MICROMACHINED INFRARED-SENSORS USING TUNNELING DISPLACEMENT TRANSDUCERS

Uncooled infrared sensors are important for a number of technological and scientific measurements. We have designed, built, and tested a new uncooled infrared sensor which is made by silicon micromachining. Thi s infrared sensor uses a tunneling displacement transducer to detect t he thermal expansion of a small volume of trapped gas. Prototype devic es based on this design have been operated with NEP better than 3X10(- 10) W root Hz at 25 Hz, which is competitive with the best comparably sized uncooled sensors available. This article will describe the desig n, fabrication, and operation of all elements of this sensor. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.