Techniques are disclosed for facilitating multiple microbolometer selection for simultaneous readout. In one example, a device includes a plurality of microbolometers. The plurality of microbolometers includes a first set and a second set of serially-connected microbolometers. The device further includes a first plurality of switches configured to selectively short the plurality of microbolometers. The device further includes a second plurality of switches configured to selectively couple the plurality of microbolometers to ground. The device further includes a third plurality of switches configured to selectively provide a bias signal to the plurality of microbolometers. The device further includes a processing circuit configured to configure the first plurality, second plurality, and third plurality of switches to cause simultaneous read out of one microbolometer of the first set and one microbolometer of the second set. Related methods and systems are also provided.

A method for processing a raw image characterized by first Pix.sub.1(i,j) and second Pix.sub.2(i,j) raw measurements collected by first Bol.sub.1(i,j) and second Bol.sub.2(i,j) bolometers of a set of bolometers Bol(i,j) of a detector, the first bolometers Bol.sub.1(i,j) being closed off, the method being executed by a computer on the basis of reference measurements Pix.sub.REF(i,j) that include first Pix.sub.1REF(i,j) and second Pix.sub.2REF(i,j) reference measurements associated with the first Bol.sub.1(i,j) and with the second Bol.sub.2(i,j) bolometers, the method including: a) a correlation step between the first raw measurements Pix.sub.1(i,j) and the first reference measurements Pix.sub.1REF(i,j); and b) a step of correcting the raw image, which includes computing corrected measurements Pix.sub.Cor(i,j) of a corrected image for each bolometer Bol(i,j) on the basis of the reference measurements Pix.sub.REF(i,j) and of the result of step a).

In one aspect, the invention provides a nanobolometer cell including a base layer, a dielectric spacer layer above and adjacent to the base layer, an ultrathin silicon film above and adjacent to the spacer layer, and at least one plasmonic optical antenna resonator above and adjacent to the silicon film.

A wafer-level integrated thermal detector comprises a first wafer and a second wafer (W1, W2) bonded together. The first wafer (W1) includes a dielectric or semiconducting substrate (100), a dielectric sacrificial layer (102) deposited on the substrate, a support layer (104) deposited on the sacrificial layer or the substrate, a suspended active element (108) provided within an opening (106) in the support layer, a first vacuum-sealed cavity (110) and a second vacuum-sealed cavity (106) on opposite sides of the suspended active element. The first vacuum-sealed cavity (110) extends into the sacrificial layer (102) at the location of the suspended active element (108). The second vacuum-sealed cavity (106) comprises the opening of the support layer (104) closed by the bonded second wafer. The thermal detector further comprises front optics (120) for entrance of radiation from outside into one of the first and second vacuum-sealed cavities, aback reflector (112) arranged to reflect radiation back into the other one of the first and second vacuum-sealed cavities, and electrical connections (114) for connecting the suspended active element to a readout circuit (118).

An ambient temperature calibration process includes, in accordance with an embodiment, determining an ambient temperature calibration value for a global external resistance associated with a read out integrated circuit (ROIC) of an image capture component comprising a sensor array comprising a focal plane array of microbolometers arranged on the ROIC; determining an ambient temperature calibration value for a sensor integration time associated with the ROIC; and determining an ambient temperature calibration mapping for an offset mapping associated with the ROIC.

The present invention relates to a metamaterial focal plane array for broad spectrum imaging. Electromagnetic energy in the form of light is absorbed in or on a metamaterial absorber and a subsequent hot carriers are collected either in a semiconductor space charge region (e.g. P-N junction), or in some other modern collection scheme. Following the accumulation of photogenerated charge (electrons or holes), the signal is then converted to a digital signal using conventional or slightly modified ROIC modules.

A thermal pixel configured as an electromagnetic emitter and/or an electromagnetic detector. The thermal pixel comprises a micro-platform suspended with semiconductor nanowires from a surrounding support platform. The nanowires comprise phononic structure providing a decrease in thermal conductivity. In some embodiments, the pixel is structured for operation within a broad bandwidth or a limited bandwidth. Metamaterial and/or photonic crystal filters provide pixel operation over a limited bandwidth. In some other embodiments, the micro-platform comprises a nanotube structure providing a broadband emission/absorption spectral response.

Provided is a thermal infrared detector including a thermal infrared sensor array including a plurality of resistive infrared devices that are provided in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, and a driving circuit configured to drive the thermal infrared sensor array, wherein at least two resistive infrared devices among the plurality of resistive infrared devices adjacent to each other in a row direction or a column direction are grouped together, wherein at least one resistive infrared device among the plurality of resistive infrared devices is shared by at least two groups, and wherein at least two resistive infrared devices among the plurality of resistive infrared devices that are included in each of the at least two groups are connected in series.

A method and system for imaging a target scene using a microbolometer array having multiple lines of microbolometer pixels are disclosed. Each line is switchable between an exposed state and a shielded state, where the line is exposed to the target scene and a reference scene, respectively. The method may include alternating between generating a target frame of the target scene and generating a reference frame of the reference scene, each of which in a rolling shutter mode. The method may also include, concurrently with the generating steps, alternating between sequentially shielding each line after its readout in the exposed state for its next readout in the shielded state, and sequentially exposing each line after its readout in the shielded state for its next readout in the exposed state. The method may also include adjusting the target frames using the reference frames to generate thermal images of the target scene.

A system with a detector array, a processor unit and a signal interface. The detector array includes a plurality of bolometric measuring cells and a base body. Each measuring cell is configured to detect infrared radiation and to transmit a measurement signal, which is representative of the readings of the measuring cells, to the processor unit. The processor unit is configured to determine a body heat stored by the base body, to determine a predictive value compensated according to the time delay of the respective measuring cell for each current reading, to determine a temperature value corrected according to the measurement error for each current predictive value, and to determine a thermal image based on the current temperature values, allowing an image signal representing the thermal image to be sent from the signal interface. A corresponding method is also provided.