Continuous-Scan Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) Sensor System With Moving Target Indicator (MTI) For Satellite Surveillance

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Abstract
This paper describes a charge-coupled device (CCD) imaging sensor which is being developed to provide high sensitivity and high scan coverage rate for automatic detection in electro-optical, deep-space, satellite-surveillance applications. The visible-spectrum sensor focal plane is a mosaic of 100 x 400 pixel CCD imagers which are operated in the time delay and integration (TDI) mode permitting continuous high-rate scan coverage while integrating target light levels for high sensitivity. The polysilicon gate, front illumi9ated devices have 30 x 30 μm pixels. Room temperature dark current is less than 3 nA/cm and noise levels are 10-20 electrons. Several aligned rows of imaging CCD arrays located on the focal plane in the scan direction provide multiple samples of the field-of-view for automatic MTI detection processing. Five-chip focal planes have been assembled with positional errors of less than 4 μm. The MTI Signal Processor features imager defect removal, parameter estimation, adaptive thresholding, digital delay, and spatial correlation for MTI. This paper includes descriptions of the sensor system, the CCD imager design and characterization, the signal processor, and a summary of test results of the initial sensor system operated on space surveillance telescopes at the GEODSS Experimental Test System, White Sands Missile Range.

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