Detectors for the short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral range are particularly suitable for observation under hazy weather conditions as well as under twilight or moon light conditions. In addition, SWIR detectors allow using the airglow for observation under moonless sky. SWIR detectors are commonly based on InGaAs or HgCdTe (MCT) and demand extremely low dark currents to ensure a high signal-to-noise ratio under low background light conditions. AIM has developed a read-out integrated circuit (ROIC) with 640×512 pixels and a 15 µm pixel pitch for low light level applications. The ROIC supports analog or digital correlated double sampling (CDS) for the reduction of reset-noise (also known as kTC-noise). Along with CDS, a rolling shutter (RS) mode has been implemented. The input stage of the ROIC is based on a capacitive transimpedance amplifier (CTIA) with two selectable gain settings. The dark current of our SWIR MCT detectors has recently been significantly reduced to allow for high operating temperatures. In contrast to InGaAs, the MCT material offers the unique possibility to adjust the cut-off wavelength according to the application while maintaining the matching of the lattice constant to the one of the CdZnTe substrate.The key electro-optical performance parameters of lately developed MCT based SWIR Focal Plane Arrays (FPA) with a 1.75 µm cut-off wavelength will be presented. In addition, AIMs SWIR detectors covering the spectral range from 0.9 µm to 2.5 µm and available in formats of 384×288 pixels -24 µm pitch and 1024×256 pixels -24×32 µm², will be introduced.
The 3rd generation of infrared (IR) detection modules is expected to provide advanced features like higher resolution 1024x1024 or 1280x720 pixels and/or new functions like multicolor or multi band capability, higher frame rates and better thermal resolution. This paper is intended to present the current status and trends at AIM on antimonide type II superlattices (SL) dual color detection module developments for ground and airborne applications in the high performance range, where rapidly changing scenes - like e.g. in case of missile warning applications for airborne platforms or ground based sniper detection systems - require temporal signal coincidence with integration times of typically 1ms. AIM and IAF selected antimonide based type II superlattices (SL) for such kind of applications. The type II SL technology provides - similar to QWIP's - an accurate engineering of sensitive layers by MBE with very good homogeneity and yield. IAF and AIM managed already to realize a dual color 384x288 IR module based on this technology. It combines spectral selective detection in the 3 - 4&mgr;m wavelength range and 4 - 5 &mgr;m wavelength range in each pixel with coincident integration in a 384x288x2 format and 40x40 &mgr;m2 pitch. Excellent thermal resolution with NETD < 12 mK @ F/2, 2.8 ms for the longer wavelength range (red band) and NETD < 22 mK @ F/2, 2.8 ms for the shorter wavelength range (blue band) were reported. In the meantime a square design of 256x256x2 pixel with a reduced pitch of 30x30 &mgr;m2 is in preparation. In this case with 2 Indium bumps per pixel and a third common contact for all pixels required for temporal coincidence is connected at the outer area of the array. The fill factor is approx. 65% for both wavelength ranges. The reduced size of the array enables the use of a smaller dewar with reduced cooling power and significantly reduced weight and broadens the scope of applications where weight and costs is essential. Design aspects and expected performances are discussed
An increasing need for high-precision atmospheric data especially in the long wavelength infrared (LWIR) and very long wavelength infrared (VLWIR) spectral ranges has arisen in the past years not only for the analysis of climate change and its effect on the earth's ecosystem, but also for weather forecast and atmospheric monitoring purposes.Spatially and spectrally resolved atmospheric emission data are advantageously gathered through limb or nadir sounding using an imaging Fourier transform (FT) interferometer with a two-dimensional (2D) high-speed focal plane detector array (FPA).In this paper, AIM reports on its latest results on MCT VLWIR FPAs for Fourier transform infrared sounding applications in the 8-15µm spectral range. The performance of a (112x112) pixel photodiode array with a 40µm pixel pitch incorporating extrinsic p-doping for low dark current, a technique for linearity improvement at high photon fluxes, pixel guards, pixel select/de-select, and a (2x2) super-pixel architecture is discussed. The customized read-out integrated circuit (ROIC) supporting integrate while-read (IWR) operation has a buffered direct injection (BDI) input stage and a full well capacity (FWC) of 143 Megaelectrons per super-pixel. It consists of two independently operating halves with two analog video outputs each. The full frame rate is typically 4k frames/sec, making it suitable for use with rapid scan FT infrared spectrometers.At a 55K operating temperature and an ∼14.4µm cut-off wavelength, a photo response of 12.1mV/K and a noise equivalent temperature difference of 24.8mK at half well filling are demonstrated for a 286K reference scene. The nonlinearity error is <0.5%.
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