In this paper we demonstrate how the QWIPs are keeping all their promises in terms of performance, versatility and cost,partly thanks to excellent uniformity, stability and manufacturability, as well as the flexibility of tailoring both thedetection wavelength and the polarization sensitivity.Thanks to the intrinsic uniformity and stability of the Ⅲ-Ⅴ technology combined with the process maturity at IRnova,high resolution (VGA format, 15 μm pitch) QWIPs are now integrated in compact Integrated Detector Dewar CoolerAssemblies (IDDCAs). For regular high-end thermography applications, these IDDCAs operate with moderate 500 mWcryocoolers, which opens the field for handheld cameras.Thanks to the band gap engineering, the detector’s spectral response can be tailored and optimized for differentwavelength ranges. In addition to the 8.5 μm QWIP, which is optimized for thermal imaging, a QWIP with 10.5 μm peakwavelength has been tailored for detection of harmful gases, such as SF6. The performance of high resolution QWIPswith peak detection at 10.5 μm integrated in IDDCAs is demonstrated showing the impact of high sensitivity and highresolution on the image quality.Thanks to the intrinsic sensitivity of QWIP to the polarization of the light it is possible to complement the thermalinformation with polarimetric information. This opens new possibilities for detection of certain features such as oil spilland de-camouflage. In this paper we demonstrate the high polarimetric contrast obtained with our 320×256 polarimetricIDDCA.
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