Real-time thermal infrared scene-generation technology and its application in the test and calibration of infrared sensors and seekers for laboratory and field environments

摘要

Abstract: For more than two decades, researchers haveinvestigated a wide variety of technologies for use asa real-time infrared scene generator. During the pastseveral years, the most promising technology to meetthe myriad of applications appears to be the siliconmicromachined resistive-array approach. Each thermalpixel is created by a micro-scale resistor. The presentinvestigation reports the recent results achieved byusing the standard commercial CMOS foundry process,rather than a costly custom fabrication process, toproduce the chip and the subsequent post-foundryetching. Both chip-level and pixel-specific electronicsare readily included on the chip since IC technology isemployed. The principles used in device architectureformulation, chip design, and fabrication of largearrays of these thermal pixels are discussed along withexperimental results of recent array designs. Theapplication of this technology in the development of alow-cost, real-time infrared test set for fieldevaluation of infrared sensors and seekers is presentedto illustrate that low-cost, high- performanceflat-panel thermal infrared displays are now viable andpracticable. !7