SEMICONDUCTING YBACUO THIN-FILMS FOR UNCOOLED INFRARED BOLOMETERS

We have fabricated and measured the performance of semiconducting YBaC uO thin-film thermometers on silicon for uncooled bolometric applicati ons. Our YBaCuO thermometers have revealed a change in resistance with respect to temperature (dR/dT) as high as 8.2X10(3) Ohm/K at T=294 K and the temperature coefficient of resistance as high as 3.1% K-1 over a 60 K range around room temperature which implies an excellent bolom etric response. At 294 K the thermometers had a noise voltage of 0.75 mu V/Hz(1/2) at the frequency of 30 Hz and the bias current of 1 mu A. Using the data above, we calculated that semiconducting YBaCuO bolome ters would have a responsivity of 5.5X10(4) V/W and a detectivity D a s high as 1.3X10(8) cm Hz(1/2)/W for 1 mu A bias current if integrated with a typical thermal isolation structure. (C) 1995 American Institu te of Physics.