A Delaware State University optics researcher now has a large grant from the Department of Defense (DOD) to fund his work.
The three year, $600,000 grant through the U.S. Army, will be used to study an alloy that could improve the performance of night vision systems and other scientific instruments.
DSU’s Dr. Mukti Rana is the project’s principal investigator.
“And it will be used to focus new E- Materials which could be used for fabricating the sensors. (E Material is a metal matrix composite consisting of beryllium matrix with beryllium oxide particles.) And these sensors are primarily used in 9 millimeter cameras and goggles,” Dr. Rana said.
Dr. Rana, along with undergraduate and graduate students, will study materials made of a compound of germanium, silicon, tin, and oxygen.
Specifically, he says they’ll look at the compound’s optical and electrical properties.
Dr. Rana says this has not been extensively studied, but to date, shows promise as a better material for night vision and other technology.
Dr. Rana points out this is the first research initiative at a Historically Black College or University on uncooled infrared detector materials.
