3D-Heterogeneously Integrated Photonic (HIP) Imaging Sensor - SBIR Topic DON26BZ01-NV024

Disclaimer:
This topic was temporarily posted by the Department of War SBIR Program on March 2nd 2026 and removed the following day.
We believe this topic is planned to be released once the SBIR program is reauthorized; however, this topic may ultimately be modified or withdrawn.

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Funding Amount:

Est. $240,000

Deadline to Apply:

Est. April 29th, 2026.

Objective:

Design, fabricate, and verify the performance of a 3D-heterogeneously integrated photonic (HIP) imaging sensor consisting of a detector array, read-out integrated circuit (ROIC), and photonic transmitter.

Description:

Emerging military electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensors enable high resolution through small pixels, wide field-of-view through large arrays, and high frame rate through high sensitivity and low latency. For the most advanced focal plane array (FPA) sensors, the data bandwidth dictated by the high pixel count and bit rate is reaching the limits of conventional copper wire interconnects. Datalinks using optical interconnects offer a unique and commercially mature solution that can obviate the copper bandwidth limitation, while offering additional advantages of lower power, lower cost, and on-chip integration. For large arrays, the high data rate can be further managed by tiling synchronized, independently addressed smaller arrays, which divides the serialized data stream into multiple parallel paths, while also improving foundry yield. However, existing FPA layouts place read-out electronics, including column analog-to-digital converters, serializers, and bias sources, along the periphery of the imaging chip. To enable tiling with sub-pixel gaps between tiles, the peripheral electronics must be moved below the detector layer. A photonic layer could also be added to create a 3D vertically integrated FPA stack, enabling large arrays to operate at exceptionally high data rates. 3D heterogeneous integration of the FPA stack can be accomplished using bump-bonding, direct-bond integration, or other techniques, but ultra-low capacitance connections are required for low-noise operation to permit the short photon integration times inherent to high-frame-rate imaging. As militarily relevant EO-IR imagers often operate at cold temperatures of 100K+/-20K, the 3D HIP FPA transmitter must also perform well under cryogenic conditions. When tiled in large arrays of small pixels, the 3D-HIP imaging sensor will provide concurrent wide-FOV, high-resolution, and ultra-high frame rate, circumventing conventional imaging sensor paradigms. Frame rate should use 1 KHz as the goal is to address high data rate challenges, however, since the pixel size and format are flexible for this effort, this is not a hard requirement. This SBIR topic’s intent is the development and maturation of 3D heterogeneous integration (3DHI) of electrical and optical/photonic layers that achieves high bandwidth interconnection.

Who will win?

If you can achieve the objective above better than any other company on the market, you have a very high-likelihood of success and should apply.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any company that meets the following criteria:

• For-profit company

• U.S.-owned and controlled.

• 500 or fewer employees (including affiliates)

How Can BW&CO Help?

1) End-to-end support including, strategy, writing of the full proposal, and administrative & compliance support.

2) Proposal strategy and review.

3) Administrative & compliance support.

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