Innovative 3D Microbolometer Arrays for Hyperspectral Infrared Imaging

Although uncooled infrared imaging technology has made remarkable progress in the last two decades in resolution and sensitivity, a major limitation of 2-D infrared focal plane arrays is the lack of true on-chip spectral discrimination. Multi-spectral detection capabilities at the pixel level are especially beneficial for early threat warning applications in terrestrial or airborne surveillance since they enable rapid, efficient and multi-dimensional scene interpretation. Imaging systems that gather data in multiple spectral bands can discriminate both absolute temperature and unique spectral signatures of objects in the scene, and effectively reject spurious information and background clutter from an infrared image. The proposed Phase II effort aims at incorporating on-chip multi-spectral IR detection into commercial monolithic thermal imaging arrays. It builds on an innovative 3-D high-speed frequency-selective microbolometer array design developed in Phase I for demonstrating a three-color imaging FPA in the 8-14 µm spectral range without the need for cryogenic cooling or moving parts. Foster-Miller proposes to design, build and characterize breadboard-level prototypes of stackable arrays of wavelength-selective microbolometric sensors fabricated using standard IC microfabrication techniques. This effort specifically addresses those applications of infrared imaging to target recognition where benefits in space, power, weight and complexity will have significant impact. (P-040479)