DARPA contract pushes the bounds of SWIR

A Goodrich Optical and Space Systems product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Sep 29, 2005

Sensors Unlimited has been awarded a contract by the DARPA Microsystems Technology Office to develop a 1280 x 1024 pixel, dual-wavelength, visible and short-wave infra-red focal plane array

Sensors Unlimited, global suppliers of short-wave infra-red (SWIR) cameras based on indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) technology, has been awarded a contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) to develop an unprecedented 1280 x 1024 pixel, dual-wavelength, visible and short-wave infra-red focal plane array (FPA).

The uncooled, InGaAs focal plane array will enable very high-resolution, passive night vision imaging with sensitivity to wavelengths from 0.4 to 1.7um, using pixels on a 15um pitch.

The contract will be awarded in three, 12-month phases and if fully executed, will total $4,576,176.

The development of this FPA will result in breakthrough advances in focal plane array performance.

The new FPA will have less than 10 electrons readout noise while operating at video rates.

In addition, new developments in detector growth, design, and fabrication will enable dark current densities of less than 2nA/cm2 from the InGaAs photodiode array at room temperature allowing the read noise to be the limiting noise factor for video rate imaging.

The focal plane array combined with Sensors Unlimited's expertise in low-noise and dual-wavelength detector design will enable SUI to reach DARPA's goal of identifying a human target at 100m under no-moon conditions.

President and CEO of Sensors Unlimited, Marshall J Cohen, notes: "This contract will enhance our current research and further our InGaAs development of high resolution, low noise, dual-wavelength focal plane arrays".

"We welcome the opportunity to work once again with DARPA and its innovative MTO group to advance our InGaAs imaging technology to the next level in FPA performance".

DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office is committed to pioneering breakthroughs in materials, devices, circuits and mathematics to develop beyond leading edge components with revolutionary performance and functionality, enabling new platform capability for the Department of Defense.