Multispectral CCD-in-CMOS Time Delay Integration imager for high resolution Earth observation

• Main Authors: Mahato, Swaraj Bandhu, Thijs, Steven, Bentell, Jonas, Wu, Linkun, Tack, Klaas, Boulenc, Pierre, Lasnet, Dorian, Van Langendonck, Renaud, De Moor, Piet
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 29-09-2021
• Subjects: Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors; Physics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2109.14532

Many future small satellite missions are aimed to provide low-cost remote
sensing data at unprecedented revisit rates, with a ground resolution of less
than one meter. This requires high resolution, fast and sensitive line-scan
imagers operating at low power consumption and ideally featuring spectral
sensitivity. In this paper we present comprehensive characterization results of
our 7 band Back-Side Illuminated (BSI) CCD-in-CMOS sensor with a pixel pitch of
5.4 um. We have extensively characterized the key performance parameters of our
CCD-in-CMOS sensor, such as quantum efficiency (QE), full well capacity (FWC),
read noise, conversion gain, non-linearity, dark current etc. Novelty of this
device is the combination of 7 TDI bands on the same imager allowing
simultaneous multispectral TDI capture. Glass-based broadband filters with a
typical band-pass width of about 100 nm have been developed and glued together
to form a filter assembly of 6 band-pass filters and one panchromatic channel.
Multispectral capability of this sensor is particularly interesting for Low
Earth Observation (LEO) applications such as environmental monitoring,
precision agriculture, disaster detection and monitoring. To highlight its
ad-vantages for use in vegetation observation, we demonstrated a fake leaf and
a real leaf imaging using a 7 band BSI sensor with integrated filters operating
in 7-band mode at 15 kHz.