Raytheon Company

Texas Instruments Corporation

Raytheon Ti Systems, Inc.

Stephen L Whicker

James F Belcher

John Charles Ehmke

Robert M Dix

Mark R Skokan

Charles A Franda

Samuel F Tobias

This is a system and method of forming a conductive polymer optical coating on an infrared detection system. The apparatus may include an upper vacuum chamber, a shutter assembly mounted inside the upper vacuum chamber, a substrate holder disposed inside the shutter assembly, wherein the shutter assembly is capable of shielding or exposing the substrate to the upper vacuum chamber, an orifice connected to the upper vacuum chamber for control of a flow rate for the upper vacuum chamber, a first mechanical pump system connected to the orifice, a lower vacuum chamber connected to the upper vacuum chamber on a side opposite the shutter assembly, an electron beam assembly for providing a low-melting-point electrical conductor vapor, disposed inside the lower vacuum chamber, wherein the electron beam assembly is directed toward the shutter assembly in the upper vacuum chamber, a second mechanical pump system and a cryopump connected to the lower vacuum chamber, a polymer generation chamber for providing polymer vapor, connected to the upper vacuum chamber on a side perpendicular to the shutter assembly, a vaporizer surrounding a first portion of the polymer generation chamber, a pyrolysis furnace surrounding a second portion of the polymer generation chamber, and a post pyrolysis heater surrounding a third portion of the polymer generation chamber.

System and method for making a conductive polymer coating

This is a novel conductive-polymer optical coating for infrared detection and method of making the same. The system may comprise an integrated circuit substrate itself comprising a plurality of mesas and comprising via connections on an upper portion of each of the mesas. The system further comprises a plurality of backside electrical contacts bonded to the via connections, a plurality of infrared-sensitive pixels overlying the electrical contacts, and a conductive-polymer optical coating overlying and electrically connecting the pixels. A method of forming an embodiment of the present invention may comprise forming a conductive-polymer optical coating over a substrate, forming a contact metal on a backside of the substrate, and processing the contact metal, the substrate and the common electrode to form capacitor pixels of the contact metal, the substrate and the corresponding portion of the optical coating.

Infrared-sensitive conductive-polymer coating

A method of fabricating a focal plane array and the array having a integral slot shield which comprises fabricating a focal plane array having a plurality of detector elements. A layer of electrically insulating material having a planar top surface is then formed over the array. A reflective layer is then formed over the layer of electrically insulating material and the electrically insulating layer and reflective layer are etched only in the regions thereof over the detector elements to form slots over the detector elements. An absorbing layer is formed over the reflective layer. The absorbing layer is preferably an infrared-transparent dielectric having an optical thickness of about one quarter wavelength of the light frequency of interest with a metallic flash layer thereover having a thickness of from about 50 to about 60 Angstroms. The infrared dielectric is preferably one of zinc sulfide, zinc selenide, polyethylene and paraxylilene.

Integral slot shield for infrared focal plane arrays

An improved Vuilleumier cycle refrigerator is disclosed. To reduce fluid contamination and inactive refrigerant volume, the hot and cold fluid displacers of the refrigerator are driven by a magnetic drive mechanism. The magnetic drive mechanism has a first and second assembly. The first assembly is contained in the fluid chamber together with the hot and cold displacers; the second assembly including the drive motor is mounted exteriorly of the fluid chamber. The first and second assemblies of the drive mechanism include adjacent magnets separated by the wall of the fluid chamber. Thus, the first and second assemblies are coupled together by their magnetic field for rotation to drive the hot and cold displacers and the fluid chamber provides an hermetic seal to contain the working fluid thereby removing the motor with its air space and contaminants from the fluid chamber.

Growing community of inventors

Dallas, TX, United States of America

Stephen L Whicker