Seeing Photons Progress and Limits of Visible and Infrared Sensor Arrays (2010) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 1-8
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Generating data is not the same as providing actionable intelligence; this requires conversion of the data into usable information. Leveraging of commodity-level developments enables unprecedented capabilities for technologically advanced nation-states and, simultaneously, lowers the barrier to entry for non-state, transnational groups to pose asymmetric threats.
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Compare these limits to the near-term state of the art, iden tifying the scaling laws and hurdles currently restricting progress.3 • Identify key technologies that may help bridge the gaps within a 10-15 year time frame, the implications for future military applications, and any significant indicators of programs to develop such applications. Speculate on technologies and applications of relevance that are high-impact wild cards or have a low probability of feasible deployment within 15 years.
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Both visible and IR detector technologies have undergone significant maturation, and high-performance detectors are available across most spectral bands from 0.2 to 20 µm. The most sensitive IR detectors require cooling to reduce dark current noise and reach backgroundlimited IR photo detection (BLIP)
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KEY FINDING The global proliferation of low-cost, commodity imagers, such as cell phone cameras and automobile thermal imagers, enables adversaries to develop sens ing systems at relatively low cost, reducing the barrier to achieving limited operational capabilities. As an example, the rapid proliferation of low-cost "night vision technology" is eroding the overwhelming dominance of the United States in nighttime operations, even with the superior performance of advanced systems.
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communications circuitry, through sensor integration, have enabled new, advanced, high-performance imaging capabilities. KEY FINDING Existing, mature mercury cadmium telluride, indium antimonide, indium gallium arsenide, silicon charge-coupled devices, silicon complementary metal oxide semiconductors, and avalanche photodiode focal plane technologies provide sensors with excellent performance and set a very high barrier to entry for any emerging technology.
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These in clude technologies that enable in-pixel and on-chip processing, lower-power operation, and higher operating temperatures, as well as technologies that improve manufacturability. KEY FINDING For both cryocooler and thermoelectric cooler technologies, there are a number of commercial market drivers, separate from sensor cooling applications, that will drive evolutionary improvements in SWaP.
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Emerging thermoelectric, phononic crystal, and laser cooling technologies offer potential for improving sensor systems, because such technologies might be able to replace the cooling furnished by current bulk coolers, with their attendant SwaP penalties. Another peripheral area that has a major impact is the ability to handle the vast amount of data generated.
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KEY FINDING Current export restrictions will continue to have a significant effect on develop ment and maturation of detector technologies over the next decade. Numer ous foreign countries are already developing their own technology base rather than utilizing U.S.
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