Improved Hyperspectral Readout Integrated Circuit

ABSTRACT: Addressing the demands of high frame-rate, large-format hyperspectral imagers, the design of a custom readout integrated circuit (ROIC) will be developed. The hyperspectral imaging ROIC will feature flexible operating readout modes including row (wavelength) programmable (i) gain, (ii) integration time, (iii) charge skimming, and (iv) threshold settings, all of which contribute to optimizing the information recorded on the focal plane array. The ROIC also allows multiple region-of-interest readout so that specific wavelengths and spatial regions can be readout quickly and the unused portions of the imager can be powered down. The high level of parallelism in the ROIC reduces latency and allows real time processing of the hyperspectral data. The ROIC features event-driven, time-encoded digitization and parallel data access and readout. In Phase I the ROIC will be designed, laid out, and simulated and in the optional tasks a prototype circuit will be fabricated. In Phase II a large format hyperspectral ROIC will be fabricated, coupled with a detector array, and a fully-functional hyperspectral imager will be demonstrated. BENEFIT: There is an unmet need for hyperspectral readout circuits. Hyperspectral imaging has been previously applied mostly in military surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting applications. It is now finding paths into other domains, such as manufacturing, industrial process control, medical diagnostics, and security. Use of airborne hyperspectral imagery (HSI) has transitioned from government laboratories and research centers into the general marketplace in the areas of agriculture, forestry mineral exploration, oil exploration, natural resources management, emergency insurance, response/disaster management pollution and environmental monitoring, urban development and military surveillance. The innovation makes these applications possible by increasing the amount of scene and target information that can be stored on a focal plane and by providing parallel, real time access and processing of data.