Progress toward an uncooled IR imager with 5-mK NETD

Robert Amantea; Lawrence A. Goodman; Francis P. Pantuso; Donald J. Sauer; Matthew Varghese M.D.; Thomas S. Villani; Lawrence K. White

doi:10.1117/12.328065

26 October 1998 Progress toward an uncooled IR imager with 5-mK NETD

Robert Amantea, Lawrence A. Goodman, Francis P. Pantuso, Donald J. Sauer, Matthew Varghese M.D., Thomas S. Villani, Lawrence K. White

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3436, Infrared Technology and Applications XXIV; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.328065
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1998, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The bi-material concept for room-temperature infrared imaging has the potential of reaching an NE(Delta) T approaching the theoretical limit because of its high responsivity and low noise. The approach, which is 100% compatible with silicon IC foundry processing, utilizes a novel combination of surface micromachining and conventional integrated circuits to produce a bimaterial thermally sensitive element that controls the position of a capacitive plate coupled to the input of a low noise MOS amplifier. This approach can achieve the high sensitivity, the low weight, and the low cost necessary for equipment such as helmet-mounted IR viewers and IR rifle sights. The pixel design has the following benefits: (1) an order of magnitude improvement in NE(Delta) T due to extremely high sensitivity and low noise; (2) low cost due to 100% silicon IC compatibility; (3) high image quality and increased yield due to ability to do offset and sensitivity corrections on the imager, pixel-by-pixel; (4) no cryogenic cooler and no high vacuum processing; (5) commercial applications such as law enforcement, home security, and transportation safety.

Citation Download Citation

Robert Amantea, Lawrence A. Goodman, Francis P. Pantuso, Donald J. Sauer, Matthew Varghese M.D., Thomas S. Villani, and Lawrence K. White "Progress toward an uncooled IR imager with 5-mK NETD", Proc. SPIE 3436, Infrared Technology and Applications XXIV, (26 October 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.328065

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