Research and preparation of two-dimensional plane arrays thermal imaging sensor

Infrared imaging systems have been applied widely, and developed step by step with improved performance of infrared image devices. Although a thermocouple prepared by high quality thermoelectric materials has already been used as thermoelectric detectors, it is of new exploration when used as units of two-dimensional plane array thermal imaging sensors. In this paper, the working principle, device design, manufacturing process, device performance and measurement of two-dimensional plane array sensors are introduced and given in detail. The prepared thermal imaging sensors with 10 × 10 pixels in 20 × 20 mm² are made up of thermocouples with a single pixel of dimension of 0.4 × 0.4 × 0.15 mm³ and prepared by pseudo-ternary BiTe thermoelectric materials with figure of merits Z=3.09 × 10^-3 K. The unit area for accepting thermal radiation is 1.9 × 1.9 mm². The performance of the pixels and their uniformity in the arrays is measured respectively. From measurements, the maximum responsivity 0.12 V/W, detectability D* 1.17 × 10 Hz^1/2/W and responsive-time 24 ms of the thermal image arrays are obtained. The experimental results and theoretical analyses were compared, based on which, new ways for improving two-dimensional plane arrays thermal imaging sensors are proposed in this paper