Research on detection characteristics test method for infrared detector in low temperature background

TLDR: In this article, some of the fundamentals of detection characteristics test method are presented, and a set of experimental apparatus is designed and established, based on this apparatus and by employing an extend plane source blackbody, the general rule of detecting characteristics of infrared detector from normal temperature background to low temperature background are investigated.

Abstract: In research fields such as infrared astronomical observation and space fragments distribution analysis etc, the first and possibly the most critical evaluation parameter of interest is detection sensitivity. Without adequate detection sensitivity, it is impossible for infrared detector to detect the target at a distance great enough and play the role of terminal detector of background. Although cryogenic optical system can be employed for the aim of increasing detection sensitivity up to the possible maximum extent, research on detection characteristics test method for infrared detector in low temperature background must be undertaken primarily before the cryogenic optical system is designed and manufactured. In this paper, some of the fundamentals of detection characteristics test method are presented, and a set of experimental apparatus is designed and established. Based on this apparatus and by employing an extend plane source blackbody, the general rule of detection characteristics of infrared detector from normal temperature background to low temperature background are investigated. The voltage-output signals of every pixel are continuously acquisitioned for F (≥100) frames under two different blackbody temperatures, and as a result we obtain the evolving regularity of different performance index, e.g. limiting integration time and detectivity D * . The measurement results reported in the paper confirm that the integration time can be improved by a large margin in comparison with normal temperature background, and the specific detecivity D * has the same variation tendency, which can be increased up to one order of magnitude.