Remote sensing and characterization of high temperature targets on the Earth’s surface is required for many cross-disciplinary science investigations and applications including wildland fire and volcano impacts on ecology, the carbon cycle, and atmospheric composition. For decades this research has been hindered by insufficient spatial resolution and/or detector saturation of satellite sensors operating at short and mid-infrared wavelengths (1-5 μm) where the spectral radiance from high temperature (>800 K) surfaces is most significant.

In this study, we introduce a novel theoretical framework for detecting and decoding Terahertz (THz) frequency chip-scale wireless communication signals. By considering the quantum behavior of charge carriers exposed to intense time-periodic radiation, we employ Floquet engineering techniques for system analysis. Using a two-dimensional semiconductor quantum well (2DSQW) based voltage divider, we showcase the detection and decoding of frequency modulated signals at nanoscale dimensions. Exploring noise impact within the Floquet-2DSQW framework, we identify voltage shifts that compromise data demodulation in single signaling setups. To address this challenge, we suggest a dynamic dual-signaling Floquet-2DSQW architecture that adapts the reference voltage to prevalent noise effects in chip-scale environments. Through a numerical analysis configured for Gigabit per second (Gbps) data transmission in the THz carrier frequency range, we show that our dual-signaling approach surpasses conventional single signaling setups, significantly reducing the bit error rate across various signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values. A comprehensive parametric study emphasizes the importance of correlated noise effects at two 2DSQW receivers for enhanced performance. Our findings offer valuable insights for advancing nanoscale wireless communication within or between chips in noisy conditions, with potential applications in high-speed, reliable data transfer.

Hyperspectral Thermal Imager (HyTI) is designed with the focus on understanding, modeling, mapping, and monitoring the world's agricultural lands, and water resources, as well as for studies pertaining to forest fires, volcanoes, and a number of other applications (e.g., stubble burning in agricultural lands). Climate variability and expanding populations are putting unprecedented pressure on agricultural croplands and their water use, which are vital for ensuring global food and water security in the twenty-first century. Currently, on average worldwide, croplands use 80-90% of all human water consumption. HyTI data and derived information products will be invaluable in advancing our knowledge on multiple fronts in crop type mapping, crop productivity modeling, crop water use assessments, and crop water productivity (“crop per drop”) mapping.

The HyTI (Hyperspectral Thermal Imager) mission, funded by NASA's Earth Science Technology Office InVEST (In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies) program, will demonstrate how high spectral and spatial long-wave infrared image data can be acquired from a 6U CubeSat platform. The mission will use a spatially modulated interferometric imaging technique to produce spectro-radiometrically calibrated image cubes, with 25 channels between$8-10.7\ \mu\mathrm{m}$, at 13 cm−1resolution), at a ground sample distance of ∼60 m. The HyTI performance model indicates narrow band$\text{NE}\Delta\text{Ts}$of <0.3 K. The small form factor of HyTI is made possible via the use of a no-moving-parts Fabry-Perot interferometer, and JPL's cryogenically-cooled HOT-BIRD FPA technology. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than Fall 2021. The value of HyTI to Earth scientists will be demonstrated via on-board processing of the raw instrument data to generate L1 and L2 products, with a focus on rapid delivery of data regarding volcanic degassing, and land surface temperature.

In this presentation, we will report our recent efforts in achieving high performance in Antimonides type-II strained-layer superlattice (T2SLS) based infrared photodetectors using the barrier infrared detector (BIRD) device architecture. The recent emergence of barrier infrared detectors such as the nBn [1] and the XBn [2] have resulted in mid-wave infrared (MWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) detectors with substantially higher operating temperatures than previously available in III-V semiconductor based MWIR and LWIR detectors. The initial nBn devices used either InAs absorber grown on InAs substrate, or lattice-matched InAsSb alloy grown on GaSb substrate, with cutoff wavelengths of ~3.2 μm and ~4 μm, respectively. While these detectors could operate at much higher temperatures than existing MWIR detectors based on InSb, their spectral responses do not cover the full (3 - 5.5 μm) MWIR atmospheric transmission window. There also have been nBn detectors based on the InAs/GaSb type-II superlattice absorber [3] .

The HyTI (Hyperspectral Thermal Imager) mission, funded by NASA's Earth Science Technology Office InVEST (In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies) program, will demonstrate how high spectral and spatial long-wave infrared image data can be acquired from a 6U CubeSat platform. The mission will use a spatially modulated interferometric imaging technique to produce spectro-radiometrically calibrated image cubes, with 25 channels between 8-10.7 μm, at a ground sample distance of ~70 m. The HyTI performance model indicates narrow band NEΔTs of <; 0.3 K. The small form factor of HyTI is made possible via the use of a no-moving-parts Fabry-Perot interferometer, and JPL's cryogenically-cooled BIRD FPA technology. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than October 2020. The value of HyTI to Earth scientists will be demonstrated via on-board processing of the raw instrument data to generate L1 and L2 products, with a focus on rapid delivery of precision agriculture metrics.

In this presentation, we will report our recent efforts in achieving high performance in Antimonides type-II superlattice (T2SL) based infrared photodetectors using the barrier infrared detector (BIRD) architecture. The recent emergence of barrier infrared detectors such as the nBn [1] and the XBn [2] have resulted in mid-wave infrared (MWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) detectors with substantially higher operating temperatures than previously available in III-V semiconductor based MWIR and LWIR detectors. The initial nBn devices used either InAs absorber grown on InAs substrate, or lattice-matched InAsSb alloy grown on GaSb substrate, with cutoff wavelengths of ~ 3.2 μm and ~ 4 μm, respectively. While these detectors could operate at much higher temperatures than existing MWIR detectors based on InSb, their spectral responses do not cover the full ( 3 - 5.5 μm) Mwir atmospheric transmission window. There also have been nBn detectors based on the InAs/GaSb T2SL absorber [3], [4].

In the past decade, there has been active research on infrared detectors based on intersubband transitions in self-assembled quantum dots (QDs). In the past two years, at least four research groups have independently demonstrated focal plane arrays based on this technology. In this paper, the progress from the first raster scanned image obtained with a QD detector to the demonstration of a 640 512 imager based on self-assembled QDs is reviewed. In particular, emphasis will be placed on a novel quantum dots-in-a-well (DWELL) design, which represents a hybrid between a conventional quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP) and a quantum-dot infrared photodetector (QDIP). In the DWELL detectors, the active region consists of InAs quantum dots embedded in an InGaAs quantum well. Like QDIPs, the DWELL detectors have 3-D confinement and display normal incidence operation while demonstrating reproducible ldquodial-in recipesrdquo for control over the operating wavelength, like QWIPs. Moreover, the DWELL detectors also have demonstrated bias-tunability and multicolor operation in the midwave infrared (MWIR, 3-5 ), long-wave infrared (LWIR, 8-12 ), and very long wave infrared (VLWIR, ) regimes. Recently midformat 320 256 and 640 512 focal plane arrays (FPAs) with an NETD of 40 mK at have been reported. The paper will conclude with a perspective on the future directions on the research on QDIP FPA including enhanced functionality and higher operating temperatures.