New generation of thermal infrared detectors

Modern trends in infrared detectors lead towards large, electronically addressed two-dimensional arrays and higher operating temperatures. This would lead both to higher performance and to smaller, lighter and more affordable IR systems. Cooling requirements are the main obstacle to the more widespread use of infrared systems based on semiconductor photodetectors, particularly in the commercial applications. Recent appearance of a new generation of thermal detectors on silicon, processed by micromachining and integrated with corresponding electronic circuitry enabled an important breakthrough in infrared technology. This work considers the basic and most important types of thermal detectors, their limiting performances and the results achieved until now.