Range Capability of an Infrared Vidicon Sensor

Abstract

The range capability of an infrared photoconductive vidicon is calculated as a function of background photon flux density. Range is maximized by adjusting a quantity which involves the target photoconductive gain, the quantum efficiency and the spectral bandwidth. The optimum value of the product of these three factors is obtained as a function of background flux. A limiting factor is the amount of charge that can be stored on the vidicon retina for the frame time. This is determined by the maximum breakdown field of retina material and the retina capacitance or dielectric constant. The resultant equations are evaluated for several practical situations. In the case of high backgrounds, range capability can be increased by enhancing the capacitance of the vidicon retina or alternatively by employing frame-to-frame signal integration.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1972
Accession Number
AD0519010

Entities

People

  • John O. Dimmock
  • Theodore M. Quist

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altitude
  • Background Radiation
  • Department Of Defense
  • Dielectric Permittivity
  • Efficiency
  • Electron Beams
  • Electron Guns
  • Flux Density
  • Government Procurement
  • Governments
  • Infrared Vidicons
  • National Security
  • Quantum Efficiency
  • Radiation
  • Standards
  • Telescopes
  • Test And Evaluation

Readers

  • Image Processing and Computer Vision.
  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Vision Science/Vision Psychology/Cognitive Neuroscience.

Technology Areas

  • Quantum Computing