Demonstration of thermal infrared imaging using a microbolometer array with single-walled carbon nanotubes

Recent studies have demonstrated that high-purity semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) networks exhibit a pronounced temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) with values exceeding -6%/K. Based upon the established fabrication processes for conventional VOₓ bolometer arrays, we have developed a novel fabrication method tailored for VGA-format SWCNT bolometer arrays. The single device evaluation has confirmed the high responsivity of their SWCNT-based bolometers. In this study, we succeeded in obtaining infrared imaging using SWCNT bolometer array sensors by improving device structure and improving in-plane uniformity of detector characteristics for the first time. The VGA-format sensor chips, fabricated on a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) wafer, were effectively operated within a simple exhaust imaging test apparatus, enabling the acquisition of thermal infrared images. Future work will focus on designing specialized ROIC architectures that fully exploit the intrinsic properties of SWCNT materials to further improve imaging performance.