated that "advances in lunar regolith mining have the potential to significantly contribute to our nation's space vision and NASA space exploration operations." [1]. The Lunabotics Mining Competition is an event hosted by NASA that is meant to encourage "the development of innovative lunar excavation concepts from universities which may result in clever ideas and solutions which could be applied to an actual lunar excavation device or payload." [2]. Teams entering the competition must "design and build a remote controlled or autonomous excavator, called a lunabot, that can collect and deposit a minimum of 10 kilograms of lunar simulant within 10 minutes." [2]. While excavation will play an important part in lunar missions, there will still be many other tasks that would benefit from robotic assistance. An excavator might not be as well suited for these tasks as other types of robots might be. For example a lightweight rover would do well with reconnaissance, and a mobile gripper arm would be fit for manipulation, while an excavator would be comparatively clumsy and slow in both cases. Even within the realm of excavation it would be beneficial to have different types of excavators for different tasks, as there are on Earth. The Alabama Lunabotics Team at the University of Alabama has made it their goal to not only design and build a robot that could compete in the Lunabotics Mining Competition, but would also be a multipurpose tool for future NASA missions. The 2010-2011 resulting robot was named the Modular Omnidirectional Lunar Excavator (MOLE). Using the Systems Engineering process and building off of two years of Lunabotics experience, the 20ll-2012 Alabama Lunabotics team (Team NASACAR) has improved the MOLE 1.0 design and optimized it for the 2012 Lunabotics Competition rules [I]. A CAD model of MOLE 2.0 can be seen below in Fig. 1.
Baker, Justin↗