Microbolometer uncooled infrared camera with 20-mK NETD

William A. Radford; Daniel F. Murphy; A. Finch; Adam Kennedy; J. K. Kojiro; Michael Ray; Richard Wyles; R. Coda; Edgar A. Moody; Stefan T. Baur

doi:10.1117/12.317595

22 July 1998 Microbolometer uncooled infrared camera with 20-mK NETD

William A. Radford, Daniel F. Murphy, A. Finch, Adam Kennedy, J. K. Kojiro, Michael Ray, Richard Wyles, R. Coda, Edgar A. Moody, Stefan T. Baur

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3379, Infrared Detectors and Focal Plane Arrays V; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.317595
Event: Aerospace/Defense Sensing and Controls, 1998, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

Raytheon Sensors and Communications Systems has developed a prototype infrared imaging rifle-sight using an uncooled, microbolometer FPA. The Longwavelength Staring Sensor (LWSS) has been characterized by NVESD, where it demonstrated NETD and MRT values that are unsurpassed for uncooled FPA technology. The NVESD-measured NETD values were 24 mK with f/0.7 optics and 42 mK with an f/1/0 aperture. When used with the f/0.7 optics, NVESD measured MRT values less than 60 mK at the nyquist spatial frequency. Similar measurements at f/1.0 produced MRT values less than 110 mK. Further optimization of the microbolometers is expected to produce FPAs with NETD values less than 20 mK for f/1.0 apertures. The high- performance uncooled microbolometer FPA (SBRC-151) used in the LWSS was developed by Raytheon Santa Barbara Research Center. The 320 X 240 FPA utilizes a high-yield CMOS readout integrated circuit (ROIC) that achieves high sensitivity, low output nonuniformity, and large scene dynamic range. The ROIC provides multi-level, on-chip nonuniformity correction and on- chip temperature compensation. The FPA has 50 micrometer X 50 micrometer pixels and operates at frame rates up to 60 Hz with a single output. The VO_X microbolometer detectors are produced at SBRC using an advanced dry-etch fabrication process. In addition to the LWSS project, SBRC has initiated low-rate production of the microbolometer FPAs. This work is being performed in support of Raytheon-Amber for commercial radiometer cameras. The pixel operability of the production radiometer FPAs (AE-189) are greater than 99.9%.

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William A. Radford, Daniel F. Murphy, A. Finch, Adam Kennedy, J. K. Kojiro, Michael Ray, Richard Wyles, R. Coda, Edgar A. Moody, and Stefan T. Baur "Microbolometer uncooled infrared camera with 20-mK NETD", Proc. SPIE 3379, Infrared Detectors and Focal Plane Arrays V, (22 July 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.317595

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