InGaAs/InP focal plane arrays for visible light imaging

We report on recent results in using InGaAs/InP focal plane arrays for visible light imaging. We have fabricated substrate-removed backside illuminated InGaAs/InP focal plane arrays down to a 10 μm pitch with high quantum efficiency from 0.4 μm through 1.7 μm. This focal plane array can be used for visible imaging as well as imaging eye-safe lasers. Using the InGaAs/InP materials system for visible imaging applications has several advantages over silicon based CMOS or CCD imagers including inherent radiation hardness, the ability to simultaneously achieve low crosstalk (less than 1%), and bandwidths exceeding 1 GHz, as well as the ability to image out to 1.7 μm.