The next generation of infrared systems will provide dramatic increases in sensitivity and resolution due to the larger number of detectors that can be included on the focal plane. Current IR imaging systems utilize a relatively small number of detectors (typically fewer than 200) and each is connected to an individual video processing circuit. The higher detector densities afforded by new IR semiconductor technologies clearly require signal processing on the focal plane, if for no other reason than simplification of the cryostat/system interface. However, the relative immaturity of these new detector technologies currently requires conditioning of the detector signals in order to achieve a signal-to-noise ratio dictated by shot noise on the incident radiation (so called "background limited performance", or BLIP). This paper describes the application of silicon n-channel MOS (NMOS) technology to the development of analog circuitry for IR signal processing.

Date Published: 6 August 1980
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 0225, Infrared Image Sensor Technology, (6 August 1980);

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0225:
Infrared Image Sensor Technology
Esther Krikorian, Editor(s)