Infrared night vision goggles used by the U.S. military are limited by thermally-generated noise in indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) infrared sensors. Nextreme Thermal Solutions Inc. (Durham, N.C.) and infrared sensor maker Princeton Lightwave Inc. (PLI, Cranbury, N..J.) have used thermal bump technology to cool a short-wave infrared InGaAs focal plane array thereby clarifying its images. Unlike current sensors, PLI's focal plane array utilizes the 1.6-micron wavelength, which enables the use of laser illuminators that are invisible to current night vision goggles.
Text: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208402776
