Detector selective FPA architecture for ultra-high FPA operability and fabrication method
AssigneeInnovative Technology Licensing, LLC
InventorsDonald Lester Lee, Haluk Omer Sankur, William Victor McLevige
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A focal plane array has a plurality of detectors for each pixel of the array. The detector having the best operability for each pixel is determined and a custom microlens array is fabricated, with each lens having a focal point directed to the best detector on each pixel. A Multiplexer (MUX) similarly transmits signals from the selected detectors while blocking transmission from the non-selected detectors.
Claims18
A pixel for detecting electromagnetic radiation, comprising:
- a plurality of radiation detectors;
- and
- a lens element, optically aligned with a selected one of said detectors arranged to direct incident radiation onto said selected detector.
An FPA having an array of pixels, wherein each pixel comprises:
- a plurality of radiation detectors;
- and
- a lens element, optically aligned with a selected one of said detectors arranged to direct incident radiation onto said selected detector.
An FPA, comprising:
- an array of radiation detectors;
- an array of lenses, fewer then the number of detectors, optically aligned with respective detectors for directing radiation onto their respective detectors.
A method for operating a focal plane array (FPA) comprising:
- providing an FPA with array of pixels having a plurality of detectors per pixel;
- directing radiation incident on said pixels onto selected detectors of said pixels;
- and
- obtaining an output signal from the selected detectors to form an output image.
A radiation detector, comprising:
- an array of pixels, each pixel including a plurality of mutually spaced radiation detectors;
- and
- a radiation director associated with said pixels and arranged to direct incident radiation onto only a single selected detector for each pixel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.