SBIR-STTR Award

Technical advances in two dimensional staring focal plan arrays (FPSs) have stimulated research to utilize FPSs in spectrometer instrumentation with the goal of increased spectral, spatial and temporal resolution. Conventional staring FPA spectrometers create a three dimensional image (two spatial and one spectral) by either using a sequence of narrow band spectral filters to slice the spectral domain or to image one spatial and one spectral dimension while scanning the remaining spatial direction. These conventional approaches are inherently inefficient because they discard available photons. We propose to investigate and develop a new photon efficient spectral imaging technique developed by the Air Force Rome Laboratory that multiplexes the spatial and spectral information onto a FPA via a rotating prism, then demultiplexes the resultant image to obtain the spectral images. We propose to define and design an imaging spectrometer for the SWIR, MWIR, and LWIR bands. The spectrometer will be designed to offer either platinum silicide, HgCdTe or uncooled bolometeric infrared detector technology in a self-contained imaging and analysis system capable of supporting DOD and commercial applications.

Keywords:
infrared spectrometry imagers FPA tomography SWIR MWIR LWIR

Technical advances in two dimensional staring focal plane arrays (FPAs) have stimulated research to utilize FPAs in spectrometer instrumentation with the goal of increased spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution. Conventional staring FPA spectrometers create a three dimensional image (two spatial and one spectral) by either using a sequence of narrow band spectral filters to slice the spectral domain or to image one spatial and one spectral dimension while scanning the remaining spatial direction. These approaches are inherently inefficient because they discard photons. We propose to design, build, and test an angularly multiplexed spectral imaging system. This new photon efficient spectral imaging technique, developed by the Air Force Rome Laboratory, multiplexes spatial and spectral information onto a FPA via a rotating prism, then demultiplexes the resultant image to obtain the spectral images. The spectrometer will operate in the short wave infrared band. The data from the FPA will be sent from the sensor head to a workstation for image reconstruction using computed tomography. The spectrometer will collect 80 frames of data each 360 degrees of prism rotation allowing 40 frames of multispectral data to be obtained. The spectral imaging and analysis system will offer high sensitivity for DOD and commercial applications.

Keywords:
FPA SWIR imager infrared tomography spectrometry