HgCdTe CCD area arrays for infrared imaging in the 3-5 µm spectral region

Monolithic HgCdTe charge coupled device (CCD) area arrays are being developed for scanning imaging systems in the 3-5 µm spectral region. The CCD arrays studied have: 1) multiple parallel columns composed of CCD shift registers which perform the time-delay-and-integrate (TDI) function when operated in a scanning mode, and 2) CCD multiplexers for signal readout. The first prototype imagery from a 32 × 16 HgCdTe CCD (5 µm cutoff wavelength) array will be presented. Bar pattern imagery for a 16 × 4 CCD array will be shown. The imaging demonstrations have been made using pulsed illumination in the staring mode. Results showing nearly linear IR flux integration by all sixteen columns of a 32 × 16 CCD array will be included. An evaluation of blooming in the 16 × 4 array revealed that flux equivalent to a target temperature of 390 K caused no significant column-to-column or pixel-to-pixel blooming for single pixel illumination.