The radiation hardness of existing cameras is limited by the resistance of image sensor, especially due to radiation induced pixel leakage (i.e. dark current). Existing solutions on the market are either too big (due to shielding for example) or limited to about 100kGy. It’s a world first to obtain such high quality images after irradiation of 100 Mrad (1 MGy) without shielding, high temperature annealing treatment or image processing.
Based on VGA standards, the technology is ideal for miniaturized cameras thanks to its ultra-high compactness. These promising results open the door to future developments of ultra-compact radiation- hard cameras that can sustain demanding environments such as nuclear power plant inspections/monitoring/decommissioning and new applications in deep space missions.
For more information, please visit the ISAE-SUPAERO website.
Keywords:
CMOS image sensor – rad-hard camera – Miniature cameras