Uncooled IR sensor based on MEMS technology

In this paper we present a modified design based on thermal characterization of the membrane of microbolometer based infrared detectors. Theoretical calculations show that the thermal conductance should be of the order of 10 -5 W/K for 100 μm x 100 μm membrane size with the hinges of length 2 μm whereas our experimental results show that it is of the order of 10 -7 W/K. These results are explained on the basis of reduced value of the thermal conductivity of thin films compared to their bulk value. A model has been presented to explain the results.