On-chip bias calibration for microbolometer detectors and readout integrated circuits

A method for on-chip bias calibration of a microbolometer detector, comprising:

• setting a bias value for a pixel in a focal plane array (FPA) of the microbolometer detector;
• generating an output voltage based on the bias value for the pixel;
• comparing the output voltage to a target voltage uniform across all pixels of the FPA;
• adjusting the bias value based on the comparison of the output voltage and the target voltage;
• and
• storing, in a memory, the adjusted bias value for the pixel.

A readout circuit that allows on-chip bias calibration of a microbolometer focal plane array (FPA), comprising:

• a memory for storing a biasing value for a pixel, the pixel being one of a plurality of pixels within the FPA;
• a detector biasing device connected to the memory, the detector biasing device being configured to search for the biasing value and to apply a bias adjustment based on the biasing value;
• a reference detector connected to the detector biasing device and configured to cancel unwanted signals from the FPA;
• a detector signal amplifier connected to the detector biasing device and configured to amplify the output signal;
• and
• a detector signal multiplexer connected to the detector signal amplifier.