DIRECT DIGITAL READOUT FOCAL-PLANES FOR PASSIVE SENSORS

AMAIN Electronics has recently patented an entirely new focal-plane method which directly digitizes the photo-response at each pixel within a monolithic or hybrid focal-plane. This technology is broadly applicable, and offers an opportunity to significantly advance sensor technology across the spectrum from visible to VLWIR, and in a very wide range of military, space, commercial, and evern consumer applciations. Direct digital readout eliminates need for separate analog processing, including wide dynamic range A/D conversion at video rates. In space and military sensors, elimination of the analog processor will generally achieve significant power, weight, and size reduction. The invention therefore supports two of the trends in space sensor development for the next century--utilization of large two-dimensional focal-planes in staring sensors, and reduction of the complexity, power, size, weight, and ultimately the cost of such systems through the so-called "smallsat" or "lightsat" approach.