METHOD OF MAINTAINING A MATRIX OF BOLOMETER-TYPE DETECTORS

摘要

A method for maintenance of an array of bolometer-type detectors comprises heating of certain detectors to a threshold temperature. The heating is performed by supplying resistive detection elements with electric currents, and the threshold temperature is determined for each detector as a function of a measurement made previously on said detector. Such method makes it possible to eliminate persistent images caused by radiation overexposure, or by damage to the thermoelectric properties of certain pixels appearing during the manufacture or ageing thereof. The method does not require the use of an oven or Peltier element, thus avoiding the risk for such heating component to damage irreversibly the reading and CMOS addressing circuits on which the detectors are hybridised or deposited.