Title

Digital Micro-mirror Device-based broadband optical image sensor for robust imaging applications

Authors

Authors

N. A. Riza; S. A. Reza;P. J. Marraccini

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

Opt. Commun.

Keywords

Digital Micro-mirror Device; Sensor; Optical imaging; Near Infrared; FOCAL-PLANE ARRAYS; BEAM PROFILER; MICROMIRROR DEVICE; PERFORMANCE; HGCDTE; CCD; Optics

Abstract

To the best of the authors' knowledge, presented for the first time is the design of a robust broadband optical image sensor using a Digital Micro-mirror Device (DMD). Electronic focus control of the imaging lens and full programmability of the spatial sampling aperture shape, size, and location on the DMD plane that mechanically scans the incident incoherent optical irradiance distribution lead to imaging smartness. Dual port single-point photo-detection design provides imaging operation robustness to the global light irradiance variations such as via environmental effects, e.g., moving clouds. As the Texas Instruments (TI) DMD can provide light modulation over 400 nm to 2500 nm wavelengths, visible, Near Infrared (NIR), and Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) bands can be simultaneously processed to generate three independent band images via three point photo-detectors. A proof-of-concept experiment in the SWIR band at 1580 nm is conducted using an incoherent heart-shaped target that is sampled using the DMD imager set for a 68.4 mu m side square moving pinhole. A 60 x 60 pixel image from the proposed imager produces a 0.94 cross-correlation peak when compared to an optically attenuated heart shape image produced by a near 9 pm pixel size phosphor coated Charge Coupled Device (CCD) imager. Using the dual-detection method, robust 633 mu m visible light imaging of an Air Force (AF) Chart figure is successfully demonstrated for 3 Hz global light fluctuation. Applications for the proposed imager include optical sensing in the fields of astronomy, defense, medicine, and security. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Journal Title

Optics Communications

Volume

284

Issue/Number

1

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

103

Last Page

111

WOS Identifier

WOS:000285893200016

ISSN

0030-4018

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