Photodetector of Shortwave Infrared Range of Format 640 × 512 Elements with Increased Dynamic Range

Abstract

The paper substantiates the necessity of expanding the dynamic range in a shortwave infrared (SWIR) photodetector (PD). The traditionally used methods have low efficiency, especially in large-format matrices with a step of not more than 15 µm. The greatest efficiency of expanding the dynamic range (up to 100 dB) is provided by accumulative cells with individually variable transfer characteristic depending on the brightness of the fragments of the observed scene. The paper proposes a simple, in topological implementation, and effective way of expanding the dynamic range based on the auto-tuning of accumulation time individually in each cell of the integrated reading circuit. At the same time, the high steepness and linearity of the transformation in the storage cells with moderate illumination (up to 50–70% of the maximum signal) remains, but the sensitivity in the cells close to saturation decreases. As a result, a linear-log transfer characteristic is formed, providing an extended dynamic range. The paper provides examples of images with an extended dynamic range obtained using the first domestic SWIR camera of format 640 × 512 elements.