Indium Gallium Arsenide Charge-Coupled Device for 1-3 Micrometer Imaging

Sensors Unlimited will develop a unique "CCD"-type light detector that "sees in the dark." CCDs are the "chips" used in hand held "cam-corders" and are made from silicon which is sensitive to visible light. These new indium gallium arsenide CCDs will be sensitive to infrared (1-3 micrometer wavelength) radiation and offer the same benefits (low cost, high sensitivity, room-temperature operation) to the infrared world as silicon CCDs offer to the visible world. The InGaAs CCD would find itself in a room-temperature near-infrared camera that sells for just a few thousand dollars, yet offers unmatched performance in pollution monitoring (i.e. laser radar to detect gases), satellite imaging to monitor water content of crops, and thermal imaging of the earth.