Sofradir makes small pixel pitch TV format longwave Infrared detector, Scorpio LW, commercially available

Scorpio LW is designed for long-range surveillance equipment, commander or gunner sights, ground-to-ground missile launchers and other ground-based applications that require higher resolution and sensitivity in the LWIR waveband to improve reconnaissance and target identification.

“With 15-micron pixel pitch Scorpio LW – the new jewel in the crown of our longwave IR product range - entering volume production, Sofradir’s position as a major supplier to the defense market of high-performance longwave infrared detectors is consolidated,” says Philippe Bensussan, Chairman and CEO of Sofradir. “We now bring three new products to the market each year. This follows our success in setting the industry standard for size and performance in IR detection that came as a result of our launch of the first 15-micron pixel pitch IR detector in 2004. Today, we continue to push the boundaries of performance in IR detection to bring new possible system architectures to defense and security equipment makers. Scorpio LW is another important step forward in that direction.”

Scorpio LW offers higher sensitivity (less than 20 mK at f/2, 210 Hz NETD-Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference) than comparable products. The higher sensitivity enables long-range equipment, such as commander sights, to extend their detection range, thereby allowing users to identify a target quicker. It also has the capacity to operate at higher temperatures up to 100 K (approx -173 °C), which is an advantage over the industry standard 80 K operating temperature. Operating at a higher temperature means that cooler input power is reduced. This brings about greater cooler reliability and longer autonomy for battery operated equipment.

Scorpio LW expands Sofradir’s line of small pixel pitch TV format IR detectors from the mid-wavelength to the long-wavelength, broadening the performance attributes of its longwave IR product line.