Internal stray radiation measurement for cryogenic infrared imaging systems using a spherical mirror

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Infrared Technology
• Radiometry

Background:

• Internal stray radiation significantly impacts infrared imaging system performance.
• Accurate measurement is vital, particularly for sensitive cryogenic systems.
• Evaluating stray radiation suppression is a key performance criterion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel method for accurate measurement of internal stray radiation.
• To enable precise evaluation of stray radiation suppression levels in infrared imaging systems.
• To provide a reliable technique applicable across various integration times and temperatures.

Main Methods:

• Development of a radiometric calibration approach utilizing a spherical mirror.
• Introduction of spherical mirror design theory and a calibration formula incorporating integration time.
• Experimental validation in a controlled temperature chamber.

Main Results:

• The proposed spherical mirror method accurately measures internal stray radiation.
• Experimental results align well with theoretical predictions.
• The technique is validated for practical application in infrared imaging systems.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides accurate internal stray radiation measurements.
• This technique is effective at arbitrary integration times and ambient temperatures.
• The measurement results can confirm if system requirements for stray radiation suppression are met.