Layout and fabrication of long legs microbolometer

Abstract

Microbolometers are uncooled infrared detectors that enable the perception of electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength interval from 8 μm to 12 μm. They have a broad range of applications in medicine, industry, public safety, and especially in the military and aerospace fields. The microbolometer consists of an IR-sensitive element deposited on top of a microbridge and suspended above the substrate by support legs. The design and dimensions of microbridge and its support legs affect the performance of the detector. The greater the length of support legs the larger the thermal insulation and the higher the radiation sensitivity of microbolometers. In this work, five different microbolometer pixel layouts were designed, simulated and fabricated. The results demonstrate the feasibility of manufacturing longer support legs for uncooled infrared detectors.