Low Persistence InGaAs FPA Development for Micro-Cam H1RG

Michael Grzesik, Jongwoo Kim, Henry Yuan, Mark Farris, Kevin Peralta, Luis Gordillo

Teledyne Judson Technologies

Background

Short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) imaging continues to gain importance across a variety of fields, including defense and intelligence, astronomy, space science, industrial inspection, and environmental monitoring. As these applications evolve, they demand higher image quality, improved sensitivity, and precise temporal performance from detector arrays.

A key enabler of high-performance SWIR imaging systems is the focal plane array (FPA), the detector component that converts incoming infrared photons into digital images. Persistence, or residual signal after exposure to light, is one of the most critical performance parameters in advanced FPAs. Excess persistence can lead to image artifacts, degraded dynamic range, and compromised temporal accuracy, especially in high-speed or high-dynamic-range imaging applications.

To address these requirements, Teledyne Judson Technologies (TJT), in collaboration with Teledyne Imaging Sensors (TIS), has developed a low-persistence InGaAs FPA optimized for the MicroCam SWIR camera: a compact, high-performance imaging system used in mission-critical applications.

Challenge

Designing a high-resolution, low-persistence SWIR FPA presents several key technical challenges:

1. Persistence suppression: Residual charge after illumination must be minimized to prevent image lag and ghosting, which can degrade image fidelity in dynamic scenes or rapid exposure sequences.
2. Maintaining detector performance: Reducing persistence must not come at the cost of other essential parameters such as dark current, quantum efficiency (QE), noise, and pixel operability.
3. Readout and integration performance: The FPA must integrate seamlessly with existing read-out integrated circuits (ROICs) and camera architectures while maintaining stable performance under cryogenic operating conditions.
4. Uniformity and yield: High pixel uniformity, low defect density, and minimal bad pixel clusters are essential for achieving consistent, high-quality imaging over the full array.

Balancing these competing requirements requires innovation in both epitaxial growth and detector design as well as careful optimization of fabrication and readout electronics.

Figure 1: TJT InAs photodiodes, available in room temperature or TE-cooled formats

Solution

TJT and TIS jointly addressed these challenges by developing a low-persistence InGaAs focal plane array based on the Hawaii-1RG (H1RG) ROIC platform. The H1RG architecture provides a 1024×1024 pixel format with an 18 μm pixel pitch, enabling high-resolution imaging for advanced SWIR applications.

Key advancements in the new FPA design include:

1. Custom epitaxial wafer and detector structure: A unique epi-layer and device architecture were engineered to suppress charge trapping and release mechanisms, resulting in significantly lower persistence while preserving detector performance.
2. Exceptional persistence performance: Operated at 77 K, the new InGaAs arrays achieve cumulative persistence values of only ~0.04–0.08% after 45 seconds of integration — a major improvement over conventional SWIR FPAs.
3. Comprehensive performance optimization:
4. Low dark current enables enhanced sensitivity and low-noise imaging.
5. High quantum efficiency (QE) ensures strong signal response across the SWIR spectrum.
6. Low CDS noise supports high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance.
7. Low bad pixel count and clustering contribute to high pixel operability and uniformity.
8. Robust electrical performance: The FPA is designed to support reverse bias operation up to 1.5 V, expanding its dynamic range and enhancing responsivity for a wide range of illumination conditions.

Conclusion

1. The development of the low-persistence H1RG InGaAs FPA marks a significant advancement in SWIR imaging technology. Through material innovation, device engineering, and precision fabrication, Teledyne Judson Technologies and Teledyne Imaging Sensors have successfully delivered an FPA that minimizes persistence while maintaining excellent dark current, QE, noise, and uniformity performance.

   This breakthrough enables the MicroCam SWIR camera to deliver superior image quality and reliability, even in demanding environments and dynamic imaging scenarios. As future applications require faster frame rates, higher dynamic range, and improved temporal accuracy, low-persistence InGaAs FPAs like this will play a critical role in pushing the boundaries of SWIR imaging capability.

Read the original published article here:

Low persistence H1RG InGaAs FPA development for Micro-Cam

Michael Grzesik, Jongwoo Kim, Henry Yuan, Mark Farris, Kevin Peralta, Luis Gordillo

Abstract

Teledyne Judson Technologies (TJT), a subsidiary of Teledyne Imaging Sensors (TIS), and a TIS team in California have jointly developed a low persistence InGaAs focal plane array (FPA) for use in TIS’s MicroCam SWIR camera. This FPA is built on the Hawaii-1RG (H1RG) read-out integrated circuit (ROIC) which has 1024x1024 pixels with an 18 μm pixel pitch format. Operated at 77 K, the newly developed InGaAs arrays achieve cumulative persistence values of ~0.04-0.08% after 45s of integration. This paper reviews the InGaAs detector design and fabrication processes and FPA test results of low persistence focal plane arrays. The persistence test methodology and test data are also presented. A unique epi-wafer and detector structure was designed to allow for low persistence, low dark current, low bad pixel count, high uniformity, and large reverse bias operation (1.5V). The FPA test data is presented for persistence, dark current, quantum efficiency (QE), and correlated double sampling (CDS) noise, as well as bad pixel count and clusters.

Reference

Michael Grzesik, Jongwoo Kim, Henry Yuan, Mark Farris, Kevin Peralta, and Luis Gordillo (30 September 2022) Low persistence H1RG InGaAs FPA development for Micro-Cam, Proc. SPIE 12234, Infrared Sensors, Devices, and Applications XII, 1223406; https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2636081

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