C-RED 2 ER : an extended range SWIR camera with applications in hyperspectral imaging

The development of extended range detectors based on InGaAs technology is a recent breakthrough in imaging. Taking advantage of the technological bricks developed for the C-RED 2 camera, First Light Imaging has integrated extended range InGaAs sensors and explored the possibilities offered by this technology. The C-RED 2 ER camera can support two detectors with shifted sensitivity. The cameras and their performances are described in detail in this paper. The C-RED 2 ER camera can operate with different readout modes and achieve high-speed frame processing to optimize the output image. The camera is capable of running at 600 full frames per second with image corrections applied. This is particularly relevant, as the lattice mismatch artefacts of the extended InGaAs technology can be a major drawback for its use in imaging and sensing applications. It is expected that the shifted spectral sensitivity of the C-RED 2 ER cameras will enable the development of systems dedicated to hyperspectral imaging, for waste sorting in particular. A proof of concept device based on a First Light Imaging camera was developed to demonstrate the performances of high-speed SWIR cameras when integrated in a push-broom type device. The result of this experiment is briefly reported in this paper.