A plasmonically enhanced pixel structure for uncooled microbolometer detectors
Author
Erturk O.
Battal, Enes
Kucuk, S.E.
Okyay, Ali Kemal
Akin, T.
Date
2013Source Title
Proceedings of SPIE
Publisher
SPIE
Volume
8704
Language
English
Type
Conference PaperItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
This paper introduces a method of broadband absorption enhancement that can be integrated with the conventional suspended microbolometer process with no significant additional cost. The premise of this study is that electric field can be enhanced throughout the structural layer of the microbolometer, resulting in an increase in the absorption of the infrared radiation in the long wave infrared window. A concentric double C-shaped plasmonic geometry is simulated using the FDTD method, and this geometry is fabricated on suspended pixel arrays. Simulation results and FTIR measurements are in good agreement indicating a broadband absorption enhancement in the 8 μm - 12 μm range for LWIR applications. The enhancement is attained using metallic geometries embedded in the structural layer of the suspended microbridge, where the metallic-dielectric interface increases the average absorption of a 35 μm pixel from 67.6% to 80.1%. © 2013 SPIE.
Keywords
MicrobolometerLong wave infrared
Microbolometer
Reflection suppression
Surface plasmons
Wide-band
Bolometers
Electric fields
Finite difference time domain method
Geometry
Infrared radiation
Pixels
Plasmons
Temperature sensors