Raytheon Company

Richard J Peralta

John L Vampola

Micky R Harris

Bryan W Kean

Steven Botts

Jamal I Mustafa

Thomas P Sprafke

Stephen Marinsek

Mark A Massie

Chaffra A Affouda

An optical device and method of forming the optical device include a substrate having an integrated metal pattern proximate a detector or top absorber layer to minimize diffraction effects. The integrated metal pattern is aligned with selective regions of the pixel array structure of the detector layer for masking pixels of the pixel array structure. The pattern of the integrated metal pattern may be used for alignment with modulation transfer function (MTF) structures of the detector layer for MTF testing, for alignment with reference pixels of the detector layer for spatial reference used during calibration of the optical device, or for forming a polarizer grid.

Application and method of integrated bar patterns in detector structures

A TDI scanner including a dynamically programmable focal plane array including a two-dimensional array of detectors arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, the array being divided into a plurality of banks separated from one another by gap regions, each bank including a plurality of sub-banks, and each sub-bank including at least one row of detectors, a ROIC coupled to the focal plane array and configured to combine in a TDI process outputs from detectors in each column of detectors in each sub-bank, and a controller configured to program the focal plane array to selectively and dynamically set characteristics of the focal plane array, the characteristics including a size and a location within the two-dimensional array of each of the plurality of sub-banks and the gap regions, the size corresponding to a number of rows of detectors included in the respective sub-bank or gap region.

Programmable digital TDI EO/IR scanning focal plane array with multiple selectable TDI sub-banks

An apparatus includes an optical sensor configured to capture a plurality of input images. The apparatus also includes an analog circuit configured to produce a difference of Gaussians image for each of the input images. The apparatus further includes at least one processor configured to (i) determine motion error in the input images based on comparing the difference of Gaussians image and (ii) adjust at least some of the input images based on the determined motion error.

Readout integrated circuit containing image stabilization capabilities

An apparatus includes an optical detector configured to detect at least a portion of incoming radiation. The apparatus also includes an optical component configured to provide at least the portion of the incoming radiation to the optical detector. The apparatus further includes at least one flexure that mounts the optical component to the optical detector. Each flexure is configured to deform in response to expansion or contraction of at least one of the optical component and the optical detector. Each flexure may include a side surface that is flexible in a first dimension and rigid in second and third dimensions, where the dimensions are orthogonal to each other. The optical component may include at least one of a filter, a lens, a polarizer, an aperture, and a cover.

Direct mounting of filters or other optical components to optical detectors using flexures

According to one aspect, embodiments herein provide a unit cell circuit comprising a photodetector configured to generate a photo-current in response to receiving light, a first integration capacitor configured to accumulate charge corresponding to the photo-current, a second integration capacitor configured to accumulate charge corresponding to the photo-current, a charge diverting switch coupled to the photodetector and configured to selectively couple the first integration capacitor to the second integration capacitor and divert the photo-current to the second integration capacitor in response to a voltage across the first integration capacitor exceeding a threshold level, and read-out circuitry coupled to the first integration capacitor and the charge diverting switch and configured to read-out a first voltage sample from the first integration capacitor corresponding to charge accumulated on the first integration capacitor and to read-out a second voltage sample from the second integration capacitor corresponding to charge accumulated on the second integration capacitor.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America

Richard J Peralta