Design and characterization of thin multiple aperture infrared cameras.

TitleDesign and characterization of thin multiple aperture infrared cameras.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2009
AuthorsA Portnoy, N Pitsianis, X Sun, D Brady, R Gibbons, A Silver, Te R Kolste, C Chen, T Dillon, and D Prather
JournalApplied Optics
Volume48
Issue11
Start Page2115
Pagination2115 - 2126
Date Published04/2009
Abstract

We describe a multiple-aperture long-wave infrared camera built on an uncooled microbolometer array with the objective of decreasing camera thickness. The 5 mm thick optical system is an f/1.2 design with a 6.15 mm effective focal length. An integrated image is formed from the subapertures using correlation-based registration and a least gradient reconstruction algorithm. We measure a 131 mK NETD. The system's spatial frequency is analyzed with 4 bar targets. With proper calibration, our multichannel interpolation results recover contrast for targets at frequencies beyond the aliasing limit of the individual subimages.

DOI10.1364/ao.48.002115
Short TitleApplied Optics