Cooling SWIR Sensors: an Overview

Dark current is a critical parameter when one is looking to acquire a scientific imaging camera, especially in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) region. Very careful attention must be paid to the cooling method used to optimize this parameter. Multiple cooling technologies are available, each having certain benefits and drawbacks. In its ZephIR and Alizé line of SWIR cameras, Photon etc. uses a four-stage thermoelectric (TE4) air-cooled system to enhance the sensitivity of its imaging sensors. In this white paper, a short introduction to thermoelectric (TE) cooling is presented, as well as a comparison with other available cooling methods.