Institut National D'optique

Hassane Oulachgar

Christine Alain

Francis Genereux

Alain Bergeron

Michel Doucet

Hubert Jerominek

Bruno Tremblay

Marc Terroux

Francis Provencal

Philip Mauskopf

Martin Bolduc

Samir Ilias

An imaging system that includes an image sensor and imaging optics is provided. The image sensor has a sensing surface and it captures images of a scene. The imaging optics is optically coupled to the image sensor and is configured to form the images of the scene onto the sensing surface of the image sensor. The imaging optics includes a sensor-adjacent optical element having an exit surface located in close proximity to the sensing surface of the image sensor. The exit surface of the sensor-adjacent optical element and the sensing surface of the image sensor are spaced apart by a gap having a gap width enabling evanescent-wave coupling from the exit surface to the sensing surface for light having wavelengths within the sensor spectral range.

Terahertz imaging system with evanescent-wave coupling

Microbolometer detectors and arrays fabricated using printed electronics and photonics techniques, including ink-based printing, are disclosed. A microbolometer detector can include a substrate, a platform suspended above the substrate, and a thermistor printed on the platform and made of a thermistor material including an electrically conducting polymer, for example a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) polymeric composition. The microbolometer detector can also include an electrode structure electrically connected to the thermistor, and an ohmic contact layer interposed between the thermistor and the electrode structure. The electrode structure can be made of an electrode material including silver, while the ohmic contact layer can be made of an ohmic contact material including a PEDOT-carbon nanotube polymeric composition. A microbolometer array can include a plurality of microbolometer detectors arranged in a linear or two-dimensional matrix.

Microbolometer detectors and arrays for printed photonics applications

A thermal radiation detector is disclosed that includes a substrate, a platform suspended above the substrate, a support structure holding the platform, and a temperature sensor disposed on the platform and having an electrical parameter that varies in accordance with the temperature of the temperature sensor. The detector also includes a carbon-nanotube-based optical absorber in thermal contact with the temperature sensor and configured to absorb electromagnetic radiation to generate heat to change the temperature of the temperature sensor. The optical absorber may include a carbon nanotube film, for example, obtained by spray coating. The detector further includes a passivation layer structure disposed over the optical absorber, which may be made of a metal compound, for example, titanium or aluminum oxide. The thermal radiation detector may be a microbolometer detector, a thermocouple/thermopile detector, or a pyroelectric detector. Arrays of thermal radiation detectors and fabrication methods are also disclosed.

Thermal radiation detectors with carbon-nanotube-based optical absorbers

An uncooled microbolometer pixel for detection of electromagnetic radiation is provided that includes a substrate, a thermistor assembly and an absorber assembly. The thermistor assembly includes a thermistor platform suspended above the substrate, one or more thermistors on the thermistor platform, and an electrode structure electrically connecting the thermistors to the substrate. The absorber assembly includes an optical absorber over the thermistor assembly and a reflector provided under and forming a resonant cavity with the optical absorber. The optical absorber is in thermal contact with the thermistors and exposed to the electromagnetic radiation. The optical absorber includes a set of elongated resonators determining an absorption spectrum of the optical absorber. An array of microbolometer pixels is also provided, in which the resonators of different pixels can have different lengths determining different absorption spectra, thereby enabling configurable broadband and/or multi-frequency detection, in particular in the terahertz region.

Uncooled microbolometer pixel and array for configurable broadband and multi-frequency terahertz detection

An uncooled microbolometer detector that includes a substrate, a platform held above the substrate by a support structure, at least one thermistor provided on the platform, and an optical absorber. The optical absorber includes at least one electrically conductive layer extending on the platform over and in thermal contact with the at least one thermistor and patterned to form a resonant structure defining an absorption spectrum of the uncooled microbolometer detector. The optical absorber is exposed to electromagnetic radiation and absorbs the electromagnetic radiation according to the absorption spectrum. A microbolometer array including a plurality of uncooled microbolometer detectors arranged in a two-dimensional array is also provided. Advantageously, these embodiments allow extending the absorption spectrum of conventional infrared uncooled microbolometer detectors to the terahertz region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Uncooled microbolometer detector and array for terahertz detection

A microbolometer detector has an improved support structure. The microbolometer detector includes a substrate and a support structure including at least one post connected to and projecting substantially vertically from the substrate. The microbolometer detector also includes a platform held above the substrate and including a central region substantially vertically aligned with the at least one post of the support structure and a peripheral region surrounding the central region, the platform being supported by the support structure from the central region thereof. The microbolometer further includes at least one thermistor located in the peripheral region of the platform. A microbolometer focal plane array may also include multiple microbolometer detectors arranged in a two-dimensional array. The support structures are particularly well suited for supporting relatively large platforms of microbolometer detectors, particularly for far-infrared and terahertz detection and spectroscopy applications.

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Hassane Oulachgar