The image sensor utilizes very large (up to 100µm x 100µm) rhombus shaped pixels, as opposed to the usual square grid layout, which required new and unique solutions to column definition, a pixel readout scheme (utilizing best pixel mapping), and image capture.

A special black coating process on the die, developed in-house, minimizes reflections within the device.

The development of a custom optical filter was also required and integrated as part of the permanent window assembly. The filter uses a single piece of fused silica glass with multiple layers of the multispectral filters deposited accurately above the 5-channels of the detector to receive the specific wavelengths of light.

Additional key features include the incorporation of two calibrated temperature sensors, the termination of the CMOS chip with a custom flexi-connector ribbon – the other end of which is terminated with a customized circular instrument interface connector.

Christophe Tatard, Vice President Engineering and Operations of Teledyne e2v said: “This project has been a great challenge and demonstrates the unique capabilities and skills of both our Chelmsford and Grenoble sites in producing truly custom, space qualified, CMOS image sensors.“

Patrick Nicol, Head of Optical Products Department – Supplier Operations of Thales Alenia Space said: “ESA and Thales Alenia Space would like to congratulate the Teledyne e2v MTG team for the important and great job performed to reach VisDA PFM delivery.”

About Meteosat Third Generation (MTG):

MTG is the next-generation European operational geostationary meteorological satellite system, which is a collaborative program between EUMETSAT and the European Space Agency (ESA).

The satellite series will comprise four imaging (MTG-I) and two sounding satellites (MTG-S). These satellites will not be stabilized by the spinning of the platform, as was the case for the first two generations of Meteosat satellites, but by three axes stabilized platforms.

The imaging satellites, MTG-I, carry the Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) and the Lightning Imager (LI) instruments. The sounding satellites, MTG-S, include an interferometer, the Infrared Sounder (IRS) and the Copernicus Sentinel-4 instrument, a high-resolution Ultraviolet Visible Near-infrared (UVN) spectrometer. In this way, this third generation of Meteosat will be able to scan and probe the Earth surface and the atmosphere with additional channels and better spatial, temporal and radiometric resolution.

About Teledyne e2v

Teledyne e2v’s innovations lead developments in healthcare, life sciences, space, transportation, defense and security, and industrial markets.

Teledyne e2v’s unique approach involves listening to the market and application challenges of customers and partnering with them to provide innovative standard, semi-custom or fully-custom imaging solutions, bringing increased value to their systems.

In combination with its sister companies, Teledyne DALSA and Teledyne Imaging Sensors, three imaging powerhouses, together represent a new paradigm in the delivery of innovative imaging solutions built on unrivalled expertise and a deep technological heritage that includes capabilities across the spectrum, from infrared to x-ray imaging.

About Teledyne Imaging

Teledyne Imaging is a group of leading-edge technology companies aligned within the Teledyne brand. With unrivalled expertise across the electromagnetic spectrum and decades of experience, the group offers world-leading capabilities in sensing, signal generation and processing. The collective delivers innovative solutions to aerospace, defense, geospatial, machine and industrial vision, medical and life sciences, semiconductors and MEMs. For more information, visit teledyneimaging.com.

All trademarks are registered by their respective companies.
Teledyne reserves the right to make changes at any time without notice.

Media Contact:
Mark Bown
Teledyne e2v
+44 (0) 1245 493493
[email protected]