Uncooled infrared detector with 12um pixel pitch video graphics array

Tsutomu Endoh; Shigeru Tohyama; Takao Yamazaki; Yutaka Tanaka; Kuniyuki Okuyama; Seiji Kurashina; Masaru Miyoshi; Kouji Katoh; Takashi Yamamoto; Yuuhi Okuda; Tokuhito Sasaki; Haruo Ishizaki; Tomohiko Nakajima; Kentaro Shinoda; Tetsuo Tsuchiya

doi:10.1117/12.2013690

11 June 2013 Uncooled infrared detector with 12μm pixel pitch video graphics array

Tsutomu Endoh, Shigeru Tohyama, Takao Yamazaki, Yutaka Tanaka, Kuniyuki Okuyama, Seiji Kurashina, Masaru Miyoshi, Kouji Katoh, Takashi Yamamoto, Yuuhi Okuda, Tokuhito Sasaki, Haruo Ishizaki, Tomohiko Nakajima, Kentaro Shinoda, Tetsuo Tsuchiya

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8704, Infrared Technology and Applications XXXIX; 87041G (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2013690
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2013, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Abstract

Uncooled infrared detectors with 12μm pixel pitch video graphics array (VGA) have been developed. To improve the signal to noise ratio (SNR) for 12μm pixel pitch, a highly sensitive bolometer material, an advanced pixel structure for thermal isolation and a newly designed read-out IC (ROIC) have been also developed. The bolometer material has been improved by using vanadium niobate. Over a wide range of temperature, temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) is achieved higher level than -3.6%/K, which is 2 times higher than that for the conventional bolometer material. For thermal isolation, thermal conductance (Gth) value for the new pixel structure, fabricated by using triple level sacrificial layer process, is estimated to be 5nW/K, which is 1/5 times lower than that for the conventional pixel structure. On the other hand, since the imaging area is reduced by the pixel pitch, the uniformity of pixel can be improved. This enables to remove the non-uniformity correction (NUC) circuit in the ROIC. Removal of this circuit is effective for low power and low noise. This 12μm pixel pitch VGA detector is packaged in a compact (24 × 24 × 6.5 mm) and lightweight (11g) ceramic package. In addition, it has been incorporated in a newly developed prototype miniature imager. The miniature imager has dimension of 25(H) ×25(W) ×28(L) mm and weight of 30g. This imager is compact and small enough to fit in your hand. Hereafter, this imager is greatly expected to be applied to mobile systems.

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Tsutomu Endoh, Shigeru Tohyama, Takao Yamazaki, Yutaka Tanaka, Kuniyuki Okuyama, Seiji Kurashina, Masaru Miyoshi, Kouji Katoh, Takashi Yamamoto, Yuuhi Okuda, Tokuhito Sasaki, Haruo Ishizaki, Tomohiko Nakajima, Kentaro Shinoda, and Tetsuo Tsuchiya "Uncooled infrared detector with 12μm pixel pitch video graphics array", Proc. SPIE 8704, Infrared Technology and Applications XXXIX, 87041G (11 June 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2013690

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