Antenna-coupled infrared focal plane array

✍ Scribed by F. J. González; J. L. Porter; G. D. Boreman

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 141 KB
• Volume: 48
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0895-2477
• DOI: 10.1002/mop.21294

✦ Synopsis

Uncooled bolometric detectors used in infrared-imaging systems have slow time constants (ϳ15 ms), which makes them impractical for fast-frame-rate applications. Antenna-coupled microbolometers are fast uncooled detectors with good sensitivity and directivity, and they can be polarization and wavelength selective. These detectors have collection areas in the order of 10 m 2 , which are too small for infrared imaging systems where a typical pixel area ranges from 20 ϫ 20 m 2 to 50 ϫ 50 m 2 . To solve this problem, 2D arrays of antenna-coupled detectors, which can be used as pixels in infrared-imaging systems, are fabricated. In this paper, antenna-coupled pixels are fabricated on a commercial readout integrated circuit (ROIC), resulting in the first antenna-coupled infrared focal plane array (IR-FPA). Measurements made on this antennacoupled infrared focal plane array show that the integration of antenna-coupled detectors to a commercial ROIC is possible.