2005•Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIERequires access
Laboratory and field performance of a megapixel QWIP focal plane array (Invited Paper)
Arnold C. Goldberg, Eric Cho, Barbara K. McQuiston
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Abstract
In recent years quantum well infrared (IR) photodetector (QWIP) focal plane array (FPA) technology has developed to the point where it may be considered a candidate for insertion into 3rd generation FLIR systems. Large format 1024x1024 pixels FPAs have been produced using QWIP technology. We report on the application of a large format FPAs to the challenges facing today's military. These include the collection of signatures of military vehicles for long-range target detection/identification. The FPA used was a 1024x1024 pixel array which is available commercially. from QWIP Technologies, Inc. We show imagery of military targets at ranges from 500 m to 5 km acquired in the field. The results of the performance in the field are compared to that predicted by computer models and the performance of the large format QWIP FPA will be evaluated in terms of the capabilities of a notional 3rd generation FLIR system.