Recent advances in infrared imaging

Recent work on infrared detectors and systems is described. Emphasis on the development of staring array devices and the inherent systems benefits. In conventional mechanically scanned systems the stare efficiency is very low, typically less than 0.1%. However, by increasing the number of detectors on the focal plane this stare efficiency and hence the thermal resolution of the system can be improved significantly. The ideal solution would be a large two-dimensional close packed matrix of sensors, in which every pixel in the required scene is imaged onto its own corresponding detector. In addition to increasing the system performance, the mechanics of the system would be greatly simplified, and in many cases totally eliminated thus producing simple and potentially cheap and rugged imaging systems. Both cooled and uncooled devices are discussed and typical imagery demonstrated