  The near-earth object camera (NEOCam) is a proposed infrared space mission
designed to discover and characterize most of the potentially hazardous
asteroids larger than 140 m in diameter that orbit near the Earth. NASA has
funded technology development for NEOCam, including the development of long
wavelength infrared detector arrays that will have excellent zodiacal
background emission-limited performance at passively cooled focal plane
temperatures. Teledyne Imaging Sensors has developed and delivered for test at
the University of Rochester the first set of approximately 10 micron cutoff,
1024 x 1024 pixel HgCdTe detector arrays. Measurements of these arrays show the
development to be extremely promising: noise, dark current, quantum efficiency,
and well depth goals have been met by this technology at focal plane
temperatures of 35 to 40 K, readily attainable with passive cooling. The next
set of arrays to be developed will address changes suggested by the first set
of deliverables.
