Fabrication of micro-bolometer on silicon substrate by anisotropic etching technique

A metal film microbolometer formed on a glass membrane suspended on silicon substrate has been fabricated by an anisotropic etching technique. A rectangular glass membrane is supported by its four leads connecting to the corners of a v-grooved cavity. Thermal impedance as high as 4*10/sup 5/ degrees C/W for a several millisecond response time can be achieved. Theoretical prediction has the responsivity and the normalized detectivity over 700 V/W and 10/sup 9/ cm- square root Hz/W, respectively, with a single-detector dimension. Optimizations of the structures applied to both the focal-plane array and single detectors are interpreted.<>