Uncooled infrared imaging device based on optimized optomechanical micro-cantilever array

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• 作者：Fengliang Dong ; Qingchuan Zhang ; Dapeng Chen ; Zhengyu Miao ; Zhiming Xiong ; Zheying Guo ; Chaobo Li ; Binbin Jiao ; Xiaoping Wu
• 关键词：Uncooled infrared ; Optical readout ; Micro-cantilever ; FPA
• 刊名：Ultramicroscopy
• 出版年：2008
• 出版时间：May 2008
• 年：2008
• 卷：108
• 期：6
• 页码：579-588
• 全文大小：987 K

文摘

It is a major issue to improve the thermo-mechanical sensitivity of uncooled optomechanical focal plane arrays (FPAs) for infrared imaging. This work presents an optimized multi-fold interval metallized leg (IML) configuration to increase the thermo-mechanical sensitivity of an uncooled optomechanical bi-material micro-cantilever array. The inclination angle changes of the cantilever elements are measured in the IR imaging system using an optical readout with a knife-edge filtering operation in the spectrum plane. The multi-fold IML configuration consists of alternately connected unmetallized and metallized legs. With the optimized fold number, the thermo-mechanical sensitivity of a micro-cantilever array can be amplified to two times of one-fold IML for a 120 μm×120 μm element with 1 μm thick SiN_x/0.2 μm thick Au films. Room temperature objects are imaged with the fabricated FPA containing 160×160 elements and a 12-bit CCD. Further modeling analysis shows that the experimental results are well accordant with the theoretical calculation. An important practical feature of the implemented approach is its straightforward fabrication for a large FPA, without growing complexity and cost.