Attainment of high sensitivity at elevated operating temperatures with staring hybrid HgCdTe-on-sapphire focal plane arrays

Lester J. Kozlowski; William V. McLevige; Scott A. Cabelli; A. H.B. Vanderwyck; Donald E. Cooper; Edward R. Blazejewski; Kadri Vural; William E. Tennant

doi:10.1117/12.163405

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1 March 1994 Attainment of high sensitivity at elevated operating temperatures with staring hybrid HgCdTe-on-sapphire focal plane arrays

Lester J. Kozlowski, William V. McLevige, Scott A. Cabelli, A. H.B. Vanderwyck, Donald E. Cooper, Edward R. Blazejewski, Kadri Vural, William E. Tennant

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Optical Engineering, 33(3), (1994). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.163405

Abstract

Cost-effective high-performance IR imaging cameras need affordable staring focal plane arrays (FPAs) that can operate effectively at temperatures compatible with inexpensive long-life coolers. We report on staring hybrid 128 x 128 and 256 x 256 Hg_1-xCd_xTe FPAs that have requisite yield, sensitivity, operability, and reliability at a medium-wavelength IR (MWIR) cutoff wavelength (λ_c ~4.6 μm at 180 K) and elevated operating temperatures. Mean 256 x 256 FPA noise-equivalent temperature differences (NEΔT) using broadband f/1.7 optics were 4.3, 7.7, and 55 mK at 120, 140, and 180 K, respectively. We extrapolate that camera NEΔT ≤ 0.02 K can be achieved at 190 K using optimized (λ_c of ~4.4 μm (180 K), a 3.4- to 4.2-μm bandpass filter, and f/1 optics. Because the CMOS multiplexers have a low-power dissipation and need little ancillary circuitry in the dewar, a viable thermoelectrically-cooled FPA technology is thus implied once the λ_c is optimized for MWIR imaging.

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Lester J. Kozlowski, William V. McLevige, Scott A. Cabelli, A. H.B. Vanderwyck, Donald E. Cooper, Edward R. Blazejewski, Kadri Vural, and William E. Tennant "Attainment of high sensitivity at elevated operating temperatures with staring hybrid HgCdTe-on-sapphire focal plane arrays," Optical Engineering 33(3), (1 March 1994). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.163405

Published: 1 March 1994

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