Low noise radiometers for passive millimeter wave imaging

Author

Lynch, J.J. ; Schulman, J.N. ; Schaffner, J.H. ; Moyer, H.P. ; Royter, Y. ; Macdonald, P.A. ; Hughes, B.

Author_Institution

HRL Labs., Malibu, CA

fYear

2008

fDate

15-19 Sept. 2008

Firstpage

1

Lastpage

3

Abstract

W-band passive millimeter wave imaging cameras for concealed weapons detection are being developed and commercialized for security screening and rotorcraft applications. The direct detection chipset from HRL Laboratories has become the standard for the front end because of the low noise of its Sb-based backward tunnel diode detectors and InP HEMT low noise amplifiers. Here we review recent results demonstrating that an NETD<0.5 K can be achieved without the use of Dicke switching or optical chopping using a two-MMIC chipset consisting of a low noise amplifier and matched detector. Recent results for an 8times8 imaging array with no RF amplification will also be presented, indicating an NETD of <3 K for a 30 Hz video rate.

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; MMIC; antimony; high electron mobility transistors; indium compounds; low noise amplifiers; millimetre wave imaging; radiometers; tunnel diodes; Dicke switching; HEMT low noise amplifiers; HRL Laboratories; InP; Sb; W-band; concealed weapons detection; low noise radiometers; optical chopping; passive millimeter wave imaging cameras; tunnel diode detectors; two-MMIC chipset; Cameras; Commercialization; Low-noise amplifiers; Optical amplifiers; Optical imaging; Optical noise; Radiofrequency amplifiers; Radiometers; Security; Weapons;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves, 2008. IRMMW-THz 2008. 33rd International Conference on

Conference_Location

Pasadena, CA

Print_ISBN

978-1-4244-2119-0

Electronic_ISBN

978-1-4244-2120-6

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/ICIMW.2008.4665745

Filename

4665745