A spectrally selective visible microbolometer based on planar subwavelength thin films

Abstract

In this work, we experimentally demonstrate a new type of compact, low-cost, visible microbolometer based on metal–insulator–metal (MIM) planar subwavelength thin films, which exploits resonant absorption for spectral selectivity without additional filters and has the advantages of compact design, simple structure, cost-efficiency, and large format fabrication. The experimental results show that a proof-of-principle microbolometer exhibits spectrally selective properties in the visible frequency range. At a resonant absorption wavelength of 638 nm, a responsivity of about 10 mV W⁻¹ is achieved at room temperature at a bias current of 0.2 mA, which is about one order of magnitude higher than that of the control device (a bare Au bolometer). Our proposed approach provides a viable solution for the development of compact and inexpensive detectors.