LIDAR System Comprising Large Area Micro-Channel Plate Focal Plane Array

• US 20120170029A1
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PFG Ip, LLC
• Original Assignee: ISC8 Incorporated
• Inventors: Azzazy, Medhat, Ludwig, David, Justice, James
• Application Number:
  US13/372,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20120170029A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/139.04
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/66 Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4816 of receivers alone
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 31/26 Image pick-up tubes having an input of visible light and electric output tubes without defined electron beams and having a light ray scanning photo-emissive screen H01J40/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 31/507 using a large number of channels, e.g. microchannel plates

Abstract

A sensor system is provided comprising a precision tracking sensor element and one or more acquisition sensor elements. The acquisition sensor elements may be mounted on a rotating base element that rotates about a first axis. The precision tracking sensor elements may be mounted on a hinged or pivoting element or gimbal on the housing and provided with drive means to permit a user to selectively manually or automatically direct it toward a scene target of interest detected by the acquisition sensor elements. At least one of the imaging elements in the precision tracking sensor or acquisition sensors is stacked micro-channel plate focal plane array element.

Claims

1. A sensor system comprising:

a first precision tracking element comprising imaging means for providing an electromagnetic illumination beam having a predetermined imaging wavelength and at least one precision tracking photo-detector element,

an acquisition sensor element comprising at least one acquisition photo-detector element,

wherein at least one of the photo-detector elements comprises an electronic module comprising a stack of layers wherein the layers comprise a micro-lens array layer having at least one individual lens element for providing a beam output,

a photocathode layer for generating a photocathode electron output in response to a predetermined range of the electromagnetic spectrum,

a micro-channel plate layer comprising at least one micro-channel for generating a cascaded electron output in response to the photocathode electron output, and,

a readout circuit layer for processing the output of the micro-channel.

2. The sensor system of claim 1 wherein the acquisition sensor element is mounted on a rotating base element that rotates about a first axis.

3. The sensor system of claim 1 wherein the precision tracking sensor element is movably mounted to a housing to permit the selective direction toward a predetermined scene of interest.

4. The sensor system of claim 1 further comprising at least one Risley prism assembly.

5. The sensor system of claim 1 comprising Gray code counter circuit means.

6. A sensor system comprising:

a first precision tracking element comprising imaging means for providing an electromagnetic illumination beam having a predetermined imaging wavelength, scanning means for scanning the illumination beam on a target, a parabolic reflector element, a hyperbolic reflector element, beam-splitting means, a first precision tracking photo-detector element responsive to a predetermined first range of the electromagnetic spectrum having a first active field of view, a second precision tracking photo-detector element responsive to a predetermined first range of the electromagnetic spectrum having a first passive field of view, and,

at least one acquisition sensor element comprising an acquisition photo-detector element having a second field of view,

wherein at least one of the photo-detector elements comprises an electronic module comprising a stack of layers wherein the layers comprise a micro-lens array layer comprising at least one individual lens element for providing a beam output,

a photocathode layer for generating a photocathode electron output in response to a predetermined range of the electromagnetic spectrum,

a micro-channel plate layer comprising at least one micro-channel for generating a cascaded electron output in response to the photocathode electron output, and,

a readout circuit layer for processing the output of the micro-channel.

7. The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the parabolic reflector element and the hyperbolic reflector element are configured as a Cassegrain reflector telescope assembly.

8. The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the illumination beam is projected through and incoming electromagnetic radiation is received through a common aperture.

9. The sensor system of claim 6 wherein at least one of the first and second precision tracking photo-detector elements comprises an electronic module comprising a stack of layers wherein the layers comprise,

a micro-lens array layer comprising at least one lens element for providing a beam output,

a photocathode layer for generating a photocathode electron output in response to a predetermined range of the electromagnetic spectrum,

a micro-channel plate layer comprising at least one micro-channel for generating a cascaded electron output in response to the photocathode electron output, and,

a readout circuit layer for processing the output of the micro-channel.

10. The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the readout circuit layer comprises a first sub-layer and a second sub-layer that are electrically coupled by means of a through-silicon via.

11. The sensor system of claim 6 further comprising a thermoelectric cooling layer.

12. The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the beam output of the lens element is substantially collimated.

13. The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the readout layer is comprised of a set of readout sub-layers comprising a capacitor top metal and analog preamp sub-layer, a filtering and comparator sub-layer and a digital processing sub-layer.

14. The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the predetermined ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum comprise ranges selected from the ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, short-wave infrared, medium-wave infrared, long-wave infrared, far-infrared and x-ray ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum.

15. The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the micro-channel plate is comprised of at least one micro-channel having a diameter of less than about 10 microns.

16. The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the micro-channel plate is comprised of at least one micro-channel having a diameter of less than about five microns.

17. The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the acquisition sensor is mounted on a rotating base element that rotates about a first axis.

18. The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the precision tracking sensor element is movably mounted to a housing so as to be selectively directed toward a predetermined scene of interest.

19. The sensor system of claim 6 further comprising at least one Risley prism assembly.

20. The sensor system of claim 6 comprising Gray code counter circuit means.