Optik okuma ile tümleştirilmiş termo-mekanik kızılötesi algılayıcı dizinlerinin tasarım, üretim ve karakterizasyonu

Thermal imaging has been a useful tool in many thermal mapping applications such as medical imaging, target detection, surveillance, monitoring circuits and rescue. This thesis reports the design, fabrication and characterization of micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) based uncooled thermo-mechanical infrared (IR) sensor arrays integrated with CMOS based optical readout.Pixelated sensor array operation is based on the conversion of incident IR radiation to mechanical displacement. The pixels are suspended membranes connected to a transparent substrate via bimaterial legs. Absorbed IR radiation modulates the temperature of the structure and this modulation causes the deflection of bimaterial legs that have a mismatch of coefficient of thermal expansion. This mechanical deflection is detected optically with sub-nm precision by monitoring the first diffracted order of the readout beam returning from the diffraction gratings that are embedded underneath each pixel. The main advantage of the designed sensors is that the MEMS die is passive, thus pixels are electrically and thermally isolated from the optical readout. Two options are exploited for the optical readout: (i) reimaging of diffracted light onto a CCD camera using Fourier filtering, (ii) integration of MEMS sensor array chip on a CMOS readout chip that contains a photodetector array and a through wafer via hole for each pixel for the illumination beam. This is a novel approach for optical readout and tried for the first time.Sensor arrays are designed and microfabricated in 640x480, 320x240 and 64x64 pixel formats with 35 µm sensor pitch using standard MEMS processes with SixNy/Al and Parylene/Al material combinations. Optical readout IC is fabricated using standard 0.18 µm CMOS process. As a post-process, the CMOS chips are thinned and through wafer holes are etched, which allow the readout laser beam to pass through. After the CMOS post-process steps, MEMS and CMOS dies are aligned and integrated, which enabled a novel integrated optical readout.