Noise Analysis and Simulation of a Sub-Pixel Analog to Digital Voltage-To-Frequency Converter for use with IR Focal Plane Arrays

The performance of a dedicated A/D converter located beneath each pixel is explored in this thesis. Specifically, a voltage to frequency converter coupled with a direct injection amplifier designed for use with an IR focal plane array is analyzed. This versatile implementation of a Readout Integra...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Colonero, Curtis Benson
Other Authors: Brian M. King, Advisor
Format: Others
Published: Digital WPI 2007
Subjects:
A/D
IR
FPA
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-theses/36
https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&context=etd-theses
Description
Summary:The performance of a dedicated A/D converter located beneath each pixel is explored in this thesis. Specifically, a voltage to frequency converter coupled with a direct injection amplifier designed for use with an IR focal plane array is analyzed. This versatile implementation of a Readout Integrated Circuit can be found applicable to a wide variety of imaging technologies. Noise performance of the conversion system is theoretically calculated, and is supported by SPICE simulations using valid CMOS SPICE models. It is shown that a 10 transistor sub-pixel voltage to frequency analog to digital converter will produce noise that is less than the input shot noise. Design considerations will be addressed to ensure continued performance as the scale of the imagers increase to large format arrays.