Materials for microbolometers: vanadium oxide or silicon derivatives

摘要

Microbolometer arrays are the most used technology in thermal infrared imaging. Recent progress in materials and fabrication techniques for these devices have sparked much competition. Vanadium oxide (VO_X) has been and is currently the most used material for commercial use of bolometers, followed by amorphous silicon (a-Si). However, other silicon derivatives, such as silicon-germanium (a-SiGe, poly-SiGe, and a-GexSi_(1-x)O_y) have shown promise in the recent years. Extensive research is performed to search for different bolometer materials that combine performance, low-cost, and convenience for uncooled thermal infrared imaging applications. In this review article, we discuss materials derived from VO_X and Si and their fabrication process used in microbolometers, as well as important figures of merit such as temperature coefficient of resistance, responsivity, detectivity and resistivity.