Intevac to Develop Sensor for Los Alamos Lab

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 8 --Intevac Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a $684,500 contract from Los Alamos National Laboratory to develop a prototype advanced single-photon sensor that will enable its LIVAR target identification system to generate 3-D images.

The new sensor, under development for the Department of Energy by Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos, will combine Intevac's patented LIVAR photocathode with an advanced CMOS chip developed by Rockwell Scientific Co., using advanced ultrahigh vacuum packaging technology developed by Intevac.

Verle Aebi, president of Intevac's photonics technology division, said, "The new sensor offers 3-D imaging capability to Intevac's LIVAR long-range target identification system that significantly enhances the value of LIVAR for use in automated target identification systems by giving it the capability to image the shape of a target. Shape recognition is critical to the development of advanced military target identification systems that automatically compare the shape of a target to known shapes as part of the identification process."

Kevin Fairbairn, Intevac CEO, said the contract "further validates the importance of Intevac's LIVAR technology. The addition of 3-D capability will further enhance its value for the US military, its allies and for homeland defense applications."

For more information, visit: www.intevac.com