128x128-element IrSi Schottky-barrier focal plane arrays for long-wavelength infrared imaging

The fabrication and initial laboratory test of 128x128-element focal plane arrays integrating IrSi detectors with a cutoff wavelength of approximately 9.4 μm and surface-channel CCD readout circuitry are presented. This extends thermal imaging with silicide Schottky-barrier detector arrays into the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) spectral band (8 to 14 μm) for the first time. High-quality imagery with a minimum resolvable temperature of approximately 0.3 K is obtained.