Focal plane photo-detector mosaic array fabrication
AssigneeCarson Alexiou Corporation
InventorsRalph A. Rotolante, Toivo Koehler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A focal plane detector mosaic array is formed by securing wafers of the detector material to a focal plane having individual conductor leads embedded therein, ion milling to delineate separate detector islands in individual electrical contact with the conductor leads, and using ion implantation to form p-n junctions in the detector islands.
Claims19
A method for providing a mosaic of individual photo-detector elements on the focal plane of a support structure having a multiplicity of individual electrical conductors buried within it and terminating in separate electrical contact points at its focal plane, which method comprises the following steps:
- securing a thin wafer of detector material to the focal plane face of said supporting structure in such a way that the wafer material is in electrical contact with said contact points;
- and
- thereafter delineating individual detector islands by removing material from the wafer to form channels located between the electrical contact points and dividing the wafer into a multiplicity of individual detector islands adapted to provide detector elements each of which is isolated from all the others and each of which is directly over and in electrical contact with a separate one of said contact points.
A method for providing a focal plane mosaic of photo-detector elements on a supporting structure comprising:
- applying a layer of electrically-conducting epoxy to the focal plane;
- placing a wafer of mercury cadmium telluride on the epoxy;
- applying a titanium oxide mask on the exposed side of the wafer for the purpose of protecting individual islands of mercury cadmium telluride material;
- and
- using an ion milling process to remove both detector material and epoxy material from the unprotected spaces between the islands of mercury cadmium telluride material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.