Type-II Superlattice Mid-Wavelength Infrared Focal Plane Arrays for CubeSat Hyperspectral Imaging
David Z. Ting, Sir B. Rafol, Arezou Khoshakhlagh, Sam A. Keo, Alexander Soibel, Anita M. Fisher, Brian Pepper, Cory J. Hill, Sarath D. Gunapala, Thomas S. Pagano
Abstract
InAs/InAsSb type-II strained layer superlattice high-operating temperature barrier infrared detector (HOT-BIRD) focal plane arrays (FPAs) were fabricated for mid-wavelength infrared hyperspectral imaging applications on the CubeSat Infrared Atmospheric Sounder (CIRAS). At 115 K, a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$5.4 ~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cutoff FPA demonstrated a mean quantum efficiency of 53% in the 3-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$5 ~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> band, and a mean dark current density of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1.7\,\,\times10$ </tex-math></inline-formula><sup>−7</sup> A/cm<sup>2</sup>. The mean noise equivalent differential temperature (NEDT) is 22.9 mK for 300 K background and f/7.8 optics, with an NEDT operability of 99.94%. The FPA meets the hyperspectral imaging requirements of CIRAS.