Waveband-Switchable Low Cost IR Camera

Based on our recent progress in a proprietary optical MEMS IR camera technology, Agiltron Inc. proposes to develop a revolutionary approach to produce an uncooled IR imager whose operation band is switchable between broadband coverage of the combined MWIR and LWIR spectrum and only the MWIR region. The design has fundamental advantages in cost and performance compared with the competitive approaches. The uncooled operation offers attractive attributes of a compact, lightweight, low power, rugged, and long operating life device. The innovation is based on a new photoelectric sensing pixel made of micro-machined thermo-mechanical cantilevers that directly convert the IR image into a visible image with self-background noise cancellation capability. The approach facilitates the use of highly sensitive IR sensing materials without the obstacle of processing incompatibilities. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to produce an affordable uncooled bolometer IR imager by eliminating the need for costly electronic amplification and fan-out. The optical means provides instantaneous readout without the need for scanning that limits the operation speed. High sensitivity is anticipated due to the excellent pixel thermal isolation configuration. Moreover, the simple design potentially leads to large pixel array due to its high manufacture yield. Phase I will demonstrate the feasibility and a fully functional prototype will be produced in Phase II.