Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A, Vol.20, No.5, 1659-1662, 2002
Effects of bridge pattern on performance of YBaCuO microbolometers
The effects of bridge pattern on the performance of YBaCuO microbolometers were investigated. For this purpose, Si3N4 bridges with grids and hinges of varying width were created on Si wafers by means of bulk Si micromachining. Semiconducting YBaCuO films were sputter-deposited onto the bridges to form resistive bolometers. In reducing the width of the hinges from 10 to 5 mum, one can enhance the bolometric responsivity by approximately two times at room temperature. Further, a factor of enhancement of as large as three could be achieved on bridges with a grid pattern. The grid pattern also modified the spectral absorbance of the bridges. The enhancement of experimental responsivity was shown to be consistent with the one predicted from changes in thermal conductance, electrical resistance, and optical absorbance of the bolometers.