A low-cost uncooled infrared aluminum microbolometer in a standard CMOS technology. (September 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shen, Ning; Tang, Zhen'an; Feng, Chong
• Is Part Of: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Volume 228:Number 3(2014:Sep.)
• Page Start: 114
• Page End: 118
• Publication Date: 2014-09
• Subjects: CMOS infrared detectors -- aluminum microbolometer -- low-cost infrared detectors -- readout integrated circuits; Nanoscience -- Periodicals; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; 620.505
• DOI: 10.1177/1740349913491245
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1740-3499

Abstract

This article introduces the implementation of a low-cost 4 × 5 pixel array uncooled infrared microbolometer together with its integrated readout circuit in a standard 0.5-µm CMOS technology and post-CMOS process. Each pixel, which has a size of 80 µm × 80 µm, is a novel structure of aluminum microbolometer fabricated by etching the surface sacrificial layer without any additional masking and lithography procedure. The aluminum microbolometer consists of an aluminum thermistor and a thermally isolated micromachined membrane suspended by two arms. The thermal conductance, thermal time constant, thermal capacitance, and responsivity of the aluminum microbolometer are experimentally measured.