Electro Optical System

Electro Optical System

Electro optical systems enable warfighters to see at night, detect disturbed soil that might indicate a roadside bomb is close by and even find tiny boats at sea.electro optical system These sensors operate across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from infrared to visible and ultraviolet. They are a key component of the sensor suite that provides situational awareness for military forces, enabling them to identify targets and make decisions with the most accurate information possible.

A fundamental part of any EO/IR sensor is the optical modulator, which converts the input electrical signal into an output optical signal by varying the refractive index of the crystal that it’s made of, or alternatively, by changing its phase.electro optical system These devices are highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations and must be properly stabilized in order to maintain their MTF performance over a wide range of operating conditions.

The modulator’s MTF is derived by evaluating its ability to transform input signals with a specified Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) into an output optical signal with a matching MTF. MTFs are not a universal measurement of optical performance and can vary depending on the application, but they serve as a reference point for comparing different products and manufacturers.

There are several types of optical modulators, which can be divided into categories based on their characteristics. For example, a modulator that changes the phase of an optical beam without altering its intensity is known as an external phase modulator, while a modulator that also changes the intensity of an optical waveform is called a passive electronic control device (EECD).

In addition to temperature fluctuations, polarization dependence can affect the MTF of some modulators. This can be overcome by either compensating for the polarization-dependence of a modulator by using two identical crystals in series with their principal axes rotated 90° from each other, or by using an optical MZI to achieve efficient polarization rotation in a single-crystal structure.

Some EO/IR systems require complex optical lenses to provide the required field of view, but new materials are coming online that offer greater optical performance at lower costs and power consumption (SWaP). For example, some manufacturers have developed detectors that can operate at much higher temperatures than traditional mercury-cadmium telluride or indium antimonide technologies. These new detectors are called high-operating-temperature (HOT) detectors. They can reduce the number of components needed to support an imager and significantly reduce the size, weight and cost of the entire system. Enhanced pixel pitch is one of the chief benefits that these advancements are expected to bring, as it improves the resolution of a sensor’s image and allows for the use of smaller lenses. This enables greater ranges and sharper images with better situational awareness.

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