Polarization Sensitive QWIP Thermal Imager

Abstract

A polarization-sensitive thermal imager has been assembled using a quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP) focal plane array (FPA) with peak responsivity in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectral band near 9 micrometers. Polarization-dependent responsivity is achieved by etching linear gratings onto each pixel during QWIP FPA fabrication, with adjacent pixels having orthogonal grating orientation. The direct integration of the gratings with the pixels eliminates all pixel registration errors encountered with previous infrared polarimetry instruments. We present here details of the FPA and thermal imaging system design and performance and show examples of polarization-enhanced imagery.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2000
Accession Number
ADA392912

Entities

People

  • Daniel W. Beekman
  • James Van Anda

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amplifiers
  • Arrays
  • Converters
  • Detectors
  • Dynamic Range
  • Electronics
  • Fabrication
  • Focal Plane Arrays
  • Focal Planes
  • Infrared Radiation
  • Measurement
  • Orientation (Direction)
  • Polarization
  • Quantum Efficiency
  • Quantum Wells
  • Radiation
  • Semiconductors

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Image Processing and Computer Vision.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Quantum Computing