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April 22, 2004
For Immediate Release
LOS ANGELES, April 22, 2004--Dr. John Roth, a Principal Research Scientist at HRL Laboratories, LLC was one of eight individual recipients of the 2003 Raytheon Corporation Excellence in Technology Award. Awards were made at a presentation recently at the new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia. Dr. Roth was selected for the award for his pioneering work in producing single-crystal thin films of mercury cadmium telluride semiconductor materials, which are critical for Raytheon's next-generation infrared detector technology.
At HRL Laboratories, Dr. Roth has developed advanced methods for mercury cadmium telluride growth by molecular beam epitaxy. This work has led to infrared materials with fewer defects and substantially improved uniformity, allowing the production of high-quality large format imaging arrays, and has allowed Raytheon to attain a leading position in two-color focal plane array technology. Recently, Raytheon has won Army Two-Color Manufacturing Technology and Dual Band FPA Manufacturing development contracts totaling over $20M. Other programs benefiting from this capability are a Missile Defense Agency program for two-color detector technology development, and a Navy program directed toward advanced focal plane arrays for missile threat warning applications. Largely because of Dr. Roth's leadership in materials development, the HRL and Raytheon advanced IR technology development team has demonstrated the highest performance two-color IR focal plane array assemblies in the aerospace-defense community worldwide.
In the Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) process, thin films can be deposited and their properties controlled one atomic layer at a time. Mercury, cadmium, and tellurium are combined in this process, resulting in a special material ideally suited for infrared imaging detectors. As with a digital camera where silicon photodiode arrays of small sensors can be combined on an array to respond to the light coming through the lens, the focal plane array in this case makes an image from the otherwise invisible infrared spectrum. Infrared images make it easier to pick out temperature differences in objects; for example, hot objects will be brighter. In the two-color realm, two separate ranges of wavelengths are individually detected to enable objects to be distinguished through subtle differences in their appearance in two separate IR wavelength bands.
Raytheon Vision Systems in Goleta, California, is the ultimate user of wafers grown by MBE at HRL Laboratories, according to Dr. Roth. Successful technology demonstrations will lead to transition of production and manufacturing to Raytheon Vision Systems in support of major business units within Raytheon.
Dr. Roth received a crystal award and his portrait will be added to the Excellence in Technology display at Raytheon Company headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts. The Raytheon award ceremony was the first private event held at the new Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Virginia.
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HRL Laboratories, LLC is a corporate R&D laboratory owned by Members Raytheon, Boeing, and General Motors. HRL provides R&D services for its three LLC Members, for the U.S. government, and for other commercial entities.
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