Dstl develops high-efficiency thermal imaging detector

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), in collaboration with Amethyst Research and Lancaster University, has developed a novel thermal imaging detector architecture that is more than ten times more efficient than current designs.

High-performance thermal cameras typically require cooling to approximately -193°C, necessitating bulky and power-intensive cooling engines that limit their use to vehicles or fixed installations. The new architecture utilizes a thin absorber layer to reduce thermal noise, a semiconductor layer to reflect and confine infrared light, and sub-wavelength structuring to enhance absorption.

These innovations allow the detectors to operate at temperatures closer to -123°C. This 70-degree increase in operating temperature enables the creation of smaller, lighter, and less power-hungry cameras. Such advancements could allow thermal imaging technology to be deployed on drones, small platforms, or carried by individual soldiers to see through smoke, dust, and darkness.