Abstract: A rigid-flex assembly (RFA) includes a circuit board attachable to a focal plane sensor. The RFA includes a flexible wiring section electrically coupled at opposing ends to the circuit board and to an edge connector. The flexible wiring section has a controlled separation distance or volume or vacuum gap between wiring strips for reduction of dielectric electrical loss and electrical cross talk. The flexible section has wires or traces configured to reduce the amount of copper used while optimizing signal integrity. Rigid substrates electrically couple the flexible wiring section to the connector. The RFA uses an end-launch, in-plane connection to the sensor for improved performance. A sensor module includes a housing and a sensor. An RFA is coupled to the sensor for high-speed data transfer and that optimizes signal integrity while providing thermal isolation via the flexible section.

Abstract: A rigid-flex assembly (RFA) includes a circuit board attachable to a focal plane sensor. The RFA includes a flexible wiring section electrically coupled at opposing ends to the circuit board and to an edge connector. The flexible wiring section has a controlled separation distance or volume or vacuum gap between wiring strips for reduction of dielectric electrical loss and electrical cross talk. The flexible section has wires or traces configured to reduce the amount of copper used while optimizing signal integrity. Rigid substrates electrically couple the flexible wiring section to the connector. The RFA uses an end-launch, in-plane connection to the sensor for improved performance. A sensor module includes a housing and a sensor. An RFA is coupled to the sensor for high-speed data transfer and that optimizes signal integrity while providing thermal isolation via the flexible section.

Abstract: A sensor/support system includes a sensor assembly having a planar radiation detector lying parallel to a reference plane, a readout circuit, and an interconnect joining the radiation detector to the readout circuit. The system further includes a support structure, the support structure having a platform with a first side to which the sensor assembly is affixed and a second side oppositely disposed from the first side. A shim is affixed to the second side of the platform. The shim is made of a shim material different from the detector material and the platform material. The shim reduces the strain in the interconnect when the temperature of the sensor/support system is changed, as compared with the strain in the interconnect in the absence of the stabilization structure.