Two Dimensional Micromechanical Infrared Detector Array

A novel and sensitive infrared detector based on micromechanical cantilevers that needs no cooling is proposed. A two dimensional array of these cantilevers with a scanning mechanism can be used as an image forming device. Micromechanical cantilevers coated with materials of different thermal expansion coefficients undergo bending due to the "bimetallic" effect. The bending of a cantilever can be detected with sub-nanometer sensitivity using the tunneling current detection technique. Calculations based on geometrical and material properties show that a temperature difference of 10-6 K can be easily measured using such microcantilevers. These detectors can be made sensitive to specific IR spectral bands by coating the cantilevers with selective IR absorbing materials. The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate feasibility of the micromechanical IR detector, leading to development of a two dimensional, image-forming micromechanical IR detector array.