A Reconfigurable Readout Circuit for Integrated Infrared Spectral Sensing

用于集成红外光谱传感的可重构读出电路多年来，红外成像技术有了显著的发展，出现了许多新的应用，如多色红外成像、热医学诊断和遥感。这一增长是由于红外传感器制造方面的巨大技术进步以及图像识别、分析和处理算法的显著改进。然而，作为红外传感器和后处理单元之间的接口的读出集成电路(ROIC)多年来几乎没有改善。这在很大程度上可以归因于这样一个事实，即ROIC传统上被设计为专用集成电路(ASIC)，不支持重新配置或自适应。该项目的主要目标是设计和原型一个内置可编程模拟模块的智能读出集成电路(IROIC)，能够利用时间和空间(在像素级别)可调的偏置单元来执行基本的时空图像处理和图像识别操作。该项目包括三个主要部分：1)iROIC的设计和制造；2)用于iROIC的时空光谱处理和探测器调谐算法的开发；3)势垒探测器中量子点的制造和生长以及在iROIC上的杂交。智能优点：建议的iROIC具有现有ROIC无法提供的两个独特功能：1)像素级可调偏置；2)内置模拟信号处理单元。这些独特的功能有可能从根本上改变数据开发和后处理成像的方式。例如，目前，要创建所需的光谱响应，必须拍摄场景的多个图像。利用像素级可调偏置，人们可以在一帧内获得多个光谱响应。此外，所提出的技术允许使用单个相机系统来处理全色图像、任意波长的多色图像、具有任意数目、位置和宽度的光谱的多光谱图像以及高分辨率的高光谱图像。IROIC技术的附加功能为电子成像系统提供了巨大的灵活性，这反过来又允许我们在现场实施新的图像处理算法。更广泛的影响：拟议的研究和教育计划围绕着扩大数学、科学、工程和技术等代表性不足群体的参与，让少数群体和妇女等学生参与研究和教育活动。在新墨西哥大学，大约40%的本科生属于少数群体，如西班牙裔、非裔美国人、印第安人和不同印第安人部落的成员。此外，我们大约40%的本科生是女性。这些事实为教员提供了一个极好的机会，让传统上代表性不足的群体参与进来，并在他们的研究和教育计划中增强多样性。此外，这里提议的努力将对新墨西哥州大学欧洲经委会系的研究生和本科生教育和培训产生重大影响。该研究团队代表了电气工程中几个重要领域的跨学科交叉，汇集了光电子学、模拟/数字VLSI设计和信号/图像处理方面的工作。

A Reconfigurable Readout Circuit for Integrated Infrared Spectral Sensing Over the years infrared imaging technology has improved significantly and many new applications, such as multicolor infrared imaging, thermal medical diagnostics, and remote sensing, have emerged. This growth has been made possible by dramatic technical advances in the infrared sensor manufacturing as well as remarkable improvements in algorithms for image recognition, analysis and processing. However, the readout integrated circuit (ROIC), which is the interface between infrared sensors and the post-processing unit, has shown little improvement over the years. This can be attributed, for the most part, to the fact that ROICs have been designed traditionally as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which cannot support reconfiguration nor adaptivity. The main objective of this project is to design and prototype an intelligent readout integrated circuit (iROIC) with built-in programmable analog blocks, capable of performing basic spatio-temporal image-processing and image-recognition operations utilizing temporal and spatial (at the pixel-level) tunable bias unit cell. This project consists of three main components: 1) design and fabrication of iROIC, 2) development of spatial-temporal-spectral processing and detector tuning algorithms to be used for iROIC, and 3) fabrication and growth of the quantum dot in well detectors and hybridization onto the iROIC. Intellectual Merit: The proposed iROIC has two distinctive features that no existing ROIC can offer: 1) pixel-level tunable bias, and 2) built-in analog signal processing units. These unique features have the potential to fundamentally change the way data-exploiting and post-processing imaging are developed. For instance, currently, to create a desired spectral response, multiple images must be taken of the scene. Utilizing the pixel-level tunable bias, one can take multiple spectral responses within one frame. Moreover, the proposed technology allows a single camera system to be used for panchromatic imagery, multi-color imagery at arbitrary wavelengths, multispectral imagery with arbitrary numbers, locations, and widths of spectral bands, and coarse resolution hyperspectral imagery. The additional features in the iROIC technology provide enormous flexibility to the electronic imaging systems, which, in turn, allow us to implement novel image processing algorithms in-situ. Broader Impact: The proposed research and education plan revolves around broadening participation from underrepresented groups in Mathematics, Science, Engineering and Technology by involving students, such as minorities and women in the research and educational activities. At the University of New Mexico, approximately 40% of the undergraduate students belong to minority groups such as Hispanics, African-American, Native-American and members of the various Indian tribes. Also, roughly 40% of our undergraduate students are women. These facts provide an excellent opportunity for faculty to involve traditionally underrepresented groups and enhance diversity in their research and education program. Furthermore, the effort proposed here will have a significant impact on graduate and undergraduate education and training in the ECE department at UNM. The research team represents an interdisciplinary cross section of several important areas within electrical engineering, bringing together work in optoelectronics, analog/digital VLSI design, and signal/image processing.