Performance of a 512×3 pixel microbolometer detector for space imaging applications

A 512×3 pixel microbolometer detector array has been developed for space imaging applications. Each pixel includes thermally sensitive and reference microbolometer detectors fabricated by surface micromachining and arranged in a Wheatstone bridge configuration. The detector array is sensitive to thermal infrared radiation and early characterisation shows good uniformity of response between the three lines and among pixels in a given line. The pixel bridge configuration reduces the impact of die temperature drift on pixel output to approximately 40 μV/K, a three hundred fold improvement over a single microbolometer detector.