SensArray Infrared Awarded SBIR Phase II Contract

    BURLINGTON, Mass.--March 26, 2003--SensArray Infrared Corp. announced today it has been awarded a $750,000 SBIR Phase II contract for a cost effective growth process for a new low phonon energy, room temperature host material for mid infrared lasers. The new process will substantially reduce the manufacturing and packaging costs of a laser device.
    "Crystals currently grown by what is know as the Bridgman method in sealed silica ampoules are subject to contamination and stress which degrades the optical properties, said Dr. David Gabbe, Director, SensArray Crystal Physics Products. "SensArray will optimize an already demonstrated effect in Phase I of the SBIR program by what is known as the Czochralski method. This approach facilitates seeded growth of oriented crystals with minimal residual stress and demonstrates superior optical quality."
    "Since SensArray Infrared is a manufacturer of mostly commercial imaging products this program falls into a major growth area for the company," said Paul Murphy, President, SensArray Infrared. "The benefits of this method are the fabrication and packaging of a low cost laser device operating at room temperature. The operation and manufacture of a portable, hand held device has applications in pollution control, spectroscopy, ground vehicle protection, remote sensing, countermeasures and IR imaging."

    About SensArray Infrared www.sensarrayinfrared.com

    SensArray Infrared, a nine-year-old company, manufactures a wide selection of Infrared Detectors for spectroscopic, analytical and military applications as well as laser and ultrasonic crystal material. It's lead sulfide (PbS) and lead selenide (PbSe) detectors offer the most cost effective choice for standard solutions, while the companies SensIR line of multiplexed linear and two dimensional arrays produce unprecedented array based spectroscopy, remote sensing and IR imaging in the 1-5 micrometer infrared band.