COBRA: a CMOS space qualified detector family covering the need for many LEO and GEO optical instruments

Visible and NIR space imaging applications are today taking advantage from the availability of CMOS arrays offering excellent electro-optics performances thanks to the use of processes dedicated to imaging applications. Astrium and ISAE have developed a family of CMOS detector based on UMC 0.35 microns foundry from a sound R&T program which has enabled the design a wide toolbox and subsequent qualification of associated technology bricks. From these elements, many detectors were developed, among them a 2 Million pixels detector was fully space qualified in 2007. This will be one of the first CMOS detector operated in an operational mission on the geostationary orbit. The back-end processing of COBRA 2M was carried out to e2v technologies. e2v will also industrialize the multi linear sensor of the Multi Spectral Instrument of the low Earth orbit Sentinel 2 mission for which COBRA family was selected. Performances and qualification results will be presented in this paper as well as the development of test benches to improve accuracy and efficiency for extensive detectors characterisation and advanced technology works to extend the COBRA family capabilities.