Alright guys found something really interesting. It is a research paper from IIT, Bombay funded and backed by Space Application Centre(SAC), Ahmedabad, ISRO.
The topic is "
Indigenous development of 320x256 focal-plane array using InAs/InGaAs/ GaAs quantum dots-in-a-well infrared detectors for thermal imaging".
This is the first time that a Focal Plane Array(FPA) is being built in country, previously all such arrays have been imported. For example, the Nag missile uses a RCI-developed uncooled LWIR sensor containing an IR-CCD FPA supplied by France-based ULIS/Sofradir.
The FPA under development here has the following specifications :
Looking at the specs here is what I make of it. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
Photoluminescence peak : 1162 nm wavelength. That's right in the middle of the IR spectrum. If the peak is near the middle then it is reasonable to assume that the sensor will work quite well in both the near and far infrared region or in simpler terms it will work fine in low light and in pitch black dark conditions. Of course like all sensors, it will have to be calibrated for use depending on the usage conditions and the purpose for use.
Activation energy : 187 meV. Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy that is needed to get the sensor to start working. Therefore, the lower the value of Activation Energy more the sensitivity of the sensor. For an IR FPA energy is received in the form of photons, obviously. So 187 mili electron volts(meV) is the amount of energy needed to activate the sensor. That is ridiculously low, no IR sensor that is commercially available will provide you with this levels of sensitivity.
Working temperature : 50-60 K = -223.15 to -213.15 degree Celsius. Obviously meant for space applications. Something to keep in mind is that all IR sensors gain sensitivity when working in cooler environments(tht's why there are cooled IR sensors/seekers). That sensitivity is reduced when the sensor heats up. So if this FPA is used on earth, it would lose a lot of sensitivity.
The production process is shown below :
Source :
https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/112/07/1568.pdf
The paper was published on April 2017. The source where I got it from is very recent, it cites this paper and states that the product has been deployed recently and is performing satisfactorily. So it must have been launched on a satellite recently. Which satellite then : HySIS, EMISAT that Microsat thing that we blew to smithereens ?
