A review of the III-V Lab activities in the field of quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) is presented. We discuss the specific advantages of this type of detector and present the production facilities and status. A large section is dedicated to broadband QWIPs for space applications and to QWIPs on InP for mid-wavelength infrared detection. We review the progress of QWIP technology for the next generation (dual band, polarimetric, and multispectral) of thermal imagers. Finally, the state-of-the-art of very long wavelength QWIPs is discussed. C 2011 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). IntroductionAt the III-V Lab, research on quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) has always been driven by the needs and constraints set by the operational systems. Reliable infrared (IR) cameras for Thales applications need high temperature operation (T FPA > 73 K), low integration time (T INT < 5 ms) to achieve high imaging rates and true microscanning, high instantaneous dynamic range ( + 50 • C) to accurately image objects much hotter than the background. They also need small pitch focal plane arrays (FPAs) (<25 μm) in order to get compact and low cost systems.In this context, parameters such as specific detectivity (D*) or ultimate background limited performance are no more relevant. Moreover, FPA uniformity, stability, peak wavelength reproducibility, and process mastering play an important role. These are reasons why at the III-V Lab, research relies on production facilities.QWIPs have been widely investigated for detection in the mid-wavelength (MW, 3 to 5 μm), long wavelength (LW,8 to

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A thirty months European Space Agency project started in March 2008, whose overall purpose is to expand and assess the performance of broadband (11-15µm) quantum detectors for spectro-imaging applications: Dispersive Spectrometers and Fourier Transform Spectrometers. We present here the development approach and the progress status concerning the detector layer and read-out circuit. For Dispersive applications a 42K operating temperature is currently achieved, which can still be increased, to approach the 50K goal value. For FTS applications efficient broadband optical coupling is demonstrated.