Sofradir, a manufacturer of advanced infrared detectors for military, space and industrial applications, has released its Scorpio LW 640 x 512 IR detector.
Scorpio LW is a 15µm pitch high-performance, compact, low-power consumption longwave TV format IR detector. It is designed for long-range surveillance equipment, commander or gunner sights, ground-to-ground missile launchers and other ground-based applications that require higher resolution and sensitivity in the LWIR waveband to improve reconnaissance and target identification.
The detector offers high sensitivity (less than 20mK at f/2, 210Hz Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference). The sensitivity enables long-range equipment, such as commander sights, to extend the detection range, thereby allowing users to identify a target quicker. It also has the capacity to operate at higher temperatures up to 100K (approx -173°C), which is an advantage over the industry standard 80K operating temperature. Operating at a higher temperature means that cooler input power is reduced. This brings about greater cooler reliability and longer autonomy for battery operated equipment.
Scorpio LW expands Sofradir's line of small pixel pitch TV format IR detectors from the mid-wavelength to the long-wavelength, broadening the performance attributes of its longwave IR product line.