Continuous time-varying biasing approach for spectrally tunable infrared detectors

In a recently demonstrated algorithmic spectral-tuning technique by Jang et al. [Opt. Express 19, 19454-19472, (2011)], the reconstruction of an object's emissivity at an arbitrarily specified spectral window of interest in the long-wave infrared region was achieved. The technique relied upon forming a weighted superposition of a series of photocurrents from a quantum dots-in-a-well (DWELL) photodetector operated at discrete static biases that were applied serially. Here, the technique is generalized such that a continuously varying biasing voltage is employed over an extended acquisition time, in place using a series of fixed biases over each sub-acquisition time, which totally eliminates the need for the post-processing step comprising the weighted superposition of the discrete photocurrents. To enable this capability, an algorithm is developed for designing the time-varying bias for an arbitrary spectral-sensing window of interest. Since continuous-time biasing can be implemented within the readout circuit of a focal-plane array, this generalization would pave the way for the implementation of the algorithmic spectral tuning in focal-plane arrays within in each frame time without the need for on-sensor multiplications and additions. The technique is validated by means of simulations in the context of spectrometry and object classification while using experimental data for the DWELL under realistic signal-to-noise ratios.