MILLIMETER WAVE IMAGING DEVICE

Abstract: A millimiter wave sensing device is disclosed comprising a local oscillator source (26) generating a millimeter wave signal which is mixed with millimeter wave radiation reflected from or emitted by objects in a field of view. The mixing is performed in a staring array (36) of mixer/detector elements (8) which need not be mechanically or electronically scanned to generate signals responsive to the entire field of view. In a first embodiment of the invention, the device detects millimiter wave radiation emitted by or reflected from the object to be imaged. In a second embodiment of the invention, the oscillator (26) used to provide the local oscillator signal is also used to illuminate the field of view. In the second embodiment of the invention, the oscillator signal is preferably linearly polarized, and a polarizing grid (28) is used to separate the local oscillator signal and illumination beam and direct them in a simple and efficient manner. A twist reflector (50) may also be used to rotate the polarization of a portion of the beam to direct it onto the mixer/detector array for mixing with the received signal from the field of view. Improved constructions of millimeter wave source and mixer/detector elements are also disclosed, which greatly simplify construction of the device.

Description: MILLIMETER WAVE IMAGING DEVICE (rInventors: G. Richard Huguenin Paul F. Goldsmith Naresh C. Deo David K. WalkerJ Field of the Invention This invention relates to apparatus and method for detecting millimeter-wavelength radiation reflected from or emitted by objects in a field of view, and for generating signals and images responsive thereto. Background of the Invention Generation of images or other useful signals responsive to detected millimeter waves (radiation having wavelengths in approximately the 1 cm-1 mm range, that is, of between approximately 30 and 300 GHz frequency) reflecte from or emitted by objects in a field of view is desired in many applications. This is largely because millimeter wave are not as completely attenuated by moisture in the air, as are, for example, visible and infrared radiation. For example, the fact that visible light is very thoroughly attenuated by fog currently prevents aircraft from landing and taking off in fog, which obviously is highly inconvenient to travellers. Millimeter waves also penetrat other adverse environments such as smoke, clouds of chemica gas, dust and the like wherein the particles are of less than millimeter size. A further advantage of millimeter waves, particularly with respect to microwaves, is that many of th components, notably antennas, can be made much smaller due to the shorter wavelength of the radiation. Accordingly, i would be desirable to use millimeter waves in various applications where smaller antennas are needed, for example, in aircraft applications, or in other mobile, marine or space applications. Millimeter waves are also sufficiently short that an image can be generated, which is generally not possible using microwaves or radio waves. There are several reasons why practical millimeter wave imaging systems are not now available. One is that to generate an image using a millimeter-wave sensor has been thought to require either mechanical or electronic scanning of the sensor with respect to the field of view. Mechanical scanning devices in which a sensor is physically moved through a range of azimuths, elevations or both, defining a field of view, are complex and subject to failure. Electronic scanning is also complex and at millimeter-wave frequencies requires employment of electronic phase shifting or switching techniques, which are relatively complex to implement. More specifically, electronic scanning systems proposed to date have involved aperture-plane arrays of radiation sources, which emit radiation which varies in phase from one emitter to the next. Such "phased-array" systems are described in Introduction to Radar Systems. Skolnik (1980), especially in chapter 8, pp. 278-342. Broadly, the signal transmitted by each of the sources travels outwardly in a different direction; a single detector element detects radiation reflected from any objects in the field of view, and the phase of the detected radiation is used to determine the azimuth and elevation of the reflecting object. Such phased-array system are complex by their nature; the complexity would only be compounded by the high frequencies inherent in millimeter-wave systems. One conventional method of reducing the frequency o a received signal to a lower frequency for convenience in signal processing is to mix the received signal with a loca 5 oscillator signal of generally similar frequency. As is well known, this "mixing" results in sum and difference signals. For example, Skolnik discusses at page 82 that a diode or other non-linear element may be used in a radar system to heterodyne an echo signal with a portion of the 10 transmitter signal resulting in a difference signal or "bea note". The difference signal is reduced in frequency, such that it can be processed using more conventional electronic circuitry and techniques. However, normally a millimeter- wave local oscillator signal must be combined with the 15 received signal using waveguide or transmission line technology; while not infeasible, this requirement has limited millimeter-wave receivers to a single imaging element, which therefore must be scanned either mechanicall or electronically as described above to generate a video 20 image of an object to be imaged. As noted, either scanning technique introduces substantial complexity to an imaging system. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide a system in which millimeter-wave energy is transmitted from an emitter onto the field of view to illuminate it. It is 25 difficult at present to construct a sufficiently powerful oscillator to provide an adequately strong received signal, as present day solid state millimeter wave sources such as Gunn diode oscillators and the like are limited in their millimeter wave power output. 30 References are known which suggest that a focal plane array of antenna elements responsive to millimeter wave radiation can be constructed. See Gillespie et al. "Array Detectors for Millimeter Line Astronomy" Astron. 35 Astrophvs. 73, 14-18 (1979). This reference shows an array of elements connected in common for detection of millimeter wave radiation, in which a local oscillator signal is introduced from a central feed area of a primary mirror of Cassegrain telescope. As acknowledged by Gillespie et al. this would lead to serious difficulties with uniformity of the local oscillator signal over the array. Other references show systems comprising multiple sensing elements in a focal plane array which are separatel mapped to the ultimate image. See, for example, Yngvesson et al "Millimeter Wave Imaging System With An Endfire Receptor Array", 10th International Conference on Infrared and Millimeter Waves (1985) . Other references of comparabl disclosure are also known. This document suggests a 5 x 5, 25-element focal plane array wherein each element includes diode connected across spaced antenna elements for rectification of received millimeter-wave energy and superheterodyne signal detection. Yngvesson et al shows slots extending transverse to the slot between the spaced antenna elements of each element of the array for low-pass filtering purposes. However, the Yngvesson et al reference teaches only Cassegrain or other reflector telescope designs, in which the local oscillator signal is injected through an aperture in the reflector. Such arrangements would involve the same difficulties with respect to uniformity of illumination as in the Gillespie et al reference. Furthermore, such Cassegrain-telescope arrangements are not optimal for many desired applications of millimeter wave detection technology; they are bulky, difficult to fabricate and sensitive to physical mishandling. A more compact, more rugged and less complex design is clearly required by the art. Summary of the Invention In a first embodiment of the invention, energy from a local oscillator source comprising a plurality of Gunn diode or other oscillators emitting millimeter-wave energy is directed onto a polarization grid or frequency-selective transmitting/reflecting surface in the optical path between a multiple element mixer/detector array and the field of view. The optical path need not be collinear. Millimeter wave radiation emitted by or reflected from objects in the field of view passes through a lens, an optional high pass filter and the transmitting/reflecting surface, and is combined by each of the mixer/detector elements of the arra with the local oscillator signal. In this way, no waveguid or other complex transmission line technologies are require to combine the local oscillator signal and the signal from the field of view. The mixers may each comprise a Schottky diode or other nonlinear device formed directly across planar conductors comprising the antenna elements of each o the mixer/detector elements of the array. After mixing in the nonlinear devices, the difference signal, now at an intermediate frequency, can be processed conventionally, e.g., amplified and employed to provide a visible image of the field of view. In the second preferred embodiment of the invention, the oscillator signal is also used to illuminate the field of view with millimeter wave radiation. In this case, linearly-polarized millimeter wave energy output by the source is divided into major and minor portions by a polarizing grid. The major portion is reflected from the grid toward the field of view through the lens and a preferable quarter-wave plate, becoming an illumination bea which is incident on objects in the field of view. The remainder of the oscillator signal passes through the polarizing grid and is reflected by a twist reflector back onto the polarizing grid with proper polarization, such that it is reflected towards the mixer/detector array, becoming a local oscillator signal. When the illumination beam is reflected from the objects in the field of view, it again passes through the lens, the quarter wave plate, and the polarizing grid, and is incident on the array of mixer/detector elements, where it is combined with the local oscillator signal. The difference frequency signals from each element of the array can then be used to form an image. The output signals from the array can also be employed for purposes not directly involving the formation of an image. For example, amplitude variation in the signal output from individual sensors at successive instants of time may be used to detect moving objects in the field of view, while motion detected similarly with respect to all o the mixer/detector elements of the array can be used to measure the motion of the device as a whole. Thus, the millimeter-wave sensing device of the invention can be employed in many types of motion-sensing applications, such as collision avoidance, navigation, and the like. Other forms of signal processing and other uses of the output signals provided by the device of the invention are also within the scope of the invention. Brief Description of the Drawings The invention can be best understood by reference t the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a block diagram of one of the mixer/detector elements of the imaging array of the sensor according to the invention, in the first embodiment thereof Figure 2 shows a view comparable to Figure 1 of the individual mixer/detector elements of the imaging array in the second embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 shows an overall view of the optical arrangement of the imaging device of the invention in its first embodiment; Figure 4 shows a view comparable to that of Figure 3 but relating to the second embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 shows a detailed view of the twist reflector employed in the second embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the end of the focal-plane mixer/detector array which is exposed to incoming millimeter wave radiation to be used to form the image; Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of salient portions of the circuitry connected to the mixer/detector array of the invention; Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of a Schottky mixer diode employed in each of the individual mixer/detector elements of the imaging array; Figure 9 shows an overall view of a portion of the aperture-plane source array used to provide the millimeter- wave signal; and Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional view of one of the elements of the source array taken along line 10-10 of Figure 9. Description of the Preferred Embodiments Figure 1 is a block diagram of the individual signal processing components employed in each of the mixer/detector elements 8 in a first embodiment of the invention, while Figure 2 is a comparable block diagram of identical mixer/detector elements 8 employed in the second embodiment of the invention, in which the signals reaching the elements 5 are derived differently. Common elements in each Figure are numbered similarly. In Figure 1, an antenna 10 receives a millimeter wave signal 12 reflected from or emitted by an object in the 10 field of view (FOV) , and a local oscillator signal 14 from a local oscillator 26. These are combined in a mixer 16. The difference signal, at frequency l f sig" f L θ l > ^ s supplied to a video or radio frequency amplifier 18. The amplified difference signal, together with a number of similar signals 15 20 from other identical elements 8 of the array, is passed to image generation or other signal processing circuitry 22 for generation of an image, or other purposes. More particularly, a number of the mixer/detector 20 elements 8 shown schematically in Figure 1 are arranged in detector array. The output of each element 8 is a signal the frequency of which is responsive to the difference between the frequency of the received signal 12 and the frequency of the local oscillator signal 14, and the 25 amplitude of which is approximately proportional to the amplitude of signal 12. The signal output by each element corresponds to a portion of the field of view; if an image is to be formed, each element 8 may be taken to correspond to a particular picture element (hereinafter "pixel") of th 30 image. Accordingly, since a multiple element array is used it need not be scanned either mechanically or electronicall to generate a complete image. For example, an ordinary raster-scanned video picture can be generated simply by successively interrogating each of the imaging elements 8 35 along successive rows of the array of elements. Figure 2 shows a view corresponding to Figure 1 of the second embodiment of the invention, in which energy provided by the oscillator 26 providing the local oscillato signal is also used to illuminate the field of view. The mixer/detector elements 8 again each comprise an antenna 10 which receives a local oscillator signal 14 and a signal 12 from the field of view. Mixer 16 combines the local oscillator signal 14 and the recieved signal 12. The difference signal, at the frequency |fsig~ f L θ l -- supplie to a video or radio-frequency amplifier 18; its output, together with similar signals 20 from a number of identical elements 8, may again be supplied to image generation or other signal processing circuitry 22, by which they may be employed, for example, to generate an image. In the embodiment of Figure 2, however, the major portion of energy 34 provided by oscillator 26 is transmitted as an illumination beam 24 onto the field of view. More particularly, the millimeter-wave energy signal 34 generated by the source 26 is linearly-polarized, such that it can be split into major and minor components 24 and 30 respectively by a polarizing grid 28. The major component 24 is employed as an illumination beam after reflection from the polarizing grid 28. The minor portion 30, which may include approximately 10% of the total signal energy output by the oscillator 26, passes through the polarizing grid 28, and is reflected from a reflector 32, which rotates its polarization through 90°, back onto the grid 28, which reflects it toward the array of mixer/detector elements 8. The minor portion 30 thus becomes a local oscillator signal 14, which is then combined with the reflected signal 12 from the field of view. Normally the transmitted illumination signal is swept in frequency as a function of time; when the reflected signal is received, the local oscillator signal is then at a slightly different frequency, such that the difference signal is non-zero. As noted, in the second embodiment of the invention, (and typically also in its first embodiment, depending on the design of the emitting array) the millimeter wave energy 34 emitted by the oscillator 26 is linearly polarized. This permits it to be divided conveniently into major and minor components 24 and 30, respectively, by a polarization- sensitive device such as polarizing grid 28. The reflector 32 on which the minor portion 30 of the beam is then incident may be a "twist reflector", which changes its polarization by 90°, such that when portion 30 is again incident on the polarizing grid 28, it is reflected therefrom, as indicated at 36. As noted, the minor portion 30 is then incident on element 8 as the local oscillator signal 14, and is mixed with the reflected signal 12 from the field of view. Accordingly, in the embodiment of Figure 2 it can be seen that the energy 34 from oscillator 26 is used both as an illumination beam 24 to illuminate the object and as the local oscillator signal 14 which is mixed with the signal 12 reflected from the field of view 12. Figure 3 shows a possible optical arrangement of the first embodiment of the invention discussed above in connection with Figure 1. In one realization of this embodiment of the invention, local oscillator source 26 provides a linearly polarized beam of millimeter wave energy 14 which is reflected from a polarizing grid 28. The polarizing grid 28 is discussed in detail below, as is the source 26. In this realization of this embodiment, the local oscillator energy 14 is reflected by grid 28 directly towards an array 36 of mixer/detector elements 8, the structure of which is detailed below. Incident radiation 38, either reflected from or emitted by an object in the field of view, passes through a lens 40, preferably through a high pass filter 42, and is combined with the reflected local oscillator energy 14 in the array 36. The optical path shown is straight from the field of view through to th array 36, but this need not be the case. As discussed above, mixing in the mixer/detector elements 8 of the array 36 of the local oscillator energy 14 with the signal 38 fro the field of view results in sum and difference signals. The difference signal is then employed for image generation or other signal processing, as indicated generally at 22. In a second realization of the first embodiment of the invention, the polarization-selective transmitting/reflecting surface provided by grid 28 may be replaced by a frequency-selective transmitting/reflecting surface, such as a dichroic reflector/high pass filter (hereinafter, "DR/HPF") . That is, signal 38 from the field of view at frequency f s g is transmitted through the DR/HPF due to the frequency-selective nature of the DR/HPF, while the local oscillator signal 34 at frequency f L0 ^ fsig - s reflected from the DR/HPF components, which are commerciall available from the assignee of this application. A DR/HPF is potentially preferable to a polarizing grid in the first embodiment of the invention because the DR/HPF provides more efficient reflection of the local oscillator signal 34, enabling use of a lower-power oscillator source 26 in a given system. Use of a DR/HPF in place of the polarizing grid 28 also obviates the need for high pass filter 42. Further, if a DR/HPF is used, there i no need for the local oscillator signal to be linearly polarized, though this is a low-cost consequence of the design chosen for oscillator 26. The second embodiment of the invention depicted in Figure 4 is generally similar to the first realization of the first embodiment shown in Figure 3; common elements are similarly numbered. Thus, incident radiation 38 reflected from an object in the field of view passes through lens 40, filter 42, a quarter-wave plate 46 to be described subsequently, and polarizing grid 28, after which it is combined with a local oscillator signal emitted by the source of millimeter wave radiation 26. However, in this case, the radiation 34 emitted by the source 26 is divided by the polarizing grid 28 into major and minor portions 24 and 30 respectively. The major portion 24, desirably including about 90% of the millimeter wave energy, passes outwardly as indicated at 48 to illuminate the field of view with millimeter wave radiation. The remaining minor portion 30 of the radiation 34 emitted by the source 26 is incident on a twist reflector 50. This device, which is described in connection with Figure 5, has the property of rotating the polarization of linearly polarized incident energy by 90°. Accordingly, when the twist reflector 50 reflects the minor component 30 of the radiation onto the polarizing grid 28, it is then reflected towards the mixer/detector array 36 to become a local oscillator signal 14 for combination with the incoming illumination beam 38 after reflection from any objects in the field of view. In this embodiment of the invention, the energy 34 provided by oscillator 26 is used both to illuminate the field of view, and also as a local oscillator signal 14. The division of the millimeter wave energy 34 emitted by the source 26 is accomplished by the polarizing grid 28 in accordance with its polarizing properties discussed below. The polarizing grid 28 is also conveniently employed to redirect the minor portion 30 of the energy 34 onto the array 36 as a local oscillator signal 14 for mixing with th reflected energy 38. Referring now to the individual elements of the system shown in Figures 3 and 4, the lens 40 is generally a described in Goldsmith et al. , "Gaussian Optics Lens Antennas", Microwave Journal. July 1984. The filter 42 is generally as described in Goldsmith, "Designing QuasiOptica Systems", in The Microwave System Designers Handbook, Fifth Edition (1987) . The filter 42 may comprise a metal plate having an array of holes drilled therein to provide a high pass filter for the millimeter wave frequencies of interest The polarizing grid 28 may comprise a series of parallel conductors spaced from one another by a dielectric medium. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the conducting members may be spaced parallel wires, e.g., of tungsten coated with gold, spaced in air. A less expensive alternative is to photolithograph flat conductive strips onto a dielectric substrate, e.g.. Mylar (TM) . The spacing of the conductors 44 is approximately equal to or less than the wavelength of the millimeter wave radiation emitted by the source 26 divided by five. This grid 28 transmits the component of the linearly polarized electric field perpendicular to the direction of the conductors and reflects the portion which is parallel to their direction. If the conductors are angled with respect to the direction of polarization of the radiation, a corresponding fraction passes through, the remainder being reflected. It will be clear to those of skill in the art tha a DR/HPF can not be used as a substitute for the polarizing grid 28 in the second embodiment of the invention, because in that case the grid is employed both as a reflector and transmitter of energy at a single frequency. Hence, a polarization-selective grid 28 is employed together with a source of linearly-polarized energy. As indicated, in the second embodiment of the invention, a quarter-wave plate 46 is typically interposed between the polarizing grid 28 and the lens 40. The quarter-wave plate 46 is a known component which converts a 5 linearly polarized incident wave, such as that emitted by the source 26, into a circularly polarized wave. Such a circularly polarized wave may have more desirable reflection characteristics from an object to be imaged than the linearly polarized wave; for example, a linearly polarized 10 wave can be reflected asymmetrically depending on the particular orientation of the object, whereas a circularly polarized wave has more uniform reflection characteristics. Upon reflection of the circularly-polarized wave from the object, the quarter-wave plate 46 will convert it back to a 15 linearly polarized wave, such that it will pass through the polarizing grid 28 without substantial attenuation. The quarter-wave plate may be manufactured from crystalline sapphire or by machining the appropriate grooves into a dielectric material such as Rexolite (TM) . 20 As indicated schematically in Figure 4 and as shown in more detail in Figure 5, the twist reflector 50 comprises a number of generally concave or dish-shaped elements arranged in an array. Preferably, the number of elements in 25 this array is equal to the number of elements in the array of millimeter wave emitters making up source 26. The shape of the concave elements of the array 50 is such as to focus the divergent beams emitted by the elements of the source 26 onto a corresponding area on the surface of the array 36 of 30 mixer/detector elements after reflection from the polarizin grid 28. As indicated schematically in Figure 5, the twist • reflector 50 comprises a dielectric substrate 56 coated on 35 its rear side with a conductive layer 58, and on its front surface with a series of strips 60 of conductive material oriented at 45 to the direction of polarization of the incident wave. The electrical thickness of the dielectric is one quarter wavelength, such that the effective travel distance of the wave through the dielectric is one-half 5 wavelength. Accordingly, a component 59 of the incident energy directly reflected from the strips 60 will be 180° out of phase with the incident energy. This is equivalent to rotating the direction of polarization of the incident beam by 90°. Accordingly, the beam 30 incident on the twis 10 reflector 50 (which, it will be recalled, had passed throug grid 28) is effectively rotated by 90° with respect to the polarizing grid 28. When the rotated beam is again inciden on grid 28, it is, therefore, reflected onto the array 36. Preferably, the concave elements of the twist reflector 50 15 are square and are fitted into a mosaic, in which as mentioned each element corresponds to one of the emitters o the source 26. Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a portion of 20 the receiver array 36, while Figure 7 shows a plan view of substrate 70 on which conductors 68 making up the individua mixer/detector elements 66 of the array 36 are formed. Array 36 comprises a plurality of substantially identical mixer/detector elements indicated at 66. Each element 66 25 comprises two conductive antenna elements 68 which may be formed directly on a non-conductive dielectric substrate such as Kapton (TM) in turn supported on alumina panels 70, which are spaced from one another by a precision spacer member 72. The outline of a preferred embodiment of the 30 antenna elements 68 is shown in Figure 7. As indicated, th conductive antenna elements 68 comprise parallel portions 7 which extend a distance into the array (the incident radiation being received endwise in the view shown) , curved portions 74 which approach one another along an 35 exponentially curved outline, and further portions which ar separated by a slot 76 and extend for another distance. Such an antenna is referred to in the art as an "endfire traveling wave slot antenna", as originally described by P.J. Gibson, "The Vivaldi Aerial", Proc. of the European Mic. Conf., Brighton, UK (1979), pp. 101-105. 5 In a preferred embodiment, slot 76 has two additional slots 78 extending from either side thereof and orthogonal thereto. These slots 78 comprise a radio frequency choke which reflects the "sum" of the local 10 oscillator and detected signals formed upon their mixing, while passing their "difference". Each antenna is paired with a nonlinear circuit element 80, e.g. a diode, which provides the mixing function. The diodes 80 are preferably physically disposed between the two conductive elements 68 15 of each element, that is, directly across the slot 76. In preferred embodiment discussed in detail below, the diode 80 is formed directly on the substrate 70 without separate connecting leads. 20 After the local oscillator signal and the signal from the field of view have been mixed by diodes 80 and filtered by the RF chokes formed by the slots 78, the difference frequency signal which remains is a relatively 25 "clean" intermediate frequency signal which can be amplifie by conventional operational amplifiers 82 associated with each element 66 of the array 36. The output signals from amplifiers 82 can be supplied directly to the image formation or other signal processing circuitry 22 as 30 indicated above. In a particular embodiment of the device of the present invention, the detector 36 may be an array 100 x 10 of elements 66, resulting in 10,000 identical mixer/detecto 35 elements in the overall array 36. This is adequate to provide quite reasonable resolution, for example, to produc an image of a field of view. Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view through one o 5 the mixer diodes 80 which are preferably formed directly on the substrate 70 on which are formed the conductors 68 making up each of the antenna elements 66. In this embodiment, the diode 80 comprises bonding pads 84 and 85 which may be formed of gold and extend through vias 86 in a 10 semi-insulating (SI) GaAs substrate 88. The gold bonding pads 84 and 85 contact further additional gold electrodes 9 and 92 formed on the opposite side of the substrate 88. Electrodes 90 and 92 overlay the actual diode structure. The diode structure comprises a first layer 94 of n + -GaAs 15 which is in contact with the semi-insulating GaAs substrate 88. Over this is formed an n-GaAs layer 96. Atop this layer 96 is provided a layer 98 of Schottky metal, which in a preferred embodiment may be Ti/Pt/Au. The Schottky metal layer 98 is directly in contact with electrode 92 and is 20 thus in contact with bonding pad 84. The n + -GaAs layer 94 is in contact with the other electrode 90 and thus the othe bonding pad 85 via an ohmic layer 93 of AuGe/Ni. Finally, an insulating/passivating Siθ2/Si 3 N4 material fills spaces 100 and 102 between the various layers. In a particularly 25 preferred embodiment, the spaces 100 and 102 may also include an air gap between the electrode 92 and the GaAs layers 93 and 94, i.e., around the Schottky metal 98, with or without the Siθ2/Si3N 4 material. This has the beneficial effect of reducing the parasitic capacity of the 30 mixer diode 80. Ultimately, and subject to further developments in semiconductor materials and fabrication techniques, it may be possible to integrate the function of amplifiers 82 with 35 that of mixer/ etector diodes 80. This would require the development of amplifiers capable of operation at millimeter-wave frequencies. It is envisioned that such devices could perform the mixing and amplification functions within a single se iconductive element. This would be highly desirable, as it would presumably substantially 5 increase the signal-to-noise ratio of each mixer/detector element 66. The claims of this application are intended to include such improved devices, when they become available. Figure 9 shows a partial end-on view of the emitter 10 array 26, which emits the signal which is mixed with the received signal in both embodiments of the invention, and which additionally provides the illumination signal in the second embodiment of the invention. As indicated, the arra 26 is made up of substantially identical elements 112. 15 Typically the emitter array 26 may comprise 625 identical elements 112 in an 25 x 25 arrangement. Each of the individual elements 112 of the array 26, the structure of which is discussed below in connection with Figure 10, comprises an indium phosphide (InP) Gunn diode or other 20 oscillator coupled to a radiating horn. Preferably the array 26 may be made up of a number of subarrays 110 which are integrally fabricated for convenience in manufacturing and assembly. 25 Figure 10 is a cross section taken along line 10-10 of Figure 9, and shows a detail of one of the elements 112 in the source array 26. Each element comprises a linear oscillator cavity 114 including an integral radiator horn output section. The active element is a Gunn diode element 30 116, the construction of which is generally conventional. The cavity compromises a radial disc resonator 118 located along a coaxial RF choke structure which supplies DC bias t the Gunn diode element 116. A fixed backshort 117 is used to optimize the performance of the basic oscillator. This 35 type of element is referred to in the art as a "waveguide cavity resonator" which is driven by the Gunn diode. As can be observed from Figure 10, the diode elemen 116 is compressed by a threaded member 120 into the resonator structure 119. The center frequency of the Gunn diode oscillator is determined by the diameter of the 5 resonator disc 118; minor adjustments to its frequency can be provided by mechanical tuning rod 124. The bias voltage of the InP Gunn diode can be varied to drive it at an operating frequency varying by approximately +300 MHz at 95 GHz. If needed, additional tuning can be provided by 10 introducing a dielectric material such as sapphire into the vicinity of the resonant disc 118. Typical continuous-wave radiative power levels for the device (as used in the secon embodiment of the invention) are 100 mw/emitter at 95 GHz. 15 Selection of an operating wavelength and frequency for the devices according to either embodiment of the invention involves several design tradeoffs. The characteristic atmospheric absorbtion dictates operation in one of the 1.2 mm, 2 mm, or 3 mm wavelength bands. Apertur 20 size is reduced for smaller wavelengths, encouraging miniaturization of antenna components, but mixer performanc decreases at the higher frequencies concomitant with smalle wavelengths. At present, the optimum frequency is considered to be 94 GHz (3 mm wavelength) or 140 GHz (2 mm) , 25 but this could change as better components (principally mixers) become available. At these frequencies, atmospheri attenuation, including that due to water vapor is only a problem in very long range imaging systems. 30 It will be appreciated that there has been describe a millimeter wave imaging device which comprises an array of mixer/detector elements, each adapted to provide an output intermediate frequency signal responsive to a local oscillator signal mixed with radiation reflected from a 35 portion of the field of view. It will be appreciated that the mixer/detector array according to the invention is a "staring" array, that is, one which does not require mechanical or electronic scanning in order to image an entire field of view. At all times, the output signal from each of the mixer/detector elements of the array 36 corresponds to a particular portion of the device's field of view, and thus to a particular picture element or "pixel" of the image. For example, it would be possible to connect output elements (e.g., LEDs) individually to each of the mixer/detector elements in the array and provide an image directly, that is, without ever scanning the elements to generate a video image or the like. On the other hand, if it were desired to display the image generated by the array of mixer/detector elements on a conventional video screen or the like, it would generally b necessary to successively interrogate each of the elements in a row of the array, thus generating a first line of the video display, then interrogate each of the elements of the next row of the array in order to generate the next line of the display, and so on, thus ultimately generating a complete raster scan. Such image generation techniques are within the skill of the art. Any of a wide variety of image processing and image enhancement and analysis techniques may be combined with th image generation techniques according to the invention, suc as convolution, false coloration, and identification of individual objects in the image both by comparison to known shapes and otherwise. The fact that the image signal is provided pixel-by-pixel by the staring array of the invention makes it particularly amenable to many image processing techniques, especially those involving Fourier transformation. Such teachings are considered to be within the scope of the invention where not excluded by the following claims. Therefore, while several preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, these are to b considered exemplary only and not as limitations on the scope of the invention, which is defined only by the appended claims.

Claims: WE CLAIM: 1. A millimeter wave detecting device, comprising: an array (36) of millimeter wave mixer/detector elements (8) , aligned along an optical path with respect to a field of view; means for focussing (40) millimeter wave radiation emitted by or reflected from objects in the field of view onto said mixer/detector array (36) ; local oscillator means (26) located out of said optical path for generating a beam of millimeter wave energy (14) ; and a transmitting/reflecting surface means (28) disposed in said optical path for directing said beam of millimeter wave energy (14) onto said array (36) , while permitting focussed radiation (38) to traverse said optical path to be incident onto the mixer/detector array (36) ; wherein each of the mixer/detector elements (8) of the array (36) detect and mix the local oscillator beam (14) and focussed radiation (38) from a particular portion of the field of view and provide an output signal responsive to said portion of the field of view. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein said beam of millimeter wave energy generated by said local oscillator means (26) is linearly polarized. 3. The device of claim 2 wherein said local oscillator means (26) directs said energy toward said means for directing (28) in said optical path and said means for directing (28) comprises a polarizing grid for directing said local oscillator beam onto said array (36) while passing said focussed radiation received (38) from the fiel of view. - 4. The device of claim 3 wherein said polarizing grid (28) is arranged so as to divide the beam of energy emitted by said local oscillator (26) into major (24) and (30) minor portions, to direct the major portion (24) towa 5 the field of view as an illumination beam, and to direct th minor portion (30) toward said mixer/detector array (36) as a local oscillator signal. 5. The device of claim 4, further comprising means 10 for rotating (50) the polarization of said local oscillator signal. 6. The device of claim 5 wherein said means for rotating (50) is a twist reflector. 15 7. The device of claim 1 wherein said local oscillator means (46) is an array of Gunn diodes or other oscillators. 20 8. The device of claim 1 wherein said mixer/detector elements (8) of said array (36) each compris an endfire traveling wave slot antenna (66) and a nonlinear circuit element (80) . 25 9. The device of claim 8 wherein said nonlinear circuit elements (80) are Schottky barrier diodes. 10. The device of claim 9 wherein said antennas (66) each comprise two planar conductors (68) spaced from 30 one another on a dielectric substrate, (70) defining a slot (76) between said conductors generally aligned along the optical axis between said field of view and said array (36) 11. The device of claim 10 wherein each of said 35 mixer/detector elements (18) further comprises an RF choke (78). 12. The device of claim 11 wherein said RF choke (78) comprises one or more slots in each of said planar conductors (68) extending orthogonally to said slot between 5 said planar conductors (68) . 13. The device of claim 9 wherein the diode (80) o each element is formed on a planar substrate (88) and the active semiconductor member (98) of said diode is contacted 10 by conductor members (92, 90) , and wherein the active membe (98) of each diode (80) is connected to said planar conductors by direct bonding of said conductor members (92,90) to said planar conductors (68). 15 14. The device of claim 1, in combination with means (22) responsive to said mixer/detector elements (8) for forming an image of objects in said field of view, wherein such image is made up of a number of picture elements, each corresponding to a single one of said 20 mixer/detector elements. 15. The device of claim 1, in combination with a source (26) of millimeter-wave radiation for illuminating said field of view. 25 16. Method for generating an image of a field of view, comprising the steps of: focussing energy (12) reflected from or emitted by objects in the field of view onto an array (36) 30 of mixer/detector elements (8) sensitive to millimeter-wave energy, thus defining an optical path extending between the field of view and the array (36) ; generating a local oscillator signal (34) of millimeter-wave energy; 35 -directing said local oscillator signal (34) onto means (28) disposed in said optical path for directing said local oscillator signal (34) onto said array of mixer/detector elements, individually mixing (16) the focussed energ (12) with the reflected local oscillator signal (14) in th elements (8) of said array (36) , detecting (16) the signals resulting from said mixing step, and employing (22) the detected signals to form an image in which individual picture elements of said imag correspond to the signal detected by the individual mixer/detector elements of said array. 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of directing the local oscillator signal (34) onto said array (36) while passing the focussed energy (12) therethrough is performed by transmissive/reflective surface means (28) located in the optical path between said field of view and said array (36) . 18. The method of claim 16, comprising the further steps of dividing said local oscillator signal into major (24) and minor (30) portions, directing the major portion (24) of said local oscillator signal into the field of view as an illumination signal, and directing the minor portion (30) of said local oscillator signal onto the array (36) as the local oscillator signal (14) .

Inventors: DEO NARESH C, GOLDSMITH PAUL F, HUGUENIN G RICHARD, WALKER DAVID K, DEO, NARESH, C., GOLDSMITH, PAUL, F., HUGUENIN, G., RICHARD, WALKER, DAVID, K.
Applicants: MILLITECH CORP, MILLITECH CORPORATION
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G01S13
IPC codes: G01S7, G01S13, G01V8, H01L29, H01L47