Uncooled microbolometer detector and array for terahertz detection

摘要

An uncooled microbolometer detector that includes a substrate, a platform held above the substrate by a support structure, at least one thermistor provided on the platform, and an optical absorber. The optical absorber includes at least one electrically conductive layer extending on the platform over and in thermal contact with the at least one thermistor and patterned to form a resonant structure defining an absorption spectrum of the uncooled microbolometer detector. The optical absorber is exposed to electromagnetic radiation and absorbs the electromagnetic radiation according to the absorption spectrum. A microbolometer array including a plurality of uncooled microbolometer detectors arranged in a two-dimensional array is also provided. Advantageously, these embodiments allow extending the absorption spectrum of conventional infrared uncooled microbolometer detectors to the terahertz region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

主权项

1. An uncooled microbolometer detector comprising:
a substrate; a platform held above the substrate by a support structure; at least one thermistor provided on the platform; and an optical absorber extending on the platform over and in thermal contact with the at least one thermistor, the optical absorber comprising a first electrically conductive layer patterned to form a capacitive structure operating as a low-pass spectral filter and a second electrically conductive layer patterned to form an inductive structure operating as a high-pass spectral filter, the capacitive structure and the inductive structure together forming a resonant structure defining an absorption spectrum of the optical absorber, the optical absorber being exposed to electromagnetic radiation and absorbing the electromagnetic radiation according to the absorption spectrum.