HOT MWIR detector with 5 μm pitch

SCD introduced its first cooled two-dimensional (2D) Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR) detector more than twenty years ago. The InSb Focal Plane Array (FPA) had a 30 μm pitch and approximately 80,000 pixels. We have since introduced 2D MWIR detectors with pitches of 25, 20, 15 and 10 μm and an increasing number of pixels, up to 3 M-pixel. By decreasing the pixel size, it is possible to increase their overall number in a given die size, leading to a higher resolution and opening the way for new applications such as persistent surveillance. On the other hand, maintaining the same number of pixels leads to a much smaller die size, which enables detectors to be manufactured with a lower Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWaP-C). Reducing the pixel dimensions can also reduce the size of the optics to support lower SWaP-C at the system level. The novel XBn-InAsSb technology enables High Operating Temperature (HOT) MWIR FPA, normally operated at 150K, for lower SWaP and longer lifetime cooler, detector and system. To date, HOT MWIR detectors of several formats, with 15 and 10 μm pitch, are integrated in numerous electro-optical systems for many defense and commercial applications. Achieving even smaller pixel size while maintaining the same electro-optical performance, namely high quantum efficiency, low dark current, low cross talk, and high array uniformity, is a serious technological challenge. In this work, we present SCD's new HOT MWIR detector (CRANE) with 2560×2048 format and 5μm pitch.