New ROIC Developments At SUI

Sensors Unlimited, Inc. (SUI), a Raytheon Company, has developed a next-generation Readout Integrated Circuit (ROIC) that significantly advances shortwave infrared (SWIR) and extended SWIR imaging performance. Featuring a pixel pitch under 10 µm, scalable formats up to 2k×2k, and frame rates ≥120 FPS, the ROIC supports multi-modal operation, including low-noise imaging, asynchronous laser pulse detection (ALPD), and high-accuracy Time-of-Flight (ToF) depth sensing.

The design builds on lessons from the SU640AM2 and SUT9 test platforms, which validated pixel architectures for high sensitivity, dynamic range, and ToF capabilities. Key enhancements include adaptive-gain Buffered-GMOD pixels, compatibility with linear-mode and Geiger-mode APDs for internal signal gain, high-speed multi-window ALPD up to 50 kHz, and ToF depth accuracy ≤1 cm over ranges up to 3 km. The ROIC achieves ≥1900:1 dynamic range and ≤10 electrons noise floor through optimized buffering, bias distribution, and noise suppression.

Its flexible, field-programmable architecture allows real-time adaptation of gain, integration time, and readout modes independently for imaging, ALPD, and ToF. This enables robust performance in low light, degraded visibility, and covert operations at SWIR wavelengths (0.6–2.6 µm), which penetrate atmospheric obscurants better than visible/NIR systems.

Applications span defense (target acquisition, laser designation), surveillance, autonomous navigation, and scientific research, where high-speed imaging and precise rangefinding are critical. By combining smaller pixel pitch, reduced noise, and integrated multi-modal capability, SUI’s ROIC sets new performance benchmarks while meeting stringent Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C) constraints, positioning it as a state-of-the-art platform for future SWIR/eSWIR imaging systems.