Infrared focal plane array

Figure 4. Simplified schematic of an optical/infrared focal plane array. The detector is a thin wafer of light sensitive material that is connected to a thin layer of solid state electronics - the connection is made either by direct deposition (CCD) or bump bonding (IR detector). The solid state electronics amplify and read out the charge produced by the incident light.

All of the optical and infrared focal plane arrays are solid state electronic devices, and to fully understand their physics and operation, one should have a solid foundation in the solid state electronics. An excellent reference is ... 

Unlike mapping, the detector used for infrared chemical imaging is a two-dimensional detector array. The infrared focal-plane array (FPA) detector, the long-wavelength analog of a typical digital camera, was... 

P. W. Kruse, Principles of Uncooled Infrared Focal Plane Arrays... 

D. L. Folia and J. R. Choi, Monolithic Pyroelectric Bolometer Arrays N. Teranishi, Thermoelectric Uncooled Infrared Focal Plane Arrays M. F. Tompsett, Pyroelectric Vidicon... 

Lewis, E. N., Treado, R J., Reeder, R. C. et al. (1995) Fourier transform spectroscopic imaging using an infrared focal-plane array detector. Anal. Chem. 67, 3377-81. 

In US-A-4228365 an infrared focal plane array is disclosed, which has a heterostructure injection scheme that prevents CCD well filling by using a heterojunction barrier between an absorber and a transfer layer. 

A two colour infrared focal plane array with the two colours detectors interleaved and with a single set of read-out lines for both colours is presented in US-A-4956686. 

Designing infrared detectors and infrared focal plane arrays is however a demanding task. The task is not made easier by the fact that thermal background radiation at room temperature is many orders of magnitude greater in the infrared range than in the visible range. 

D. A. Scribner, M. R. Kruer and J. M. Killiany, "Infrared Focal Plane Array Technology , Proc. IEEE, 79 (1), 66-85, January 1991. 

A.N. Dills, K.C. Gross, G.P. Perram, Detonation discrimination techniques using a fouiier transform infrared spectrometer system and a near-infrared focal plane array. Proceedings of the SPIE, 5075,208-216 (2003). 

EN Lewis, PJ Treado, RC Reeder, GM Story, AE Dowrey, C Marcott, and IW Levin. Eourier Transform Spectroscopic Imaging Using an Infrared Focal-Plane Array Detector. Anal. Chem. 67 3377-3381, 1995. 

J. J. Niewadomski, B. S. Carlson. CMOS read-out IC with op-amp pixel amplifier for infrared focal plane arrays. In Proc. 10th IEEE Annual Int l ASIC Conference and Exhibit, 1997, pp. 69 - 73. 

Applied Spectroscopy 51, No.6, June 1997, p.856-65 APPLICATION OF A SPECTROSCOPIC INFRARED FOCAL PLANE ARRAY(FPA) SENSOR FOR ON-LINE IDENTIFICATION OF PLASTIC WASTE... 

S. H. Chen, X. J. Yi, L. B. Kong, M. He, and H. C. Wang, "Monolithic integration technique for microlens arrays with infrared focal plane arrays," Infrared Physics Technology, vol. 43, pp. 109-112, Apr 2002. 

Infrared focal plane array (IRFPA) cameras... 

Figure 2.20 Infrared focal plane array camera schematic (courtesy of Honeywell, Inc,),...

Infrared focal plane array (IRFPA) - A linear or two-dimensional matrix of individual infrared detector elements, typically used as a detector in an infrared imaging instrument. 

Infrared focal plane array camera schematic... 

For infrared microspectroscopy, single-element detectors are used for point and mapping measurements. More recently, array detectors have been applied for spectroscopic imaging in the infrared. In infrared focal plane arrays, the monolithic silicon design used in CCDs is replaced by a hybrid construction. In a hybrid detector, photon detection occurs in a semiconductor layer (indium antimonide, mercury cadmium telluride, and doped-silicon are typical detector materials), while the readout and amplification stages are carried out in a silicon layer. The two layers are electrically connected at each pixel through indium bump-bonds . Other innovations such as microbolometer arrays also show promise for spectroscopic imaging applications. 

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