Micromechanical bolometers for sub-Terahertz detection at room temperature

TL;DR

This paper introduces silicon nitride trampoline micromechanical bolometers capable of room-temperature detection at sub-THz frequencies, offering a promising, cost-effective solution for fast THz imaging in various fields.

Contribution

It presents a novel micromechanical bolometer design based on trampoline membranes that operate efficiently at room temperature across a broad THz range.

Findings

Noise-equivalent power ~100 pW/Hz^{1/2} at large wavelengths

Fast operation speed demonstrated

Compatible with large-scale fabrication processes

Abstract

Fast, room temperature imaging at THz and sub-THz frequencies is an interesting feature which could unleash the full potential of plenty applications in security, healthcare and industrial production. In this Letter we introduce micromechanical bolometers based on silicon nitride trampoline membranes as broad-range detectors, down to the sub-THz frequencies. They show, at the largest wavelengths, room-temperature noise-equivalent-powers comparable to state-of-the-art commercial devices (~100 pW Hz-1/2); adding the good operation speed and the easy, large-scale fabrication process, the trampoline membrane could be the next candidate for cheap, room temperature THz imaging and related applications.