Abstract: An improved ferroelectric imaging system comprises a chopper, lens system, ferroelectric detector matrix, switching matrix, temperature controlled heat sink, drive and read out electronics, video processor and display. The chopper interrupts infrared energy emanating from a scene, and the lens system focuses the chopped infrared energy on the ferroelectric detector matrix which produces electrical signals representative of the infrared energy impinging thereon. The signals are read out by the drive and read out electronics whose action is synchronized with the chopper action, processed in the video processor and displayed by the display. The ferroelectric detector matrix comprises a plurality of detector capacitor elements whose top plates are formed by conductor stripes longitudinally disposed on a dielectric of ferroelectric material and whose lower plates are a plurality of metal pads formed on the dielectric.

Abstract: An improved ferroelectric imaging system comprises a chopper, lens system, ferroelectric detector matrix, switching matrix, temperature controlled heat sink, drive and read out electronics, video processor and display. The chopper interrupts infrared energy emanating from a scene, and the lens system focuses the chopped infrared energy on the ferroelectric detector matrix which produces electrical signals representative of the infrared energy impinging thereon. The signals are read out by the drive and read out electronics whose action is synchronized with the chopper action, processed in the video processor and displayed by the display. The ferroelectric detector matrix comprises a plurality of detector capacitor elements whose top plates are formed by conductor stripes longitudinally disposed on a dielectric of ferroelectric material and whose lower plates are a plurality of metal pads formed on the dielectric.

Abstract: A ferroelectric imaging system is taught. The system comprises a lens system, detector matrix, drive and readout electronics, controller, video processor and display. The lens system is a lens system for focusing electromagnetic energy from a scene onto a detector matrix. The drive and readout electronics selectively bias the elements of the detector matrix, and readout voltage signals indicative of the infrared energy impinging on each element of the detector matrix. The controller section includes clocks and shift registers, respectively, for timing the electronic drive and readout electronics, and for selecting in a desired order the matrix elements for readout. The controller also controls the readout signal input to the video processor which processes the voltage signal output of the detector matrix into video signals. The video signals are applied to a display means such as, for example, a cathode ray tube for display.