Development of a scalable nanotube-microbolometer technology

Fraunhofer IMS provides a manufacturing process for microbolometer based FIR-imagers (IRFPAs). Beside classical approaches with membranes of microbolometers thermally isolated by lateral legs, Fraunhofer IMS developed a manufacturing process for a thermal isolation realized by nanotubes. This approach benefits the scalability of pixel pitch, because of a pitch-independent thermal isolation. Latest progress in mechanical stability as well as a qualitative characterization of a demonstrator device with 17 mm nanotube-microbolometers on a 17 mm ROIC in QVGA-resolution will be presented.