MEMS based thermopile infrared detector array for chemical and biological sensing

New Jersey Microsystems, Inc proposes to develop an economical thermopile array with sensitivity maximum in the long wave infrared region (LWIR). Current infrared detectors are too expensive to be widely deployed in large numbers. The proposed MEMS technology is simpler, more manufacturable, and therefore less expensive than existing bolometers and ferroelectric devices based on rare earth and non-silicon materials. The NJM thermopile detector is designed with D* sensitivity equal to or greater than the existing commercializations . The thermopile array is optimized with a detection time constant of 35 milliseconds permitting fast-scan response to airborne contaminates.