The performance of an InfraRed (IR) system is based on a high spatial resolution and on a high thermal resolution. An increase in spatial resolution means an increase in number of pixels, a decrease in detector pitch and an increase in the detector pixel MTF. Regarding thermal resolution increase, it will be achieved mainly by an increase in the maximum quantity of charges which can be stored in the silicon read-out circuits for 2D staring arrays. At present, only cooled detectors answer this need of high performance detectors, such as 2D arrays with TV format resolution and high NETD. In this paper these trends regarding high performance are discussed and recent IRFPA results at Sofradir are presented. Finally, a comparison with uncooled detectors, also processed at Sofradir, is presented, to outline the remaining gap between both types of detectors.

Date Published: 17 July 2000
PDF: 19 pages
Proc. SPIE 4028, Infrared Detectors and Focal Plane Arrays VI, (17 July 2000); doi: 10.1117/12.391759

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4028:
Infrared Detectors and Focal Plane Arrays VI
Eustace L. Dereniak; Robert E. Sampson, Editor(s)