Noise characteristics analysis of short wave infrared InGaAs focal plane arrays

The increasing application of InGaAs short wave infrared (SWIR) focal plane arrays (FPAs) in low light level imaging requires ultra-low noise FPAs. This paper presents the theoretical analysis of FPA noise, and point out that both dark current and detector capacitance strongly affect the FPA noise. The impact of dark current and detector capacitance on FPA noise is compared in different situations. In order to obtain low noise performance FPAs, the demand for reducing detector capacitance is higher especially when pixel pitch is smaller, integration time is shorter, and integration capacitance is larger. Several InGaAs FPAs were measured and analyzed, the experiments’ results could be well fitted to the calculated results. The study found that the major contributor of FPA noise is coupled noise with shorter integration time. The influence of detector capacitance on FPA noise is more significant than that of dark current. To investigate the effect of detector performance on FPA noise, two kinds of photodiodes with different concentration of the absorption layer were fabricated. The detectors’ performance and noise characteristics were measured and analyzed, the results are consistent with that of theoretical analysis.     

320 × 256 Short-/Mid-Wavelength dual-color infrared focal plane arrays based on Type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice

Short-/Mid-Wavelength dual-color infrared focal plane arrays based on Type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice are demonstrated on GaSb substrate. The material is grown with 50% cut-off wavelength of 2.9 μm and 5.1 μm for the blue channel and red channel, separately at 77 K. 320 × 256 focal plane arrays fabricated in this wafer is characterized. The peak quantum efficiency without antireflective coating is 37% at 1.7 μm under no bias voltage and 28% at 3.2 μm under bias voltage of 130 mV. The peak specific detectivity are 1.51 × 10¹² cm·Hz^1/2/W at 2.5 μm and 6.11x10¹¹ cm·Hz^1/2/W at 3.2 μm. At 77 K, the noise equivalent difference temperature presents average values of 107 mK and 487 mK for the blue channel and red channel separately.     

4×288 readouts and FPAs properties

Analysis of four types 4×288 designed and manufactured readouts is presented. All the readouts have the direct injection input circuit with the circuits incorporated that allows testing procedure of readouts without the photodiodes attached to readout circuits. TDI registers have three delay elements between neighbouring inputs. Some characteristics of 4×288 FPAs with mercury-cadmium-telluride (MCT) arrays are presented too. Analysis have shown that in spite of different constructions of four readout types, different numbers of outputs and external service, rather similar parameters of FPAs have been obtained. Detectivity values measured for all 4×288 FPAs at operation temperature T ≈ 78 K with skimming mode included and background temperature T_b ≈295 K were in the range D*_λ ≅ (1.2−1.7)×10¹¹ cmHz^1/2/W.