Laser Induced Damage in Detector Materials and Detectors

摘要

Laser induced damage in detector materials and detectors is a field of researchwhich has attracted considerable interest during the recent years. Development of the laser technique has shown that electro-optical sensors employed in military applications such as missile seekers, FLIR, staring sensors, image intensifiers etc. can be jammed or permanently damaged with a dedicated laser preventing them to fulfill their task. The most vulnerable component is an electro-optical sensor is usually the detector. In this report the experience of laser induced damage in detector materials and detectors presented in the open literature is reviewed. Morphological damage and damage thresholds reported for different detectors are discussed. Electrical parameter degradation in detectors due to laser induced damage is also reviewed. Important theoretical models describing damage mechanisms are discussed. Plans for future work in the field of laser induced damage in detector materials and detectors are outlined. It is of importance, from a military point of view, to obtain knowledge about damage thresholds and damage mechanisms in detectors in order to evaluate the threat from an antisensor laser.