!uncooled Microbolometer Detector Recent Developmen
!uncooled Microbolometer Detector Recent Developmen
!uncooled Microbolometer Detector Recent Developmen
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Uncooled infrared focal plane arrays are being developed for a wide range of thermal imaging applications. Fire-fighting,
predictive maintenance, process control and thermography are a few of the industrial applications which could take benefit
from uncooled infrared detector. Therefore, to answer these markets, a 35-µm pixel-pitch uncooled IR detector technology
has been developed enabling high performance 160´120 and 384´288 arrays production. Besides a wide-band version from
uncooled 320´240/45 µm array has been also developed in order to address process control and more precisely industrial
furnaces control. The ULIS amorphous silicon technology is well adapted to manufacture low cost detector in mass produc-
tion. After some brief microbolometer technological background, we present the characterization of 35 µm pixel-pitch detec-
tor as well as the wide-band 320´240 infrared focal plane arrays with a pixel pitch of 45 µm.
1. Introduction
Uncooled infrared detectors are now available for various
applications. Their simple operating conditions are similar
to those of digital CMOS active pixel sensor (APS) used in
some digital cameras. They have already shown their po-
tentiality to fulfil many commercial and military applica-
tions. One of the key parameters is the low cost achievable
with uncooled detectors compared to cooled quantum de-
tectors. Cooled detectors are designed for high perfor- Fig. 1. Bolometer pixel structure.
mance systems and uncooled detectors are designed for
low cost systems and mass production. sponse maximum at a wavelength close to 10 µm. However,
This paper describes the advantages of the amorphous the measured response is still substantial in the 3–5 µm range
silicon technology, the characterization of 35-µm pixel- as shown in the following paragraphs.
pitch detectors and the characterization of wide-band Besides its silicon technology compatibility, amorphous
320´240 uncooled detectors. Some mass production results silicon presents many other advantages. First, it enables the
and a short presentation of the next bolometer generation manufacturing of very thin suspended membranes (1000 )
conclude the discussion. combined with short leg lengths resulting in high fill factor
and high mechanical strength structures that could sustain
2. Background high vibration rates and high mechanical shocks. This re-
duced mechanical susceptibility to vibration or shock solic-
The bolometer is composed of a thermometer [1] integrated itation is obviously important for many military as well as
on a micro-bridge. This micro-bridge is supported by two legs commercial applications. Secondly, the very thin thermally
anchored over the silicon substrate by metal studs. This mi- isolated suspended membrane, along with the low thermal
cro-bridge is built on a sacrificial layer which is removed in a mass of silicon, results in a very low pixel thermal time
final step. The micro-bridge is only 0.1 µm thick of doped constant (approx. 4 ms for 45 µm pixel pitch and 7 ms for
amorphous silicon and the distance between the ROIC and the 35 µm and 25 µm pixel-pitch). Moreover, this simple tech-
micro-bridge is 2.5 µm (Fig. 1). This vacuum gap works as a nology leads to high manufacturing yield and therefore low
quarter wavelength cavity, which sets the detector spectral re- manufacturing cost.
35-µm pixel pitch detectors achieve a mean NETD of 43 Spatial NETD < temporal NETD
mK for f/1, 50 Hz and a 303 K background. Power dissipation 130 mW
All these results obtained with this wide FPA confirm Typical frame rate 60 Hz
the characteristics on the smaller array 160´120/35 µm Output video CCIR–NTSC compatible
pixel pitch. Moreover, NETD as low as 27 mK has already NETD´time constant 300E-6
been demonstrated under the same conditions with reduced
scene temperature dynamic range. The detector operating
This low and constant standard deviation of 1.4% dem-
point could be tuned in line with the application. It is a
onstrates the excellent homogeneity for a large number of
trade off between NETD performance and the available
detectors. Also, first results on the 384´288 arrays show
scene temperature dynamic range. Number of applications
the same productiveness. The excellent yield and the mas-
such as process control, need a high temperature dynamic
tering of the 35-µm technology allow ULIS to produce
range while others like medical applications, require a
highly uniform detectors.
better NETD with a dynamic range of a few degrees.
Both the spatial and temporal NETD of a UL 03 08 1 4. New developments
are presented in Fig. 8. We observe the characteristic “W”
shape of the spatial NETD with the two minima at 20°C The development of the 3rd generation has been under
and 40°C. These points correspond to the two points of progress at CEA/LETI for few years and a first 320´240
gain and offset calibration. Within this range, the spatial arrays has been developed with a pixel pitch of 25 µm. The
NETD is always below the temporal NETD to ensure that pixel architecture developed for this small pixel pitch is
the spatial patterns are not distinguished from the temporal still based on a one level structure while pushing the pixel
noise on the image. By combining a mean temporal NETD design improvement to some further limits. This new archi-
of around 43 mK and the improved power supply rejection tecture leads to obtain high performance in conjunction
ratio, the images of the 384´288 are sharply contrasted and with small thermal time constants. The first prototype
present a high quality resolution. shows a mean NETD of 75 mK (f/1, 60 Hz, 300 K) with 6
ms as thermal time constant. This very low thermal time
3.4. Mass production feasibility constant leaves a large margin to increase the performance
of this new detector further. These results demonstrate that
The following bar-chart offers the distribution of the stan-
dard deviation of the responsivity on more than 3000
U 02 05 1 issued during 2004.
5.2. Filters
For wide-band prototype development, a specific 3–5 µm
and 8–16 µm ranges detector window has been used. Its
transmission is shown in Fig. 12. An added sapphire filter,
placed on the optical path, has also been used (Fig. 13) in
order to cut-off the atmospheric transmission beyond 5 µm.
DVllow - lhigh (T )
FOM = (3)
DV8 -12 mm (30 ° C)
¶L
DV = Rmean ò dlA det W (2)
¶l Fig. 15. Experimental setup.
6. Improvement in progress
The current filter of the wide-band prototype window allow
the detector to have a sufficient responsivity both in the
3–5 µm and in the 8–12 µm wave band. But the drawback
of this filter is the cut-off at 9.5 µm and its poor transmis-
Fig. 19. Responsivity with sapphire filter and with 3–5 µm filter for sion in the region close to 7 µm to 8 µm which could be
different high temperatures ranges (@f/1). a disadvantage for some gas detection. An improved win-
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank LETI LIR Uncooled detec-
tors Teams and ULIS personnel who develop and produce
Fig. 20. Soldering iron (temperature 450°C). uncooled infrared microbolometer detectors. We also thank
Sofradir staff for their contribution and their support.
dow with a continuous high transmission in a spectral
range from 3 to 16 µm is under test. It leads to the im- Reference
proved spectral response shown in Fig. 21 which is to be
compared with the first prototype spectral response shown 1. C. Vedel, J.L. Martin, J.L. Ouvrier-Buffet, J.L. Tissot, M.
in Fig. 14. Vilain, and J.J. Yon, “Amorphous silicon based uncooled
microbolometer IRFPA”, Proc. SPIE 3698, 276–283 (1999).
2. C. Trouilleau, A. Crastes, J.L. Tissot, J.P. Chatard, and S.
7. Conclusions Tinnes, “Amorphous silicon based uncooled microbolome-
ter IRFPA”, Proc. SPIE 5251, 272–279 (2003).
Developments of amorphous silicon microbolometer tech- 3. J.L. Tissot, M. Vilain, A. Crastes , S. Tinnes, A. Larre, O.
nology have been focusing on the improvement of their Legras, and J.J. Yon “Uncooled IRFPA with high perfor-
sensitivity, enabling the possibility of manufacturing high mance and low thermal time constant”, Proc. SPIE 5612,
performance devices with small pixel pitch, at a low cost. 72–77 (2004).
The 320´240/384´288 and 160´120 with 35-µm pixel 4. J.J. Yon, A. Astier, S. Bisotto, G. Chamings, A. Durand,
pitch arrays have demonstrated high uniform performance J.L. Martin, E. Mottin, J.L. Ouvrier-Buffet, and J.L. Tissot,
and very low thermal time constant which open the field to “First demonstration of 25-µm pitch uncooled amorphous
new applications. The tuning of these focal plane arrays en- silicon microbolometer IRFPA at LETI-LIR”, SPIE Proc.
ables ULIS to match many applications from high dynamic 5783, 432–440 (2005).
5. B.D. Oelrich, A. Crastes, C.I. Underwood, and S. Mackin,
range for industrial controls or small dynamic range and
“A low-cost mid-wave IR microsatellite image concept
low NETD like medical applications. Technology develop-
based on uncooled technology”, Proc. SPIE 5570, 209–217
ment is in progress to enable the production of a new gen- (2004).