Redundant Object Damage and Prevention Method for Infrared Detectors

Damage caused by foreign objects is a common risk faced by aerospace and aviation products, which has contributed to many incidents. The dynamic displacement of redundant objects can cause instantaneous circular image failure in infrared (IR) detectors, which interferes with the detection and tracking of small targets with low infrared radiation. Moreover, the dynamic displacement of redundant objects can collide with the infrared focal plane array, causing ineffective pixels and affecting the minimum resolvable temperature difference and operating range of the IR imager. The faulty device must be dismantled step-by-step to eliminate the macroparticles. Electron microscopy was used to test the redundant objects. The source and generation of redundant objects during infrared focal plane array manufacturing and application were determined. Mechanical and optical analyses show that macroparticles can damage the intensity distribution of the imaging beam on the focal plane. The time required for the displacement to pass through the field of view is less than 50 ms, the linearity is less than 1 mm, and the diffraction phenomenon is significant. Most of the circular images occurred in the Fraunhofer diffraction area. A fringe diffraction spot is produced if the 10 μm redundant object is close to the focal plane array.