Field Programmable Imaging Array Post-Fabrication Reconfiguration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional infrared focal plane arrays (IRFPAs) are limited by their specialized design, which restricts their adaptability to different applications and requires new ROICs to be designed and fabricated for each operational mode, making them less versatile and more costly to adapt post-fabrication.
Innovation Solution
A field programmable imaging array (FPIA) chip that integrates reconfigurable sensor interface elements, FPGA circuitry, and non-reconfigurable macropixel elements, allowing for post-fabrication definition of operational modes and reconfiguration of connections between macropixel and FPGA elements, enabling greater flexibility and adaptability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional IR FPA designs use specialized fixed circuitry for specific applications, then manufacturing precision and reliability are improved, but adaptability to different applications deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a reconfigurable interconnect fabric that allows dynamic reconfiguration of data flow paths between sensor elements, processing elements, and memory. This enables the same hardware to adapt to different imaging modes (passive/active) and applications post-fabrication, resolving the contradiction between fixed reliable circuitry and application adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal processing platform where a single FPA device can perform multiple functions including passive imaging, active imaging, and various data processing operations. The reconfigurable architecture allows one device to replace multiple specialized devices, achieving universality without sacrificing reliability of individual functions.
2Manufacturing precision
If new ROICs are designed and fabricated for each operational mode, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the imaging system into modular components: sensor elements, processing elements, memory elements, and reconfigurable interconnects. This segmentation allows each component to be independently optimized and fabricated with high precision, while the reconfigurable interconnects provide the flexibility normally requiring multiple specialized devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges previously separate functions (sensor interface, data processing, memory, and control) into a single integrated FPA device with reconfigurable interconnects. This consolidation reduces the number of discrete components needed, simplifying the overall system while maintaining high manufacturing precision through standardized fabrication processes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If reconfigurable interconnects are added to enable post-fabrication adaptation, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to device configuration, allowing the interconnect fabric to be reconfigured over time to match different operational requirements. This time-based reconfigurability provides adaptability without requiring physically complex switching mechanisms, as the same physical connections can serve different logical functions at different times.
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging device is often paired with a readout integrated circuit (ROIC), which provides processing and data transfer functionality. The circuitry of a ROIC is typically specialized to meet the requirements of an application, which limits the ROIC to a few modes of operation and restricts compatibility to only certain types of imaging devices and applications. Furthermore, the circuitry supporting the processing functionality is limited due to size constraints on the ROIC. These shortcomings can be overcome with a field programmable imaging array (FPIA), which can be implemented as an integrated circuit combining customized ROIC sensor interface circuitry with field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuitry to enable post-fabrication definition of ROIC operational modes. An FPIA chip may form part of a three-chip stack that also includes an analog sensor interface chip for analog-to-digital conversion and an imaging device.