Transition edge YBa2Cu3O7-x microbolometers for infrared staring arrays

Marc C. Foote; Burgess R. Johnson; Brian D. Hunt

doi:10.1117/12.176130

20 May 1994 Transition edge YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x microbolometers for infrared staring arrays

Marc C. Foote, Burgess R. Johnson, Brian D. Hunt

Proceedings Volume 2159, High-Temperature Superconducting Detectors: Bolometric and Nonbolometric; (1994) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.176130
Event: OE/LASE '94, 1994, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

High-temperature superconducting staring arrays are potentially important for both space and terrestrial applications which require the combination of high sensitivity over a broad wavelength range and relatively high temperature operation. In many such array applications sensitivity is more important than speed of response. Thus, it is desirable to design low- thermal-mass pixels that are thermally isolated from the substrate. To this end, Johnson, et al. at Honeywell have fabricated meander lines of YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x (YBCO) sandwiched between layers of silicon nitride on silicon substrates. The silicon was etched out from under each YBCO meander line to form low-thermal-mass, thermally isolated microbolometers. These 125 micrometers X 125 micrometers devices are estimated to have a noise equivalent power of 1.1 X 10^-12 W/Hz^1/2 near 5 Hz with a 5 (mu) A bias (neglecting contact noise). A drawback of this original Honeywell design is that the YBCO is grown on an amorphous silicon nitride underlayer, which precludes the possibility of epitaxial YBCO growth. The YBCO therefore has a broad resistive transition, which limits the bolometer response, and the grain boundaries lead to excess noise. We discuss the potential performance improvement that could be achieved by using epitaxial YBCO films grown on epitaxial yttria-stabilized zirconia buffer layers on silicon. This analysis shows a significant signal to noise improvement at all frequencies in devices incorporating epitaxial YBCO films. Progress toward fabricating such devices is discussed.

Citation Download Citation

Marc C. Foote, Burgess R. Johnson, and Brian D. Hunt "Transition edge YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x microbolometers for infrared staring arrays", Proc. SPIE 2159, High-Temperature Superconducting Detectors: Bolometric and Nonbolometric, (20 May 1994); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.176130

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