Northrop Corporation

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Ali Bahraman

Walter Ellis Crandall

A scrollable spatial light modulator--or SLM--provides non-destructively transfer and display of an analog signal, which may include multiple levels of gray scale information, for high speed analog optical processing. Each pixel in the scrollable SLM consists of a metal-oxide-semiconductor--or MOS--transistor and four MOS capacitors in a four-phase charge-coupled device--or CCD--array. Two of the MOS capacitors in each pixel are used for charge storage while the other two are used to implement charge transfer. An MOS transistor used to control the gate of one of the charge storage MOS capacitors is clocked to float only when the charge signal is being stored therein and then drives a pixel of the liquid crystal display, such as a ferroelectric liquid crystal display to encode a frame of data onto a light beam as an image.

Analog driver for scrollable spatial light modulator

A radiation detection system includes an array of radiation detectors disposed on a common substrate of type-n silicon, wherein each detector includes an electrode spaced apart from the silicon by silicon dioxide. Two rows of the detectors are coupled by two rows of transfer gates to a common row of diodes for reading out data from any one or ones of the detectors which are individually addressable by row and column conductors. The transfer gate electrodes of contiguous pixels are connected together to form a row conductor. The gates are electrically activatable to provide electrical connection for receiving data of a detector only during a readout interval, and provide electrical insulation of the detectors at all other times. This inhibits blooming. Detector windows may be fabricated of thinned chrome or aluminum layers, or of polysilicon arranged to provide free spaces through which ultraviolet radiation can propagate into the detector. This allows dual-mode operation for reception of both optical and ultraviolet radiation.

Focal plane array with charge transfer gate

Monolithic InSb array devices are described for staring infrared imaging systems operating in the 3-5 .mu.m spectral region. These devices are fabricated with only 4 mask levels compared to 5 mask levels for prior devices and have higher output dynamic ranges and greater wafer yield compared to previous designs. The devices are fabricated to include a substrate (15) having a field oxide (16) pattern thereon. A first gate oxide (17) is deposited over the field oxide with columns (21) patterned on the first gate oxide. A second gate oxide (19) is next deposited with rows (22) patterned on the second gate oxide. The devices can further include a passivation layer (29) deposited on the rows (22).

Infrared staring imaging array

Infrared staring imaging array and method of manufacture

A radiation hardened CMOS transistor has a source region, drain region and channel region formed on an SOI or SOS wafer. End plugs of opposite conductivity to that of the source and drain regions are connected to the channel region. In one embodiment, the end plugs extend along opposite ends of the source region but not along the drain region. In another embodiment, the end plugs extend along opposite ends of the source region and the drain region, and the drain region includes portions adjacent the end plugs having an impurity concentration which is significantly lower than the impurity concentration of the remainder of the drain region. The transistor is surrounded by a silicon dioxide isolation region. Contact holes for establishing electrical contact are positioned over areas in which the source region interfaces with each of the end plugs, and over an area of the drain region. The end plugs are electrically tied to the source region through common metallized contacts so that radiation sensitive parasitic actions may be prevented.

Radiation hardened CMOS on SOI or SOS devices

A plurality of electron beams are generated by means of cathodes which may be arranged in a circular array and a common target to which the beams are focused. Each of the plurality of electron beams is modulated by the input digital signal (1 or 0) and an enabling signal which is applied in time sequence to the plurality of beams. In this manner the plurality of input signals may be sampled and interleaved to generate a stream of time-multiplexed electron beam digital signals sequentially ordered by the plurality of inputs onto a single diode target. Alternative methods of modulating the electron beam to the target diode may be used. In one method, the source of electrons from a field emission cathode array is modulated. An alternative method utilizes steady sources of electrons in individually focused beams with the current to the diode target being modulated by deflection of the individual beams.

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Palos Verdes Estates, CA, United States of America

Ali Bahraman