DARPA developing software-reconfigurable Passive and Active (LIDAR) imaging sensors from ultraviolet (UV) through very long-wave infrared (VLWIR)

Digital cameras use a focal plane array (FPA) to convert light energy into electrical energy that can be processed and stored. The FPA is a two-dimensional (2-D) array of photodetectors (or pixels) fabricated on an electro-optical material. Modern digital cameras contain FPAs that have pixel counts on the order of megapixels.