High-resolution thermopile infrared sensor array having a plurality of parallel signal processing channels for the signals of a sensor array and a digital port for serially emitting the signals. Each signal processing channel comprises at least one analog to digital converter and is assigned a memory for storing the results of the analog to digital converters. Power consumption of the infrared sensor array is reduced in the case of a sensor array with at least 16 rows and at least 16 columns, in that no more than 8 or 16 pixels are connected to a signal processing channel. The number of signal processing channels corresponds to at least 4 times the number of rows. Some of the signal processing channels are disposed in the intermediate space between the pixels and others are disposed in an outer edge region of the sensor chip surrounding the sensor array along with other electronics.

An infrared photodetection system is provided that is capable of measuring infrared light up to high-temperature regions while improving a temperature resolution for low-temperature regions without increasing image-acquisition time even if the measuring temperature range varies. The infrared photodetection system is set up to exhibit sensitivity spectrum SSP1 for high sensitivity (for low temperature use) and sensitivity spectrum SSP2 for low sensitivity (for high temperature use) in the transmission band of the bandpass filter when different voltages are applied to a quantum-dot infrared photodetector. The infrared photodetection system then integrates temperature data for the infrared light detected using sensitivity spectrum SSP1 and temperature data for the infrared light detected using sensitivity spectrum SSP2, in order to output a temperature distribution in a measurement region.

High-resolution thermopile infrared sensor array having a plurality of parallel signal processing channels for the signals of a sensor array and a digital port for serially emitting the signals. Each signal processing channel comprises at least one analog to digital converter and is assigned a memory for storing the results of the analog to digital converters. Power consumption of the infrared sensor array is reduced in the case of a sensor array with at least 16 rows and at least 16 columns, in that no more than 8 or 16 pixels are connected to a signal processing channel. The number of signal processing channels corresponds to at least 4 times the number of rows. Some of the signal processing channels are disposed in the intermediate space between the pixels and others are disposed in an outer edge region of the sensor chip surrounding the sensor array along with other electronics.

High-resolution thermopile infrared sensor array having a plurality of parallel signal processing channels for the signals of a sensor array and a digital port for serially emitting the signals. Each signal processing channel comprises at least one analog to digital converter and is assigned a memory for storing the results of the analog to digital converters. Power consumption of the infrared sensor array is reduced in the case of a sensor array with at least 16 rows and at least 16 columns, in that no more than 8 or 16 pixels are connected to a signal processing channel. The number of signal processing channels corresponds to at least 4 times the number of rows. Some of the signal processing channels are disposed in the intermediate space between the pixels and others are disposed in an outer edge region of the sensor chip surrounding the sensor array along with other electronics.

High-resolution thermopile infrared sensor array having a plurality of parallel signal processing channels for the signals of a sensor array and a digital port for serially emitting the signals. Each signal processing channel comprises at least one analog to digital converter and is assigned a memory for storing the results of the analog to digital converters. Power consumption of the infrared sensor array is reduced in the case of a sensor array with at least 16 rows and at least 16 columns, in that no more than 8 or 16 pixels are connected to a signal processing channel. The number of signal processing channels corresponds to at least 4 times the number of rows. Some of the signal processing channels are disposed in the intermediate space between the pixels and others are disposed in an outer edge region of the sensor chip surrounding the sensor array along with other electronics.

An infrared photodetection system is provided that is capable of measuring infrared light up to high-temperature regions while improving a temperature resolution for low-temperature regions without increasing image-acquisition time even if the measuring temperature range varies. The infrared photodetection system is set up to exhibit sensitivity spectrum SSP1 for high sensitivity (for low temperature use) and sensitivity spectrum SSP2 for low sensitivity (for high temperature use) in the transmission band of the bandpass filter when different voltages are applied to a quantum-dot infrared photodetector. The infrared photodetection system then integrates temperature data for the infrared light detected using sensitivity spectrum SSP1 and temperature data for the infrared light detected using sensitivity spectrum SSP2, in order to output a temperature distribution in a measurement region.

A microbolometer pixel unit for detection of terahertz radiation includes a substrate, a thermistor structure, and an optical absorber structure. The thermistor structure includes a plurality of microbolometer pixels disposed on the substrate. Each pixel includes a thermistor platform suspended above the substrate, a thermistor support member holding the thermistor platform, and a thermistor disposed on the thermistor platform and having an electrical resistance that varies in accordance with a temperature of the thermistor. The optical absorber structure includes an absorber platform suspended above the thermistor structure, an absorber support member holding the absorber platform and including a plurality of support elements, each support element providing a thermal conduction path from the absorber platform to the thermistor platform of a respective one of the microbolometer pixels, and an optical absorber disposed on the absorber platform to absorb incoming terahertz radiation to generate heat to change the temperature of the thermistors.

A thermometer system includes a photonic thermometer; and an optomechanical thermometer configured to calibrate the photonic thermometer, thereby making the thermometer system an optomechanically calibrated photonic thermometer.