Event
MSE Seminar: Dr. Randy Jacobs, US Army DEVCOM
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
3:30 p.m.
Room 2108 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building
Sherri Tatum
301-405-5240
statum12@umd.edu
"Materials Characterization for Optimization of HgCdTe Infrared Focal Plane Arrays"
Abstract: In this presentation, a summary of previous and ongoing research for the optimization of Mercury Cadmium Telluride (HgCdTe) semiconductors for infrared focal plane arrays (IRFPA) will be given. Despite the existence of several alternative material systems, HgCdTe offers the highest quantum efficiency, a tunable bandgap, and is therefore still used for many high-performance IR detector applications. Yet several issues limit manufacturability and have kept costs high for this material system. Some of these ongoing issues and the fundamental research performed to address them by the US Army DEVCOM C5ISR center, will be discussed. This fundamental research relies heavily on materials characterization techniques that are both in-situ and ex-situ in nature. C5ISR has collaborated on research including (but not limited to) lattice-matched CdZnTe substrates, improving molecular beam epitaxy growth procedures, surface passivation, post-growth annealing, and integration to form focal plane arrays. However, the focus of this presentation will be on the fundamental characterization performed prior to actual fabrication of IRFPAs, which can bring other challenges. Ongoing materials characterization efforts at C5ISR is performed in collaboration with industrial and University partners.
Bio: Dr. Randy Jacobs is a materials scientist at the US Army DEVCOM C5ISR Center located in Fort Belvoir, VA. He is also alumnus of the ENMA Department at the University of Maryland and a former graduate student of Professor Salamanca-Riba.
