Patent ID: 8320423

Claim:
An all solid-state imaging apparatus for measuring ultraviolet, visible and near infrared radiation reflected or emitted from objects in a scene and for emitting coherent ultraviolet laser light to illuminate any single point in the scene one at a time or, to illuminate any arbitrary combination of said single points or separate arbitrary groups of said single points in the said scene at one time or, to illuminate all said single points in unison, whereby each said single point illuminated in said scene is known exactly to be spatially conjugated to a single corresponding detector element in the focal plane or image plane of said all solid-state imaging apparatus, comprising: a monolithic emitter-detector focal plane array (FPA), wherein said monolithic emitter-detector focal plane array (FPA) comprises emitter-detector device elements (pixels), detecting radiation in the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared, and also emitting collimated ultraviolet radiation, in a direction orthogonal to said monolithic emitter-detector focal plane array (FPA); and a monolithic readout integrated circuit (ROIC), electrically connected to said monolithic emitter-detector focal plane array (FPA) for providing control signals to said emitter-detector device elements (pixels) of said monolithic emitter-detector focal plane array (FPA), thereby permitting any single said emitter-detector device element (pixel) or any arbitrary combination of said emitter-detector device elements (pixels) or separate arbitrary groups of said emitter-detector device elements (pixels) or, all said emitter-detector device elements (pixels) in unison within the said monolithic emitter-detector focal plane array (FPA) to emit light or to detect light at one time; and a stationary optical system for each said emitter-detector device element (pixel) of said monolithic emitter-detector focal plane array (FPA) that collimates the light emitted from any single said emitter-detector device element (pixel) within said monolithic emitter-detector focal plane array (FPA) and directs said light to the point in the scene spatially conjugated by said stationary optical system, back to said emitter-detector device element (pixel) emitting said light.