Infrared Technology and applications XXXIV

ABSTRACT The high level of accumulated expertise by ULIS and CEA/LETI on uncooled microbolometers made from amorphous silicon layer enables ULIS to develop 384 x 288 (¼ VGA) IRFPA formats with 25 µm pixel-pitch designed for high end applications. This detector ROIC design relies on the same architecture as the full TV format ROIC one (detector configuration by serial link, user defined amplifier gain, windowing capability …). The detector package is identical as the 384 x 288 / 35 µm and 640 x 480 / 25µm ones, enabling an easier system update or less non recurrent cost for different systems developments. This paper will give results of the IRFPA characterization. NETD in the range of 30mK (f/1, 300 K, 60 Hz) and operability higher than 99.99 % are routinely achieved

Ultra-Low Dark Current HgCdTe Detector in SWIR for Space Applications

International audienceThis paper presents recent developments at Commissariat A l'Energie atomique, Laboratoire d'Electronique et de Technologie de l'Information infrared laboratory on processing and characterization of p-on-n HgCdTe (MCT) planar infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs) in short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral band for the astrophysics applications. These FPAs have been grown using both liquid phase epitaxy and molecular beam epitaxy on a lattice-matched CdZnTe substrate. This technology exhibits lower dark current and lower series resistance in comparison with n-on-p vacancy-doped architecture and is well adapted for low flux detection or high operating temperature. This architecture has been evaluated for space applications in long-wave infrared and very-long-wave infrared spectral bands with cut-off wavelengths from 10 mu m up to 17 mu m at 78 K and is now evaluated for the SWIR range. The metallurgical nature of the absorbing layer is also examined and both molecular beam epitaxy and liquid phase epitaxy have been investigated. Electro-optical characterizations have been performed on individual photodiodes from test arrays, whereas dark current investigation has been performed with a fully functional readout integrated circuit dedicated to low flux operations