As we enter this new age where the barrier to access space has never been lower, the technologies that enable various space-based missions are being reevaluated in light of evolving requirements and constraints. The Air Force Research Lab's Advanced Electro-Optical Space Sensors program researches infrared focal plane array technologies with particular emphasis on radiation hardness for space applications and manufacturability to outfit the proliferated satellite sensing architectures of tomorrow. Our research group has capabilities to grow III-V semiconductor devices via molecular beam epitaxy, but are open to applications proposing to study any infrared sensor materials if the resources can be gathered to execute the work. Characterization capabilities at our facility includes temperature-dependent time-resolved and steady-state photoluminescence, magnetotransport, deep-level transient spectroscopy, and detector quantum efficiency and detector dark current characterization in custom-designed Dewars. In addition, time-resolved photoluminescence evaluation of the minority carrier lifetime and detector characterization test stations are set up for in-situ radiation effects testing to evaluate radiation hardness properties.

[1] Appl Phys Lett 123, 052101 (2023). DOI 10.1063/5.0161051

[2] Appl Phys Lett 122, 171102 (2023). DOI 10.1063/5.0136409

[3] J Appl Phys 130, 114501 (2021). DOI 10.1063/5.0064043