Low-cost, Low-SWaP, and High-Performance Uncooled Infrared Imager

In this program, the Nu-Trek Team will be developing and demonstrating the Castanea 8 µm pitch readout integrated circuit (ROIC), a key component in advanced, thermal, uncooled LWIR cameras. The Castanea ROIC is derived from Nu-Trek’s validated Chestnut 12 µm pitch ROIC. Thermal cameras on the market today are biased and read out on a row-by-row basis. In comparison, the Castanea ROIC will have “full frame” bias and read out circuits, and when used with high resistance bolometers, enables greater sensitivity, higher frame rates, and larger formats. Together with high resistance bolometers, the Castanea ROIC will be demonstrated at the camera level in follow on programs. This will provide the war fighter with a powerful low size, weight, and cost (SWaP/C) camera technology that is both highly effective and very economical.