Microradiometric characterization of experimental thermal pixel array designs

Advanced in integrated circuit design and micro-machining of silicon have enabled the fabrication of inexpensive, 2D arrays of resistively heated hot-plates, monolithically integrated with addressing the drive circuitry. Infrared scene simulators using these devices have broad-band spectral radiance which approximates naturally occurring thermal radiation. Characterization of these devices involves near field, far field, temporal and electrical measurements. Devices characterized here are experimental SPAWARSYSCEN, San Diego designs which test concepts for inexpensive fabrication, and a British Aerospace experimental hot-plate design for radiant uniformity improvement. Measurements reported here in the mid-band IR include effective temperature, radiance uniformity, temporal response, radiance distributions over single pixels, and effective fill factor. Also included are near field and far field measurements to characterize an add-on device for effective fill factor and efficiency improvements.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.