HgCdTe focal plane arrays for high performance infrared cameras

Lester J. Kozlowski

doi:10.1117/12.276226

13 June 1997 HgCdTe focal plane arrays for high performance infrared cameras

Lester J. Kozlowski

Proceedings Volume 3179, Solid State Crystals in Optoelectronics and Semiconductor Technology; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.276226
Event: XII Conference on Solid State Crystals: Materials Science and Applications, 1996, Zakopane, Poland

Abstract

Significant advances have been made in growing high quality HgCdTe detector arrays, designing and fabricating multiplexing readouts in submicron CMOS, and in subsequently fabricating large hybrid FPAs having excellent reliability. Consequently, high performance IR cameras are now being routinely developed for diverse applications. For example, FPAs as large as 1024 X 1024 with mean dark current < 0.1 e-/s, read noise < 0.1 e-/s and pixel yield as high as 99.85 percent for D > 1 X 10¹⁴ Jones are being supplied for IR astronomy. Affordable high performance IR imaging cameras, however, require cost-effective staring focal plane arrays (FPA) that operate at temperatures compatible with long-life, low-power coolers. We thus report a 5 micrometers 256 X 256 FPAs having mean D > 8.8 X 10¹¹ cm-(root)Hz/W with > 99.5 percent pixel operability at 90K operating temperature. The device's large charge capacity enables full coverage of the 3 to 5 micrometers atmospheric window to provide many of the advantages promised by competing staring LWIR sensors including enhanced S/N under stringent operating conditions and reduced background clutter. The staring Hg_1-xCd_xTe FPAs offer not only high sensitivity, operability and reliability at elevated operating temperatures, but also stable, temporal noise-limited imaging over the 3.4 to 4.8 micrometers passband. We report temporal sensitivity < mK with comparable spatial noise at 95K operating temperature. We also quantify the operating temperature stability required to maintain high sensitivity. Finally, we briefly status our HgCdTe FPA technology by focusing on key off-the-shelf CMOS readouts.

Citation Download Citation

Lester J. Kozlowski "HgCdTe focal plane arrays for high performance infrared cameras", Proc. SPIE 3179, Solid State Crystals in Optoelectronics and Semiconductor Technology, (13 June 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.276226

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