This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 9220, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction (if any), and Conference Committee listing.

Focal plane arrays (FPAs) made on InSb wafers are the key cost-driving component in IR imaging systems. The electronic and crystallographic properties of the wafer directly determine the imaging device performance. The “facet effect” describes the non-uniform electronic properties of crystals resulting from anisotropic dopant segregation during bulk growth. When the segregation coefficient of dopant impurities changes notably across the melt/solid interface of a growing crystal the result is non-uniform electronic properties across wafers made from these crystals. The effect is more pronounced in InSb crystals grown on the (111) axis compared with other orientations and crystal systems. FPA devices made on these wafers suffer costly yield hits due to inconsistent device response and performance. Historically, InSb crystal growers have grown approximately 9-19 degree off-axis from the (111) to avoid the facet effect and produced wafers with improved uniformity of electronic properties. It has been shown by researchers in the 1960s that control of the facet effect can produce uniform small diameter crystals. In this paper, we share results employing a process that controls the facet effect when growing large diameter crystals from which 4, 5, and 6” wafers can be manufactured. The process change resulted in an increase in wafers yielded per crystal by several times, all with high crystal quality and uniform electronic properties. Since the crystals are grown on the (111) axis, manufacturing (111) oriented wafers is straightforward with standard semiconductor equipment and processes common to the high-volume silicon wafer industry. These benefits result in significant manufacturing cost savings and increased value to our customers.

Resonator-Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors (R-QWIPs) are the next generation of QWIP detectors that use resonances to increase the quantum efficiency (QE). To achieve the expected performance, the detector geometry must be produced in precise specification. In particular, the height of the diffractive elements (DE) and the thickness of the active resonator must be uniformly and accurately realized to within 0.05 μm accuracy and the substrates of the detectors have to be removed totally. To achieve these specifications, two optimized inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching processes are developed. Using these etching techniques, we have fabricated a number of R-QWIP test detectors and FPAs with the required dimensions and completely removed their substrates. The QE spectra were tested to be in close agreement with the theoretical predictions. The operability and spectral uniformity of the focal plane array (FPA) is about 99.1% and 3% respectively.

Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP) is an attractive candidate for long-wave infrared detection but is limited due its low quantum efficiency and its polarization sensitivity. Here we propose a detector with an embedded plasmonic structure surrounding the detector that is protected. Our detector uses an array of pillars surrounded by a plasmonic metal and contacted from the top making one “super pixel”. This structure is within close proximity of the active medium and is protected by the top contact. This configuration also eliminates non-absorbing semiconductor eliminating significant dark current.

Near-infrared (NIR) sensors operating at room temperatures are critical for a variety of commercial and military applications including detecting mortar fire and muzzle flashes. SiGe technology offers a low-cost alternative to conventional IR sensor technologies such as InGaAs, InSb, and HgCdTe for developing NIR micro-sensors that will not require any cooling and can operate with high bandwidths and comparatively low dark currents. Since Ge has a larger thermal expansion coefficient than Si, tensile strain may be incorporated into detector devices during the growth process, enabling an extended operating wavelength range above 1600 nm. SiGe based pin photodetectors have advantages of high stability, low noise, and high responsivity compared to metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) devices. We have developed a process flow and are fabricating SiGe detector devices on 12” (300 mm) silicon wafers in order to take advantage of high throughput, large-area leading-edge silicon based CMOS technology that provides small feature sizes with associated device cost/density scaling advantages. The fabrication of the detector devices is facilitated by a two-step growth process incorporating initial low temperature growth of Ge/SiGe to form a thin strain-relaxed layer, followed by high temperature growth to deposit a thicker absorbing film, and subsequent high temperature anneal. This growth process is designed to effectively reduce dark current and enhance detector performance by reducing the number of defects and threading dislocations which form recombination centers during the growth process. Various characterization techniques have been employed to determine the properties of the epitaxially deposited Ge/SiGe layers, and the corresponding results are discussed.

This paper proposes and experimentally demonstrates a new denoising and hole-filling algorithm through discrete points removal and bilinear interpolation based on the bi-material cantilever FPA infrared imaging system. In practice, because of the limitation of FPA manufacturing process and optical readout system, the quality of obtained images is always not satisfying. A lot of noise and holes appear in the images, which restrict the application of the infrared imaging system. After analyzing the causes of noise and holes, an algorithm is presented to improve the quality of infrared images. Firstly, the statistic characteristics such as probability histograms of images with noise are analyzed in great detail. Then, IR images are denoised by the method of discrete points removal. Second, the holes are filled by bilinear interpolation. In this step, the reference points are found through partial derivative method instead of using the edge points of the holes simply. It can detect the real points effectively and enable the holes much closer to the true values. Finally, the algorithm is applied to different infrared images successfully. Experimental results show that the IR images can be denoised effectively and the SNRs are improved substantially. Meanwhile, the filling ratios of target holes reach as high as 95% and the visual quality is achieved well. It proves that the algorithm has the advantages of high speed, great precision and easy implement. It is a highly efficient real-time image processing algorithm for bi-material micro-cantilever FPA infrared imaging system.

Infrared Focal Plane Arrays (FPA) are increasingly used to measure multi- or hyperspectral images. Therefore, it is crucial to control and modelize their spectral response. The purpose of this paper is to propose a modeling approach, adjustable by experimental data, and applicable to the main cooled detector technologies. A physical model is presented, taking into account various optogeometrical properties of the detector, such as disparities of the pixels cut-off wavelengths. It describes the optical absorption phenomenon inside the pixel, by considering it as a stack of optical bulk layers. Then, an analytical model is proposed, based on the interference phenomenon occurring into the structure. This model considers only the three major waves interfering. It represents a good approximation of the physical model and a complementary understanding of the optical process inside the structure. This approach is applied to classical cooled FPAs as well as to specific instruments such as Microspoc (MICRO SPectrometer On Chip), a concept of miniaturized infrared Fourier transform spectrometer, integrated on a classical Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride FPA, and cooled by a cryostat.

The detection of infrared radiation (IR) with pure and doped Polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) films has been well documented using the mechanism of pyroelectricity. Alternatively, the electrical properties of films made from Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) have received considerable attention in recent years. The investigation of surface resistivities of both such films, to this point, has received far less consideration in comparison to pyroelectric effects. In this research, we report temperature dependent surface resistivity measurements of commercial, and of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), or Ag-nanoparticle doped PVA films. Without any variation in the temperature range from 22°C to 40°C with controlled humidity, we found that the surface resistivity decreases initially, reaches a minimum, but rises steadily as the temperature continues to increase. This research was conducted with the combined instrumentation of the Keithley Model 6517 Electrometer and Keithley Model 8009 resistivity test fixture using both commercial and in-house produced organic thin films. With the objective to quantify the suitability of PVDF and PVA films as IR detector materials, when using the surface resistivity phenomenon, instead of or in addition to the pyroelectricity, surface resistivity measurements are reported when considering bolometry. We find the surface resistivity of PVDF films to be in the range, which extends beyond the upper limit of our Keithley electrometer, but our measurements on PVA films were readily implemented.

InGaAs ternary compound is suitable for detector applications in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) band. Due to the advantages of good stability, low cooling requirements and high detectivity, InGaAs detectors have been applied widely in the space remote sensing area. However, InGaAs detectors would be affected by strong sunlight direct irradiation in space application. In this paper, a mesa-type InGaAs detector with large sensitive area of diameter 5mm was designed based on InP/In_0.53Ga_0.47As/InP epitaxial material, which is lattice-matched to InP substrate. The InGaAs detectors were fabricated by ICP etching, and packaged in a Kovar shell. The relative spectral response is in the range of 0.9μm to 1.7μm. The mechanism of the sunlight direct irradiation on InGaAs detector performance was studied. The sunlight were focalized by lens and irradiated directly on the detector. A piece of epitaxial material was investigated at the same time which was cleaved from a 2 inch wafer, same to the detector material. The real time testing was taken out to observe the output signal of the detector. After the irradiation experiment, the I-V curves and the relative response were tested immediately. The dark current of the detector increased temporarily, but come back to the original level after 24 hours. The response spectrum was nearly not affected. The XRD testing of the epitaxial material sample was carried out before and after sunlight direct irradiation. The sunlight irradiation causes thermal stress degradation. The thermal electrons were produced by the absorption of a great deal of visible light, leading to local enhancement of temperature and the lattice degeneration of the material.

It is well known that In_0.53Ga_0.47As epitaxial material is lattice-matched to InP substrate corresponding to the wavelength from 0.9μm to 1.7μm, which results to high quality material and good device characteristics at room temperature. In order to develop the near infrared multi-spectral imaging, 512×128 pixels InGaAs Near Infrared Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs) were studied. The n-InP/i-InGaAs/n-InP double hereto-structure epitaxial material was grown by MBE. The 512×128 back-illuminated planar InGaAs detector arrays were fabricated, including the improvement of passivation film, by grooving the diffusion masking layer, the P type electrode layer, In bump condition and so on. The photo-sensitive region has the diffusion area of 23×23μm² and pixel pitch of 30×30μm² . The 512×128 detector arrays were individually hybridized on readout integrated circuit(ROIC) by Indium bump based on flip-chip process to make focal plane arrays (FPAs). The ROIC is based on a capacitive trans-impedance amplifier with correlated double sampling and integrated while readout (IWR) mode with high readout velocity of every pixel resulting in low readout noise and high frame frequency. The average peak detectivity and the response non-uniformity of the FPAs are 1.63×10¹² cmHz^1/2/W and 5.9%, respectively. The power dissipation and frame frequency of the FPAs are about 180mW and 400Hz, respectively.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. developed a Resonant Scanning Mechanism (RSM) capable of combining a 250- Hz resonant scan about one axis with a two-hertz triangular scan about the orthogonal axis. The RSM enables a rapid, high-density scan over a significant field of regard (FOR) while minimizing size, weight, and power requirements. The azimuth scan axis is bearing mounted allowing for 30° of mechanical travel, while the resonant elevation axis is flexure and spring mounted with five degrees of mechanical travel. Pointing-knowledge error during quiescent static pointing at room temperature across the full range is better than 100 μrad RMS per axis. The compact design of the RSM, roughly the size of a soda can, makes it an ideal mechanism for use on low-altitude aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. Unique aspects of the opto-mechanical design include i) resonant springs which allow for a high-frequency scan axis with low power consumption; and ii) an independent lower-frequency scan axis allowing for a wide FOR. The pointing control system operates each axis independently and employs i) a position loop for the azimuth axis; and ii) a unique combination of parallel frequency and amplitude control loops for the elevation axis. All control and pointing algorithms are hosted on a 200-MHz microcontroller with 516 KB of RAM on a compact 3”×4” digital controller, also of Ball design.

InAsSb material with a cutoff wavelength in the 5 μm range has been grown on GaAs substrates. The MWIR InAsSb detector arrays were fabricated and hybridized to a ROIC to permit measurement of the electrical and optical properties of detectors. Detector arrays were fabricated in a 1024 x 1024 format on an 18 μm pitch. A fanout was utilized to directly acquire data from a set of selected detectors without an intervening read out integrating circuit (ROIC). Variable temperature Jdark vs Vd measurements have been made with the dark current density ~ 10-5 A/cm² at 150 K. The external QE measured using a narrow band filter centered at ~ 4 μm had values in the 65 – 70 % range. Since the detectors were illuminated through a GaAs substrate, which has a reflectance of 29%, the internal QE is greater than 90%. A 1024 x 1024 ROIC on an 18 μm pitch was also designed and fabricated to interface with the barrier detectors. The ROIC operates at 30 Hz frame rate and has a well capacity of 20.7 M electrons. QE at 150 K for a 1024 x 1024 detector array hybridized to a ROIC had a median D* at 150 K under a flux of 1.07 x 1015 ph/(cm²/s) was 1.2 x 1011 cm Hz1/2 /W. The NEdT was 44 mK and imagery was obtained at 150 K using an f/2.3 MWIR lens.

Detecting suspicious behaviors is important for surveillance and monitoring systems. In this paper, we investigate suspicious activity detection in thermal infrared imagery, where human motion can be easily detected from the background regardless of the lighting conditions and colors of the human clothing and surfaces. We use locally adaptive regression kernels (LARK) as patch descriptors, which capture the underlying local structure of the data exceedingly well, even in the presence of significant distortions. Patch descriptors are generated for each query patch and for each database patch. A statistical approach is used to match the query activity with the database to make the decision of suspicious activity. Human activity videos in different condition such as, walking, running, carrying a gun, crawling, and carrying backpack in different terrains were acquired using thermal infrared camera. These videos are used for training and performance evaluation of the algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed approach achieves good performance in suspicious activity recognition.

Near Infrared (NIR) Reflectance spectroscopy has established itself as an important tool in quantifying water and oil present in various food materials. It is rapid and nondestructive, easier to use, and does not require processing the samples with corrosive chemicals that would render them non-edible. Earlier, the samples had to be ground into powder form before making any measurements. With the development of new soft ware packages, NIR techniques could now be used in the analysis of intact grain and nuts. While most of the commercial instruments presently available work well with small grain size materials such as wheat and corn, the method present here is suitable for large kernel size products such as shelled or in-shell peanuts. Absorbance spectra were collected from 400 nm to 2500 nm using a NIR instrument. Average values of total oil contents (TOC) of peanut samples were determined by standard extraction methods, and fatty acids were determined using gas chromatography. Partial least square (PLS) analysis was performed on the calibration set of absorption spectra, and models were developed for prediction of total oil and fatty acids. The best model was selected based on the coefficient of determination (R²), Standard error of prediction (SEP) and residual percent deviation (RPD) values. Peanut samples analyzed showed RPD values greater than 5.0 for both absorbance and reflectance models and thus could be used for quality control and analysis. Ability to rapidly and nondestructively measure the TOC, and analyze the fatty acid composition, will be immensely useful in peanut varietal improvement as well as in the grading process of grain and nuts.

We present a wavelength tuning of an Erbium-Doped Fiber Ring Laser (EDFRL) based in a Mach-Zehnder fiber interferometer (MZFI) that consists on two tapers fabricated on commercial SMF28 from Corning as an intracavity filter. The MZFI spectral interference pattern is modified by external refractive index changes that alter the light transmission characteristics. In this work, the fiber device is immersed into a glycerol solution with higher dispersion in its refractive index in relation with temperature. Since the temperature sensitiveness of the glycerol is much higher than that of the fiber in a temperature range from 25-110 °C, therefore, the spectral changes are mainly due to the dispersion of glycerol refractive index when heat increases. Also, when this device is inserted into the EDFRL cavity, the gain spectrum of the EDF is modified accordingly and the changes, which can be controlled in an electrical heater, allow the tuning of the laser wavelength determined by the interference fringes. A wavelength shift as high as 180 pm/°C and a tunable range of 12 nm are obtained. The side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of the fiber laser is around 25-30 dB depending on the notch filtering position. The insertion losses of the filter are below 0.3 dB and the measured wavelength shift has a quasilinear dependence as a function of temperature in the 80-110 °C. This method is very simple, portable and inexpensive over traditional methods to tune a fiber laser.

We developed an accurate three-dimensional blood vessel search (3D BVS) system using NIR light for the clinical blood sampling. In the previous study, the 3D BVS system, which used near-infrared (NIR) light imaging and the stereo method to locate blood vessel accurately in three dimensions has been developed⁽¹⁾. However, as NIR lights could not transmit the human arm, this system could not be used for the subcutaneous blood vessel detection. In this study, we developed a BVS by using the reflecting NIR light for blood sampling assist. The light scattering in human tissue will cause blur of blood vessel edge in image, that makes the diameter of blood vessel became uncertain. In this study, a light propagation simulation and a multilayer phantom were adopted to estimate the measurement error of blood vessel diameter in our BSV system. In the simulation, the optical properties of scattering coefficient, absorption coefficient, and refractive index were set similar with human skin. Next, we fabricated a multilayer phantom, which has the similar structure and optical properties with the human skin to confirm availability of the simulation. Also, the optical properties of our phantom are adjustable in our phantom to imitate the different color of skin. We established the estimation algorithm to detect the blood vessel accurately. Finally, we confirm the availability of our BVS for the blood sampling assist system.

One direct and efficient method to improve the sensitivity of infrared gas sensors is to increase the optical path length of gas cells according to Beer-Lambert Law. In this paper, cubic shaped cavities with high reflected inner coating as novel long path absorption cells for infrared gas sensing were developed. The effective optical path length (EOPL) for a single cubic cavity and tandem cubic cavities were investigated based on Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) measuring oxygen P₁₁ line at 763 nm. The law of EOPL of a diffuse cubic cavity in relation with the reflectivity of the coating, the port fraction and side length of the cavity was obtained. Experimental results manifested an increase of EOPL for tandem diffuse cubic cavities as the decrease of port fraction of the connecting aperture f’, and the EOPL equaled to the sum of that of two single cubic cavities at f’<0.01. The EOPL spectra at infrared wavelength range for different inner coatings including high diffuse coatings and high reflected metallic thin film coatings were deduced.

Our group has designed and developed a novel telecom band photon detector called the electron-injection detector. The detector provides a high avalanche-free internal-amplification and a stable excess noise factor of near unity while operating at linear-mode with low bias voltages. In our previous reports on un-isolated detectors, the large dark current of the detectors prevented long integration times in the camera. Furthermore, the bandwidth of the un-isolated detectors was in the KHz range. Recently, by changing the 3D geometry and isolating the detectors from each other, we have achieved 3 orders of magnitude reduction in dark current at same bias voltage and temperature compared to our previous results. Isolated detectors have internal dark current densities of 0.1nA/cm² at 160 K. Furthermore, they have a bandwidth that is 4 orders of magnitude higher than the un-isolated devices. In this paper we report room temperature and low temperature characteristics of the isolated electron-injection detectors. We show that the measured optical gain displays a small dependence on temperature over our measured range down to 220 K.

Fast photodetectors, with high sensitivity and quantum efficiency are highly demanded elements for many applications, such as optical communication, optical interconnects, quantum key distribution, and infrared imaging. Therefore, it is crucial to optimize the quantum efficiency-bandwidth product, while maintaining a low noise. Integration of optical antennas with photodetectors leads to high quantum efficiency due to enhancing light – matter interaction as well as reducing the volume of the detector beyond the diffraction limit. Although, a direct consequence of shrinking the detection size is the noise reduction, the local density of state (LDOS) will be enhanced in the near-field of optical antenna. LDOS enhancement can lead to an increased noise current, by reducing the carrier lifetime due to the enhancement of the radiative recombination rate. This effect could become significant, especially for interband detectors, where the carrier lifetime is quite long compared with intersubband detectors. Here, we simulate and study this effect on the interband and intersubband infrared photodetectros using FDTD simulation.

We report on a transparent gate silicon MOS photo-impedance sensor, where a gated light sensitive semiconductor layer connects fixed capacitances. The resistance of the semiconductor and the capacitance of the MOS structure change with illumination. The frequency dispersion makes the coupling of these capacitances sensitive to light intensity extending the sensor dynamic range and tuning the sensitivity of the sensor. Our modeling results demonstrate advantages of this novel sensor in terms of sensitivity and dynamic range. The design and concept of this device could be extended to many other semiconductor materials, where frequency dispersion is related either to traps, or embedded nanoparticles or carrier generation processes.

In this work an Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ co-doped all-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer that could be suitable for telecomm channel selection, temperature sensing or torsion sensing applications is proposed. The experimental array consists of a 980nm pump laser diode at 350mW output power, a 30cm co-doped fiber segment from our own design, and a mechanicallyinduced long period fiber grating in cascade with a tapered section, both on the co-doped fiber. The experimental results show an ASE operation bandwidth spectrum from 1450nm to 1650nm. The resulting interference pattern line-width is around 10nm with a 0.5dBm depth. The theoretical model based on Einsteins rate equations, along with the LPG inhouse fabrication method, and full experimental results are explained.

Lately, there has been a huge demand for smart structures. In particular the interest has growth in those structures able to detect deterioration conditions and possible failure. Failure prevention requires an appropriate monitoring and maintenance system. Currently, there are available several types of sensors capable of detecting problems in structures, among them, sensors based on optical fibers have been proposed as they represent a non-invasive technique. Some optical fiber sensors are based on Bragg gratings. A grating is a periodical index perturbation of the fiber core which is most commonly achieved through UV radiation. Another technique used to fabricate the gratings, which has not been studied extensively, is electric arc. Therefore, in this work we propose the use of this technique to fabricate fiber optical sensors based on Long Period Fiber Gratings (LPFG). Manufacturing LPFG through electric arc has the advantage of being quite flexible, inexpensive, present very high temperature stability and can be applied to any type of optical fiber. LPFG with a period of 500 microns and 20 mm of length were fabricated through electric arc on standard monomode fibers with the help of a fusion machine and its spectrum was observed by an Optical Spectrum Analyzer (OSA). This type of LPFG is tunable by changing the fabrication parameters of the electric arc which in turns will vary its sensitivity to measure strain on structures when it is used as a sensor. Also, in this paper a theoretical and analytical examination of arc induced LPFG is presented. Mathematical analysis and simulation of the sensor based on LPFG were carried out using the software MATLAB.

We describe an integrated sensor assembly serving as both a component technology demonstration and a potential means of detecting distant point sources of infrared radiation. The objective of the demonstration was to show that usefully long integration times could be achieved with a low-background and well capacity, LWIR focal plane array optimized for use with cooled optics in space. The system controls extraneous background radiation with a small (150 μm) cooled pinhole that nevertheless transmits all the radiation of a point source collected by the fore-optic. Broad waveband response (~3 to 12 μm) results from optimization of the fore-optic for both MW and LWIR, as well as from a broadband anti-reflection coating on the field lens that is used at the pinhole to reimage the entrance aperture and its surrounding cold stop. Integration times in excess of 10 msec have been achieved for room temperature backgrounds with the FPA cold stage operated at 50 Kelvin, and noise performance has been bracketed with single frames of data collected over several integration times and over several minutes duration. However, anomalous signal behavior has been observed as the temperature of a remote blackbody increases. Although operation to date has been with a lower operability, engineering grade FPA, plans are to eventually upgrade to a higher quality device.

The intraocular pressure (IOP) that can diagnose or track glaucoma generally because it is one of the physiology parameters that are associated with glaucoma. But IOP is not easy and consistence to be measured under different measure conditions. Besides, diabetes is associated with diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN). Pupil size response might provide an indirect means about neuronal pathways, so the abnormal pupil size may relate with DAN. Hence an infrared videopupillography is needed for tracking glaucoma and exploring the relation between pupil size and DAN. Our previous research proposed an infrared videopupillography to monitoring the pupil size of different light stimulus in dark room. And this portable infrared videopupillography contains a camera, a beam splitter, the visible-light LEDs for stimulating the eyes, and the infrared LEDs for lighting the eyes. It can be mounted on any eyeglass frame. But it can modulate only two dimensions, we cannot zoom in/out the eyes. Moreover, the eye diameter curves were not smooth and jagged because of the light spots, lone eyelashes, and blink. Therefore, we redesign the optical path of our device to have three dimension modulation. Then we can zoom in the eye to increase the eye resolution and to avoid the LED light spots. The light spot could be solved by defining the distance between IR LED and CCD. This device smaller volume and less prices of our previous videopupillography. We hope this new infrared videopupillography proposed in this paper can achieving early detection about autonomic neuropathy in the future.

In the study of land salinization classification, researchers are most concerned about the distribution, area and degree of salinization. Traditional classification methods of land salinization only manually extract the sample data from the study area, which cannot obtain the classification results for large area. With the development of remote sensing technology, remote sensing data is often used to extract and analyze the information of saline-alkali soil. At present, most classification methods of land salinization utilize the spectral information of remote sensing data based on supervised classification or unsupervised classification, which still have some errors in the classification results. Combining the sample data with Landsat TM images, the Western Jilin Province of China was selected as the study area in this paper. Through analyzing the relationship between the spectral characteristics and the content of soil salinity of the sample data extracted from different types of saline-alkali land, a land salinization classification method using the decision tree was proposed. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method can supply more accurate classification information of land salinization, and further effectively monitor soil salinization changes for the study area.

Two-dimensional diffusion model was used to analyze the charge-carrier diffusion process in the photosensitive film of photovoltaic HgCdTe IR FPA detectors with a continuous (without mesa-isolation of pixels) absorber layer. Some applications of the model and its inaccuracies are considered. Estimates of the local charge-carrier diffusion length values in the FPA regions under and outside photodiodes were obtained on the basis of spot-scan data.