Imaging beyond human vision

Abstract

Traditional imaging has been limited to the visible spectrum that humans can see. Imaging technologies are transcending into the invisible spectrums in the infrared (IR) region to enable imaging beyond human vision. We highlight the capabilities and advantages and therefore the value of IR imaging focused primarily on shortwave IR (SWIR) with some elements of long wave IR (LWIR) over the visible spectrum (VIS). We present an overview of SWIR and LWIR device structures based on InP and HgCdTe devices for the respective bands. We also highlight our development of a high-performance multispectral camera system for VIS-SWIR imaging for the most demanding high-sensitivity and high-speed commercial and industrial applications. The 640×512 pixel VIS-SWIR camera system is designed to provide a compact, small-form factor to within a cubic inch, high sensitivity needing less than 100 electrons, high dynamic range exceeding 190 dB, and high-frame rates (>1000 FPS) at full resolution.