On-Focal Plane Processing Techniques for Infrared Detector

Pacific-Sierra Research Corporation (PSR) and team member Santa Barbara Focalplane will develop a design for a reconfigurable HgCdTe detector array assembly which is compatible with a current Navy inventory optical scanner. This new detector array will include on-focal plane signal processing that will result in a detector that can electronically reconfigure pixels so as to provide either an increase in sensitivity or an increase in resolution as compared to existing infrared sensor systems. The technical approach is to utilize a two-dimensional array of small detector elements that can emulate a variety of focal plane patterns. Detector element activation is software controlled to permit real-time manipulation of detector array geometries. It is assumed that the initial baseline technology will utilize HgCdTe and operate over the LWIR waveband.