Opaque pixel mask with a broadband absorbing metasurface: application to infrared detectors.

Abstract

We present an imager architecture comprising dark and active pixels allowing the simultaneous measurement of photonic and dark current, which is of particular interest for low-photon-flux astronomical applications. The principle of operation relies on both the total opacity of a thin metallic screen of sufficient area and the anti-reflective properties of well-designed resonant metal-dielectric gratings made on the same screen. The concept is exemplified in the context of cooled HgCdTe hybrid detectors, at short- and long-wave infrared ranges.