Image quality improvement against the backdrop of SWAP and pitch reduction

Abstract

SOFRADIR is a worldwide leader on the cooled infrared (IR) detector market for high-performance space, military and security applications thanks to a high maturity Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT) technology, and III-V technology: InGaAs, and QWIP quantum detectors. As a result, strong and continuous development efforts are deployed to deliver cutting edge products with improved performances in terms of spatial and thermal resolution, dark current, quantum efficiency, low excess noise and high operability. The current trend in quantum IR detector development is the design of very small pixel, operating at higher temperatures. In this context, keeping high image quality is a key challenge. This paper discusses the relevant criteria to quantify image quality: the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) and the Residual Fixed Pattern Noise (RFPN). State of the art relevant performances for IR detection and imaging will be presented for Daphnis MW product, 10μm pitch XGA/HD720 extended MW matrix (cut-off wavelength 5.3μm) operating at 110K: range improvement, digital ROIC optimization, NUC (Non Uniformity Correction) table stability. Projections and results for smaller pixel pitch are also detailed.