High operating temperature (HOT) midwave infrared (MWIR) 6 µm pitch camera core performance and maturity

Thomas Shafer; Ramon Torres-Valladolid; Robert Burford; Thomas Buerger; Graham Averitt; Mark Skokan; Matt Babyak; Christopher Martin; Doug VanDover; Tony Ragucci

doi:10.1117/12.2618719

27 May 2022 High operating temperature (HOT) midwave infrared (MWIR) 6 μm pitch camera core performance and maturity

Thomas Shafer, Ramon Torres-Valladolid, Robert Burford, Thomas Buerger, Graham Averitt, Mark Skokan, Matt Babyak, Christopher Martin, Doug VanDover, Tony Ragucci

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12107, Infrared Technology and Applications XLVIII; 121070V (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2618719
Event: SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing, 2022, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

Leonardo DRS (DRS) has developed High Operating Temperature (HOT) HgCdTe detector material, small-pitch focal plane arrays and ultra-compact Dewar/cooler assemblies. These breakthrough technologies are integrated into a high-definition version of our micro camera core. This report provides an update on the performance, reliability and maturity of the HexaBlu 1280 × 960, 6 μm pitch midwave camera core. The HexaBlu weighs <0.65 lbs., displaces <80 cm³, and achieves a Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD) of 27 mK at f/2.62 with full well at a 335 K scene. This sensitivity is complemented by a Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) within 2% of theoretical for DRS’s detector architecture. Together, low NETD and high MTF enable sharp longrange imagery. The Camera Core dissipates 4.5 W and achieves cooldown in ~2.5 minutes at 25°C, while providing onboard non-uniformity correction and bad pixel replacement. DRS predicts a mean time between failure of 23,900 hours in an environment cycling between 15°C and 64°C. In ongoing accelerated life testing, the cooler has averaged over 27,000 failure free hours in a 72 hour thermal cycle, and the Dewar has averaged 100,000 failure free hours at ≥70°C ambient. Now in limited rate production, the HexaBlu® leverages 95% design commonality with the Dewar/cooler assembly in fielded weapon sights.

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Thomas Shafer, Ramon Torres-Valladolid, Robert Burford, Thomas Buerger, Graham Averitt, Mark Skokan, Matt Babyak, Christopher Martin, Doug VanDover, and Tony Ragucci "High operating temperature (HOT) midwave infrared (MWIR) 6 μm pitch camera core performance and maturity", Proc. SPIE 12107, Infrared Technology and Applications XLVIII, 121070V (27 May 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2618719

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