Low-Cost Day/Night Imaging Sensors for Micro/Mini-Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

Night operations are of critical importance for the military today. Present day TV cameras do not offer any capability at night and are typically NTSC format. The low-resolution thermal cameras have limited utility at night beyond providing situational awareness. Intevac proposes to address these present limitations by adapting its miniature, low power, low-light level megapixel format VIS-NIR sensor and camera products for this small- and micro-UAV application. The Intevac VIS-NIR low light level sensor is an Electron Bombarded Active Pixel Sensor (EBAPS). EBAPS technology is based on use of a high quantum efficiency GaAs photocathode (derived from Generation-III image intensifier technology) in proximity focus with a high resolution, backside thinned, CMOS Active Pixel Sensor (APS) imager anode. The EBAPS sensor does not utilize an optically opaque microchannel plate so it can be operated in a day-only mode with no high voltage applied to the sensor. This provides 24-hour capability - a critical camera requirement for the small UAV application. Additionally, the Intevac design integrates on-chip functions with correspondingly smaller size and lower weight.