Performance of a microgrid polarizer array employing a micro-optic registration element

Abstract

IERUS Technologies investigated the feasibility of developing a high resolution, passive MWIR polarimetric imaging system for both day and night operation at short (1 – 5 meters) and long (1 – 2 km) range operation. The sensor system used a micro-polarizer array (MPA) over the focal plane array (FPA) in order to capture four channels of polarimetric information simultaneously. It also used an optical registration array (ORA) over the MPA in order to spatially register the polarimetric information. The MPA-ORA device is integral to the FPA, forming a drop-in-replacement, saving system size and weight relative to other polarimetric imaging technologies. A system was designed for a prototype that mitigates risk and demonstrates the utility of the ORA. The FPA employed is a MWIR array with a reticulated detector array which reduces electrical pixel-to-pixel crosstalk to zero. Polarization and radiometric performance predictions of the design will be presented.