Smart Infrared Focal Plane Arrays and Advanced Electronics

We propose a smart ROIC design where one ROIC unit cell may service two FPA unit cells instead of the normal one-to-one relationship. This proposed approach, supported by Lockheed Martin, is based on a novel dual pixel design that consists of using pairs of adjacent FPA pixels connected in a differential configuration. This unique design preserves the spatial resolution of the array while enabling near-pixel signal processing that can significantly reduce demands on computer power and average data bandwidths. When this smart ROIC is combined with another smart pixel innovation from Vega Technology & Systems, Inc., it holds promise for faster target detection in many MDA applications from KV seekers to tracking within complex backgrounds. This smart technology is detector material agnostic, making it well matched to LWIR SLS, MCT, or QDIP and allowing it to work over a broad range of wavelengths from visible to far-infrared. This should permit the development of a new generation of low-cost, high-performance smart interceptors for both exo- and endo-atmospheric applications.