Temperature dependence of 1/f noise, defects, and dark current in small pitch MWIR and LWIR HDVIP® HgCdTe FPAs

Abstract

Reducing an array’s pixel pitch reduces the size and weight of the focal plane array (FPA) and its associated dewar, cooler and optics. Higher operating temperatures reduce cool-down time and cooler power, enabling reduced cooler size and weight. High operating temperature small pitch (≤15 um) infrared detectors are therefore highly desirable. We have characterized a large number of MWIR and LWIR FPAs as a function of temperature and cutoff wavelength to determine the impact of these parameters on the FPA’s dark current, 1/f noise and defects. The 77K cutoff wavelength range for the MWIR arrays was 5.0-5.6 um, and 8.5-11 um for the LWIR arrays. DRS’ HDVIP® FPAs are based on a front-side illuminated, via interconnected, cylindrical geometry, N+/N/P architecture. An FPA’s 1/f noise is manifested as a tail in the FPA’s rmsnoise distribution. We have found that the model-independent nonparametric skew [(mean–median)/standard deviation] of the rmsnoise distribution is a highly effective tool for quantifying the magnitude of an FPA’s 1/f noise tail. In this paper we show that a standard FPA’s 1/f noise varies as ni (the intrinsic carrier concentration), in agreement with models that treat dislocations as donor pipes located within the P-volume of the unit cell. Nonstandard FPAs have been observed with systemic 1/f noise which varies as ni2.