A 5,000,000 Frame/Sec Burst-Mode Cryogenic Thermal Imager With On-Chip Frame Memory

Abstract

This letter presents a high-speed global-shutter thermal imaging system, with a $24^{V} \times 24^{H} $ pixel HgCdTe infrared focal plane array (FPA) detector and a custom CMOS readout integrated circuit (ROIC), including a 768-frame on-chip analog burst memory bank. Each pixel contains a buffered current injection circuit and a background current reduction circuit. The system is designed for cryogenic operation at liquid nitrogen temperatures, and it achieves a maximum burst-mode frame rate of five million frames per second, which is the fastest demonstrated imaging array for mid/long-wavelength infrared.