Micromachined Uncooled IR Bolometer Linear Array Using VO2 Thin Films

Mixed vanadium oxide thin films, as VO₂ for the main composition are materials for uncooled microbolometer due to their high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) at room temperature. This paper describes the design and fabrication of 8-element linear array IR uncooled microbolometers using the films and micromachining technology. The characteristics of the array is investigated in the spectral region of 8–12 m. The fabricated detectors exhibit responsivity of up to 10 KV/W, typical detectivity of 1.89×10⁸ cmHz^1/2/W, and thermal time constant of 11 ms, at 296 K and at a frequency of 30 Hz. Furthermore, The uncorrected response uniformity of the linear array bolometers is less than 20%.