III-Nitride Acousto-Electric Microsystems for Extreme Space Environments
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Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Rais-Zadeh, Mina.
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In this work, we present an uncooled infrared (IR) thermal imager featuring a sparse array of resonant pixels that can be monolithically integrated with the readout electronics for long-term operation in hightemperature environments. Each of the detector pixels is made of an IR-sensitive GaN microresonator developed to be operated at up to 500 0C. The pixels are employed in sparse array configuration to allow for routing the signal carrying traces and to ease the routing from pixel to circuit, as well as to reduce the power consumption. A 128´128 sparse resonator array with the array density of 37.5% is designed and used in conjunction with the Compressed Sensing method to reconstruct complex test images from highly incomplete data. Capabilities and performance metrics of the recovery technique are explored.
In this work, we present an uncooled infrared (IR) thermal imager featuring a sparse array of resonant pixels that can be monolithically integrated with the readout electronics for long-term operation in high-temperature environments. Each of the detector pixels is made of an IR-sensitive GaN microresonator developed to be operated at up to 500 0C. The pixels are employed in sparse array configuration to allow for routing the signal carrying traces and to ease the routing from pixel to circuit, as well as to reduce the power consumption at the expense of moderate post-processing time and increased complexity to recover the image. Three 128 by 128 sparse resonator arrays with the array densities of 10%, 25% and 37.5% are designed, and used in conjunction with the Compressed Sensing (CS) method to reconstruct complex test images from highly incomplete data. Capabilities and performance metrics of the recovery technique are explored.
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The Lunar Flashlight (LF) mission will send a CubeSat to lunar orbit via NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) test flight. The LF spacecraft will carry a novel instrument to quantify and map water ice harbored in the permanently shadowed craters of the lunar South Pole. The LF instrument, an active multi-band reflectometer which employs four high power diode lasers in the 1-2 μm infrared band, will measure the reflectance of the lunar surface near water ice absorption peaks. We present the detailed instrument design and system engineering required to deploy this instrument within very demanding CubeSat resource allocations.
There is a high demand for high-performance and low-cost uncooled infrared (IR) detectors. In order to meet this need we are investigating the use of MEMS piezoelectric resonator technology using aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films. Recent research has shown that piezoelectric resonators have the potential to be used as a core element for highly sensitive, low-noise, and low-power uncooled IR detectors. A novel design of an AlN IR sensor based on piezoelectric bending resonator is described and analyzed in this paper. The detector is constructed by using thermally mismatched materials which stress the resonator and shift the resonance frequency. The IR thermal input is sensed by monitoring the frequency shift induced by the in-plan thermal stress. These designs have the potential for very high sensitivity and are compatible with commercially viable CMOS fabrication technology.
The Chip Scale Ultra-Stable Clocks (CSUSC) project aims to provide a superior alternative to current solutions for low size, weight, and power timing devices. Currently available quartz-based clocks have problems adjusting to the high temperature and extreme acceleration found in space applications, especially when scaled down to match small spacecraft size, weight, and power requirements. The CSUSC project aims to utilize dual-mode resonators on an ovenized platform to achieve the exceptional temperature stability required for these systems. The dual-mode architecture utilizes a temperature sensitive and temperature stable mode simultaneously driven on the same device volume to eliminate ovenization error while maintaining extremely high performance. Using this technology it is possible to achieve parts-per-billion (ppb) levels of temperature stability with multiple orders of magnitude smaller size, weight, and power.