FLICKER-FREE INFRARED SIMULATOR WITH RESISTOR BRIDGES

Abstract: An infrared (IR) simulator is disclosed in which an array of pixels is defined on an insulative substrate by resistor bridges which contact the substrate at spaced locations and are separated from the substrate, and thereby thermally insulated therefrom, between the contact locations. Semiconductor drive circuits on the substrate enable desired current flows through the resistor bridges in response to input control signals, thereby establishing the appropriate IR radiation from each of the pixels. The drive circuits and also at least some of the electrical lead lines are preferably located under the resistor bridges. A thermal reflector below each bridge shields the drive circuit and reflects radiation to enhance the IR output. The drive circuits employ sample and hold circuits which produce a substantially flicker-free operation, with the resistor bridges being impedance matched with their respective drive circuits. The resistor bridges may be formed by coating insulative base bridges with a resistive layer having the desired properties, and overcoating the resistive layers with a thermally emissive material. The array is preferably formed on a silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) wafer.

Description: FLICKER-FREE INFRARED SIMUIATOR WITH RESISTOR BRIDGES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention relates to systems for simulating an infrared image for use in testing infrared seekers. Description of the Related Art 'It would be highly desirable to be able to simulate a real-time infrared (IR - roughly 0.7-20 microns wave¬ length) image that is substantially free of flicker. This would provide an effective way to test IR detectors, also referred to as "seekers" and "focal plane arrays". At present, problems of excessive flicker impose a serious constraint on IR simulation systems. A basic problem with image flicker is that it creates a false target indica- tion, since flicker corresponds to . a change in the temper¬ ature of the IR image. Unlike the human eye which inte¬ grates light flicker over * a period of about 30-50 msec, IR detectors integrate flickers over periods of only about 1-5 msec. Thus, there is a significant range over which flicker (in the visible spectrum) would not be detected by the human eye but would be picked up by an IR detector if it is within the IR spectrum. Excessive flicker has been avoided heretofore with the use of a Bly cell to project a static image that has been applied to the cell. Bly cells are described in Vincent T. Bly, "Passive Visible to Infrared Transducer for Dynamic Infrared Image Simulation", Optical Engineer ¬ ing, Nov./Dec. 1982, Vol. 21, No. 6, pp. 107 9 -1082. However, the requirement that this type of system be operated with a static image is a significant limitation, since a more meaningful test of IR detectors calls for the detection of images that can change in real-time. A prior attemp to produce an IR simulation system with a real-time image involved the formation of a video image by a cathode ray tube (CRT) . The CRT video image was applied as an input to a liquid crystal light valve (LCLV) , to which an IR readout beam was applied. The LCLV modulated the IR readout beam with the video image from the C RT to produce a corresponding IR video image. See S.T. Wu et al, "Infrared Liquid Crystal Light Valve", Proceedings of the SPIE, Vol. 572, pages 94-101, August, 1985. This approach unfortunately was found to result in a substantial amount of flicker. The problem is that the illuminated pixels on the CRT screen decay in intensity over time prior to the next electron beam scan. This causes an undesirable intensity gradient to appear on a projected IR image from an IR-LCLV which is coupled to the C RT and an IR detector will then detect a non-uniform image. Because the detector is generally looking for intensity gradients, or edges, by which its associated algorithms determine the presence of "targets", such intensity gradients are misleading. While this problem could theoretically be solved by synchronizing the IR detector scan with the CRT electron beam scan, such syn¬ chronization may not be desired in many applications. Thus, although an IR-LCLV has the capability of projecting high resolution, high dynamic range, real-time simulated IR images when compared to a Bly cell, this advantage is mitigated by the CRT pixel decay. Furthermore, electric¬ ally driven matrix emitter devices have flicker if driven with simple RC-type pixel addressing circuits, since the RC decay is similar in effect to the phosphor decay of the CRT. Modifications of the basic CRT-LCLV system described above might be envisioned to reduce or eliminate flicker, but they introduce other problems. In one such modifica¬ tion, two storage CRTs are provided with shutters in front of each screen. Operation is alternated between the two C RTs by means of the shutters, so that they are alternate¬ ly applied to the LCLV. By staggering the video data frames between the two CRTs, the phosphor decay seen by the LCLV could theoretically be reduced significantly. However, in such a system, it may be difficult to imple¬ ment the very fast shutter coordination that would be necessary to substantially avoid flicker. Furthermore, storage CRTs are non-uniform, resulting in image differ¬ ences and consequent flicker. Another approach would be to use a single CRT, but to increase the frame rate of the Raster scan from the con¬ ventional rate of about 30 Hz to a much higher rate, perhaps about 1,000 Hz. The CRTs of the future may pro¬ vide higher bandwidths than that presently attainable, thereby making this approach more attractive. A possible approach which does not provide real-time addressable images is the use of a "flicker-free" film or slide projector like the SCANAGON ® device produced by Robert Woltz Associates, Inc. of Newport Beach, California and disclosed in Patent Nos. 4,113,367 and 4,126,386, or a comparable image projector. While the potential may exist for this limited technique, it has not been demonstrated to provide jitter-free and flicker-free images. Further¬ more, this method will not provide real-time electronical¬ ly updatable imagery. In addition to flicker-free images, it is very impor¬ tant for an IR simulation system to achieve high spatial resolution, large dynamic temperature ranges and fast response. Spatial resolutions should be at least 500x500 pixels, with flicker less than 1%. For some applications frame rates should be 100 Hz or greater, and the dynamic thermal range should ideally be from near room temperature (some applications require cooled background temperatures) to 1,000*C, particularly in the 3-5 micron spectral range. This combination of dynamic range and response time re¬ quirements is difficult for .commercially available liquid crystals to achieve. Furthermore, most IR simulation applications require the simulator to be mounted on the two-axis target arm of a Carco table, which is then moved relative to the IR seeker being tested. For this purpose weight and size limitations are very important. The liquid crystal based IR simulator requires a large black- body source, typically in excess of 100 pounds, and an expensive wire grid polarizer to be mounted with the active matrix. This reduces the mobility of the support¬ ing Carco table arm. Liquid crystal systems are also limited in dynamic range because it is difficult to photogenerate enough charge in the silicon substrate, while maintaining spatial resolution, to rotate the liquid crystal molecules com¬ pletely. Furthermore, there is a restriction on tne speed of response of liquid crystals if a reasonable thermal dynamic range is to be maintained. The flicker problem associated with liquid crystal systems can be reduced by utilizing a flicker-free visible addressing source for the liquid crystal light valve. However, known sources of this type are limited in speed, resolution, weight and size. Patent No. 4,724,356 to Daehler discloses a resistor- based IR simulator in which an array of resistors are individually addressed to stimulate IR emission. The Daehler approach is also discussed in Daehler, "Infrared Display Array", SPIE Vol. 765, Imaging Sensors and Dis- plavs (1987), pages 94-101 and Burriesci et al., "A Dynam¬ ic RAM Imaging Display Technology Utilizing Silicon Black- body Emitters", SPIE Vol. 765, Imaging Sensors and Dis¬ plays (1987), pages 112-122. Both the resistors and their respective drive transistor circuits are formed from a bulk silicon wafer. An air gap groove is formed under the resistors to help reduce thermal conduction losses to the underlying bulk silicon wafer. To facilitate the select¬ ive etching used to form the insulating air gap grooves, the top layer of the wafer is heavily doped. However, this doping makes the top layer electrically conductive, resulting in a significant impedance mismatch between the resistors and their respective transistor drive circuits. As a result, most of the input power is lost in the drive circuitry, rather than going into IR radiation. /This reduction in the power transfer to the resistors results in a need for even more input power to the transistors, leading to a potential overheating problem. In addition to an inefficient use of input power, in the Daehler approach only a relatively small portion of the pixel area (less than 10%) is actually occupied by the radiating resistor. Much of the area that might otherwise be devoted to the resistor is occupied by the drive trans- istorr and the insulating air gap. As a result, to achieve a given apparent temperature for the pixel as a whole the resistor itself must be heated to a significant- ly higher temperature. This substantially reduces the system's effective thermal dynamic range. Another problem with the Daehler approach relates to the electrical lead lines used to address the individual pixels. Relatively large silicon wafers must be used with present technology to achieve a significant number of pixels. For example, a wafer of about four inches is required for a 512x512 array. This means that the elec¬ trical lead lines on the chip must also be about four inches long. This in turn leads to two significant prob- lems. First, there is a large amount of capacitive coup¬ ling associated with the long lead lines. Parasitic capacitance between conductive substrate and metal lead lines can limit the response time. Second, defects such as pin holes can appear in the oxide insulator formed on the substrate, causing a short circuit between the line and the silicon substrate which renders the associated pixel or pixels inoperative. The longer the lines, the greater is the probability of such defects. Daehler tries to resolve this problem by limiting the size of the array to 8x128 pixels, and coupling many such arrays together side-by-side to produce an aggregate array of reasonable size. However, the coupling process itself introduces significant complexities. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the goal of the pres¬ ent invention is to provide an IR simulation system which is substantially flicker-free, light in weight, has a large thermal dynamic range and fast response, is power efficient, devotes most of the pixel area to the radiating element, and avoids the capacitive coupling and insulator defect problems associated with long lead lines on a single crystal semiconductor substrate. This goal is achieved in accordance with the inven¬ tion by providing an IR pixel matrix in the form of an array of resistor bridges formed on an insulating sub¬ strate, such as sapphire. The resistor bridges span a portion of each pixel cell, contact the substrate at spaced-apart contact locations, and are shaped to form a thermally insulative gap between the bridge and substrate. A semiconductor drive circuit on the substrate enables a desired amount of current flow through the bridge in response to an input control signal to heat the bridge, thereby producing a desired amount of IR radiation. Control, actuating and power lead lines extend along the substrate to deliver control and actuating signals to the drive circuits, and an electrical power signal to the resistor bridges; since the substrate is insulative, capacitive coupling and shorting problems are mitigated even with long lead lines. In the preferred embodiment the drive circuits are located on the substrate surface under the resistor bridges, and at least some of the lead lines also extend under the bridges. Each pixel cell includes a thermally reflective element between the resistor bridge and drive circuit to reflect IR radiation away from the drive cir- cuit. The thermally reflective element may comprise either a second bridge formed from a thermally reflective material which bridges the drive circuit and is spaced from both that circuit and the resistor bridge, or a thermally reflective layer which overlies an insulative layer ^on the drive circuit. To reduce flicker to less than 1%, the drive circuit for each pixel comprises a sample and hold circuit in which a first transistor applies a control signal to a holding capacitor, and a second transistor applies a power signal to the resistor bridge in response to the capacitor signal. The electrical impedance of the resistor bridge preferably matches that of the drive circuit. The resistor bridges may be implemented in various ways. In one implementation they comprise a base bridge formed from an insulative material, with a resistive layer over the base. The resistivity and thickness of the resistive layer are selected to produce a desired resist¬ ance. The resistive layer may itself be surmounted by a coating of high thermal emissive material. The resistor bridge may also be formed from a material having an en¬ hanced porosity which decreases its thermal conductivity. To concentrate the voltage drops towards the centers of the bridges and away from their connections with the substrate, the bridges may be tapered so that their crosε- sectional areas near the center are significantly less than near their contacts with the substrate. The resulting IR pixel array has a significantly better combination of thermal dynamic range, speed of response, resolution, weight, size, efficiency and flick¬ er-free operation than any other known system. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an IR simulator system which incorporates the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of the pixel cell array used to create an IR image; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the drive circuitry employed in each pixel cell; FIGs. 4-6 are sectional views showing different embodiments of the resistor bridge which provides the IR radiating element for each pixel; FIGs. 7-9 are sectional views illustrating various embodiments of the relationship between the resistor bridge of each pixel ai.d the drive circuitry " therefore; and FIG. 10 is an illustrative plan view showing the disposition of electrical lead lines with respect to the resistor bridge for one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 shows the basic elements of an IR simulation system constructed in accordance with the invention. An IR radiating mechanism 2 is placed within a vacuum chamber 4 which has an IR window 6 at its forward end. A vacuum pump 8 evacuates the chamber in a conventional manner. The IR structure includes an insulative substrate 10, preferably sapphire, a two-dimensional array 12 of IR emitting elements on the forward side of substrate 10, and a cooling mechanism 14 contacting the rear of the sub¬ strate. The cooling element is preferably a copper block cooled by water or freon flowing through inlet and outlet pipes 16. The IR window 6 is formed from a suitable material such germanium or zinc εelinide, and is prefer¬ ably provided with an anti-reflective coating to prevent reflection of emitted IR radiation back into the chamber. The individual IR emitting elements within the array 12 provide controlled emissions which are directed by a lens 18 onto an IR detector 20 being tested. The emis¬ sions from each individual IR radiating element are con¬ trolled by electrical signals applied to the array. The electrical leads into the array include a power line 22 connected to a DC power source, a series of data lines ' 24 which l carry image information signals to the various IR elements, a series of strobe lines 26 which strobe rows of IR elements in succession in coordination with the image signal, and a ground line 28. The image data input signals may represent an actual video image, a computer simulation, or other desired pattern. The IR radiating array is divided into a matrix of pixel cells, each of which is individually controlled to emit a desired amount of IR radiation. The resolution of the IR image is governed by the number of pixels, which are typically provided in a 256x256, 512x512 or 1024x1024 array. A section of such an array is illustrated in FIG. 2. Each pixel cell includes a resistor bridge 30, which is the actual IR radiating element, and a drive circuit 32 for the resistor bridge. Each pixel cell is typically about 150 microns square, while the resistor bridges are about 120 microns square. The drive circuits employ two transistors, each of which is typically about 50 microns square. The aluminum electrical lead lines are typically about 25 microns wide. FIG. 2 is a simplified drawing which illustrates the functional relationship between the various elements in the array, but does not show them in their preferred physical arrangement; this will be discussed further below. One end of each resistor bridge 30 is connected to a DC power line 22, while the other end is connected to its associated drive circuit 32. Each drive circuit acts in response to an applied image signal from line 24 to control the flow of current from the power line, through the resistor bridge and drive circuit to ground. The pixel cells are arranged in a matrix of rows and columns. Electrical inputs are provided in a manner that allows each pixel to be separately programmed, yet avoids the need for separate lead lines for each pixel. Discrete signals are applied to the line 24 for each column, so • that each drive circuit in a given column receives ' the same signal, but the signals vary from column-to-column. Each row of pixel cells is strobed in succession via strobe lines 26, which are connected to the pixel drive circuits. The application of a strobe signal enables the operation of a drive circuit, which otherwise holds off the flow of any current through the resistor bridge. By varying the pattern of image data signals in synchronism with the progression of the strobe signal! from row-to-row, a unique signal can be applied to each pixel cell to establish the resistor current through that cell at a unique value. The drive circuits are designed so that they can acquire an image data signal only during the brief period when the circuit is being strobed, so that the changing pattern of signals while other rows are being strobed has no effect upon the signal acquired by a particular pixel. Each drive circuit includes a sample and hold circuit which holds the acquired image data signal during the period of time required to strobe all of the other rows. With a frame rate in the order of 100 Hz, the sample and hold circuits keep the decay of the video signals acquired by their respective pixels to less than 1%. This results in a substantially flicker-free opera- tion. A schematic diagram of the preferred drive circuit for each pixel is given in FIG. 3. The circuit is prefer¬ ably implemented with a silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) wafer in which the active circuit elements are formed from a sili¬ con layer 12 on the sapphire substrate 10. SOS wafers are currently available in 5 inch diameters, and larger wafers will probably be produced in the future. Since an insul¬ ating substrate is employed, the prior problem of shorting and capacitive coupling from the lead lines is substan¬ tially eliminated, thereby permitting the use of large arrays. Each sample and hold circuit includes a first FET Tl with its source-drain ' circuit connecting the image data input, to a holding capacitor Cl. The signal held by Cl is applied to the gate of a second FET T2, and controls the amount of current flow permitted by T2. The bridge resis¬ tor 30 is connected between the DC power source and the drain or source of T2, depending upon the transistor connection; the opposite source-drain terminal of T2 is connected to ground. Thus, the amount of current per¬ mitted to flow through resistor 30, and accordingly the amount of IR radiation emitted by resistor 30, is con¬ trolled by the video signal held by Cl and applied to the gate of T2. A simple implementation of bridge resistor 30 is shown in FIG. 4. The resistor has a center . span 34 that is elevated above the surface of sapphire substrate 10 by a pair of legs 36 at opposite ends of the center span. The vertical air gap clearance between center span 34 and the substrate is preferably about 2-5 microns, which is sufficient to prevent substantial thermal conduction loss from the resistor to the substrate. The method of forming such a bridge resistor is known, and is described in Patent No. 4,239,312 to Myer et al. , assigned to Hughes Aircraft Company, the assignee of the present invention. The bridge resistor could also be implemented with elec¬ trically conductive, metallic vertical legs and a planar center span of resistor material. In this configuration, because the legs have high electrical conductivity, there is a proportionate reduction in the voltage-induced therm¬ al gradients, and reduction in stress. Whereas the resistors employed in the Daehler IR simulator were limited to boron doped silicon because of the bulk silicon substrate, with the present invention the resistor material can be selected to optimize its charac¬ teristics. Ideally, the resistor should have a low therm¬ al conductivity to limit heat transfer to the substrate, an electrical conductivity which matches the resistor impedance to the impedance of the drive circuit, a low coefficient of thermal expansion to prevent the resistor from expanding significantly with respect to the lower temperature substrate, and a high melting point. One suitable resistor material is polysilicon, which has a high melting temperature, controllable resistivity, small temperature dependent resistivity, and a low coefficient of thermal expansion. Other materials which may be suit¬ able include graphite, which has good temperature proper¬ ties, high emissivity, titanium oxides, tantalum oxides, silicon oxides and cermets. To minimize thermal stress at the junction between the bridge resistor and the substrate, the bridge may be fabricated as shown in FIG. 5 so that its legs 36 are relatively thick where they contact the substrate, and progressively taper in cross-sectional area towards the center span 34. This arrangement reduces the resistance of the legs, particularly in the vicinity of the sub¬ strate, and also adds mechanical support. Accordingly, the bulk of the voltage drop and the resultant high tem¬ perature will occur at the center span 34, which is desir- able to both reduce mechanical stress and enhance IR radiation. The temperature of the bridge will be lower along its legs, particularly near the substrate, since less power is dissipated there. Further protection against heat loss may be obtained by increasing the porosity of the resistor material through electron beam deposition or other suitable tech¬ nique. An increased porosity reduces the thermal conduct¬ ivity of the material, making it even less susceptible. In another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 6, the resistor bridge is formed from a base bridge 38 of insula- tive material such as Siθ , with a thin resistive layer 40 over the base bridge 38. The resistivity and thickness of the resistive layer 40 are selected to produce the desired resistance for the bridge. A very thin metal or ceramic- metal (cermet) layer, preferably on the order of about 50 Angstroms thick, would be suitable. The insulative base bridge 38 should itself be made as thin as possible, consistent with the required mechanical support, to pro¬ vide fast response and low thermal conductivity. Si0 2 about 0.5-1 micron thick would be suitable. The resistive layer 40 might be coated with a layer of high thermal emissive material 42, such as carbon black or gold black, to improve the radiative efficiency of the bridge. The thermally emissive layer may then be sealed with a sealing coat of Si0 2 about 50-100 Angstroms thick. To preserve space on the substrate and free up more area for the resistor bridges, the drive circuits 32 are preferably located under the bridges, as illustrated in FIG. 7. To maintain the drive circuitry at reasonable operating temperatures, it may be shielded from the heat of the resistor by means of a second bridge 44 as il¬ lustrated in FIG. 8. This second bridge is spaced from both the resistor bridge 30 and the drive circuit 32, and is formed from a thermally reflective material such as aluminum. In addition to protecting the circuit elements from overheating, the reflective bridge 44 increases the pixel output power, since most of the IR radiation which it reflects is transmitted through the- thin resistor bridge to enhance the output IR radiation. FIG. 9 illustrates an alternate to the discrete reflective bridge 44. In this embodiment an electrically insulative layer 46 such as Si0 2 is laid down over the drive circuit 32, followed by a thermally reflective layer 48 such as aluminum over the insulative layer. Additional area on the array may be conserved and devoted to the radiating resistor elements by directing at least some of the lead lines under the bridge resistors. Such an arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 10. In this single layer metallization scheme, the image data, power and ground lines for each pixel 50 are run under* the resistor bridge 30, while the strobe line extends along the side of the resistor. With a double layer metalliza- tion, all four lines could be separated by insulating layers and run under the bridge. Single and double layer metallization techniques are well known in the art. For further savings in real estate, adjacent pixels could share the same power and ground lines. The preferred technique for fabricating the array is to first fabricate the drive circuits on an SOS wafer. The whole substrate is then covered with a spacer layer, such as potassium chloride or aluminum, which can be selectively etched. A resist layer is then laid on top of the spacer layer to define the pixels. The resist at the intended resistor bridge locations is next .exposed, the unexposed resist is washed off, and the spacer layer below the removed resist is etched away. After removing the remaining resist the bridge material is overcoated on the remaining spacer layer by a technique such as sputtering or electron beam evaporation, depending upon the bridge material and properties desired. A shadow mask technique might also be employed to form the bridges, but it is difficult to obtain desirably high pixel density and small bridge dimension with this technique. Finally, the re- maining spacer material is removed by standard techniques, such as dissolving away potassium chloride or etching away aluminum. With the described IR simulation system, 60-65% of the pixel area can be devoted to the resistor. As a result, the resistors do not need to be heated to as high a temperature to attain a given effective pixel tempera¬ ture as with the prior system that employed much smaller resistors. The resistors can be tailored to impedance match the drive circuits, thereby significantly improving the efficiency of the device. The problems of capacitive and electrical shorting associated with the lead lines is also substantially alleviated. The device is calculated to have an effective thermal dynamic range of 1,000 * C in the 3*-5 micron region, and 600 * -700 * C in the 8-12 micron region (with the substrate at room temperature) . Frame rates of 200 Hz are achievable without bothersome flicker. Since numerous variations and alternate embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art, it is intended that the invention be limited only in terms of the append¬ ed claims.

Claims: WE CLAIM: 1. An infrared (IR) simulator, comprising: a substrate formed from an insulative material, and an array of pixel cells on said substrate, each of said cells comprising: a resistor bridge spanning a portion of the cell and contacting the substrate at spaced apart contact loca¬ tions within the cell, said bridge being shaped to form a thermally insulative' gap between the bridge and substrate between said contact locations, a semiconductor drive circuit on said substrate for enabling a desired amount of current flow through -said resistor bridge in response to an input control signal for heating the bridge and thereby producing IR radiation therefrom, and control, actuating and power lead lines for respectively delivering control and actuating signals to said drive circuit, and an electrical power signal to said resistor bridge. 2. The IR simulator of clcim 1, wherein said d^rve circuits are located on the substrate surface under the resistor bridges of their respective pixel cells. 3. The IR simulator of claim 2, wherein at least some of said lead lines extend under the resistor bridge of their respective pixel cells. 4. The IR simulator of claim 2, each pixel cell further comprising a thermally reflective element disposed between the resistor bridge and drive circuit of said cell, said thermally reflective element reflecting IR radiation received from said resistor bridge. 5. The IR simulator of claim 4, said thermally reflective element for each pixel cell comprising a bridge formed from a thermally reflective material bridging said drive circuit and spaced from both said drive circuit and said resistor bridge. 6. The IR simulator claim 4, said thermally reflective element for each pixel cell comprising an insulative layer overlying said drive circuit, and a thermally reflective layer overlying said insulative layer. 7. The IR simulator of claim 1, wherein said sub¬ strate comprises sapphire. 8. The IR simulator of claim 7, wherein said semi- conductive drive circuit is formed from silicon. 9. The IR simulator of claim 1, said drive circuit comprising a sample and hold circuit having first and second transistors and a capacitor, said first transistor connected to apply a control signal to said c pacitcr end to a control input to said second transistor in response to an actuating signal, said capacitor holding the control input to said second transistor at a substantially con¬ stant level, and said second transistor being connected to apply a power signal to said resistor bridge in an amount determined by the control signal at its control input. 10. The IR simulator of claim 1, wherein the imped¬ ance of said resistor bridge substantially matches the drive ' circuit impedance. 11. The IR simulator of claim 1, wherein the resis¬ tor bridge from each pixel cell comprises a base bridge formed from an insulative material, and a generally con- ductive layer over said base bridge, the resistivity and thickness of said generally conductive layer being selec¬ ted to produce a desired resistance for said resistor bridge. 12. The IR simulator of claim 11, wherein said generally conductive layer comprises a metal. 13. The IR simulator of claim 11, wherein said generally conductive layer comprises a cermet-metal material. 14. The IR simulator of claim 11, wherein /said generally conductive layer is surmounted by a coating of high iermal emissive material. 15. The IR simulator of claim 1, wherein said resis¬ tor bridge is formed from a material having an enhanced porosity which decreases its thermal conductivity. 16. The IR simulator of claim 1, further comprising means for coo3ing εr.id substrate. 17. The IR simulator of claim 1, the resistor bridge for each pixel cell comprising a center span and a pair of legs extending upward from the substrate and supporting the center span, wherein the cross-sectional areas of said legs are tapered in a decreasing fashion toward said center span from cross-sectional areas at the substrate which exceed that of the center span, thereby concentrat¬ ing the voltage drop across the bridge and the resultant heating at the center span spaced from the substrate. 18. An infrared (IR) simulator system, comprising: a) a vacuum housing having an IR window, b) an IR pattern generator within said housing, comprising: 1) a substrate formed from an insulative material, and 2) an array of pixel cells on said substrate arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, each of said cells comprising: i) a resistor bridge spanning a portion of the cell and contacting the substrate at spaced apart contact locations within the cell, said bridge being shaped to form a thermally insulative gap between the bridge and substrate between said contact locations, and ii) a semiconductive drive circuit on said substrate for enabling a desired amount of current .'flow through said resistor bridge in response to input control and strobe signals to heat the bridge and thereby transmit IR radiation therefrom through said IR window, 3) a series of control lead lines for deliver¬ ing respective control signals to each column of pixel cells, 4) a series of strobe lead lines for deliver¬ ing respective strobe signal to each row of pixel cells, 5) a series of power lead li^es f.->r deliverirg an electrical power signal to said pixel cells, and 6) cooling means on the opposite side of said substrate from said pixel cells, c) means for applying successive sets of input control signals to said control lead lines, d) means for applying strobe signals to each of said strobe lead lines in succession, said strobe signals being applied in synchronism with said input control signals to direct said control signals to desired pixel cells, and e) optical means in the path of IR radiation trans¬ mitted from said IR pattern generator through said IR window for optically conditioning said radiation for detection by an IR detector. 19. The IR simulator of claim 18, wherein said drive circuits are located on the substrate surface under the resistor bridges of their respective pixel cells. 20. The IR simulator of claim 19, wherein at least some of said lead lines extend under the resistor bridge of their respective pixel cells. 21. The IR simulator of claim 19, each pixel cell further comprising a thermally reflective element disposed between the resistor bridge and drive circuit of said cell, said thermally reflective element reflecting IR radiation received from said resistor bridge. 22. The IR simulator of claim 18, wherein said substrate comprises sapphire. 23. The IR simulator of claim 22, wherein said semi- conductive drive circuit is formed from silicon. 24. An infraic (IR) radi-itinc element, comprising. a substrate formed from an insulative material, a resistor bridge spanning a portion of said sub¬ strate and contacting the substrate at spaced apart contact locations, said bridge being shaped to form a thermally insulative gap between the bridge and substrate between said contact locations, and a semiconductive drive circuit on said substrate for directing a current through said bridge to heat the bridge and thereby produce IR radiation therefrom. 25. The IR radiating element of claim 24, wherein said drive circuit is located on the substrate surface under said resistor bridge. 26. The IR radiating element of claim 24, further comprising a thermally reflective element disposed under and spaced from the resistor bridge, said thermally reflective element reflecting IR radiation received from said resistor bridge. 27. The IR radiating element of claim 26, wherein said drive circuit is located on the substrate surface under said thermally reflective element. 28. The IR radiating element of claim 27, said thermally reflective element comprising a bridge formed from a thermally reflective material bridging said drive circuit and spaced from both said drive circuit and said resistor bridge. 29. The IR radiating element of claim 27, said thermally reflective element for each pixel cell compris¬ ing an insulative layer overlying said drive circuit, and a thermally reflective layer overlying said insulative layer. 30. The IR radiating element of claim 24, wherein said substrate comprises sapphire.. 31. The IR radiating element of claim 30, wherein said semiconductive drive circuit is formed from silicon. 32. The IR radiating element of claim 24, wherein the impedance of said resistor bridge substantially matches the drive circuit impedance. 33. The IR radiating element of claim 24, wherein said resistor bridge comprises a base bridge formed from an insulative material, and a generally conductive layer over said base bridge, the resistivity and thickness of said generally conductive layer being selected to produce a desired resistance for said resistor bridge. 34. The IR radiating element of claim 33, wherein said generally conductive layer comprises a metal. 35. The IR radiating element of claim 33, wherein said generally conductive layer comprises a cermet-metal material. 36. The IR radiating element of claim 33, wherein said generally conductive layer is surmounted by a coating of high thermal emissive material. 37. The IR radiating element of claim 24, wherein said resistor bridge is formed from a material having an enhanced porosity which decreases its thermal conductivi¬ ty. 38. The IR radiating element of claim 24, said resistor bridge comprising a center span and a pair of legs extending u wa form the substrate and supporting the center span, wherein the cross-sectional areas of said legs are tapered in a decreasing fashion toward said center span from cross-sectional areas at the substrate which exceed that of the center span, thereby concentrat¬ ing the voltage drop across the bridge and the resultant heating at the center span spaced from the substrate.

Inventors: GRINBERG JAN, WELKOWSKY MURRAY S, GRINBERG, JAN, WELKOWSKY, MURRAY, S.
Applicants: HUGHES AIRCRAFT CO, HUGHES AIRCRAFT COMPANY
Application year: 1989
Main classification: G01J5
IPC codes: G01J1, G01J5, G01M11, H04N5