Microfabricated carbon nanotube bolometers

Published

May 7, 2020

Author(s)

Nathan Tomlin, Christopher Yung, Michelle Stephens, Igor Vayshenker, Zach Castleman, Matthiew Denoual, Ginger Drake, Nat Farber, David Harber, Karl Heuerman, Greg Kopp, Heather Passe, Erik Richard, Joel Rutkowski, Jacob Sprunck, Samuel Van Dreser, Wengang Zheng

Abstract

Multi-wall vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) are nearly ideal absorbers due to their exceptionally low reflectance over a broad wavelength range. Integrating VACNTs as bolometer absorbers, however, can be difficult due to their high growth temperature and fragile nature. Despite these challenges, we have microfabricated many different types of VACNT bolometers, ranging from cryogenic optical power primary standards to room temperature satellite-based solar irradiance monitors and broadband infrared microbolometers. Advantages our VACNT bolometers provide over the bolometers they replace vary by application, but can be reduced size and time constant, increased absorption, and/or microfabrication instead of hand assembly. Depending on the application and operating conditions, our VACNT bolometers are designed with a variety of thermistors and weak thermal links. The thermistors used include commercial surface mount chips, superconducting transition-edge sensors, and vanadium oxide (VOx). Weak thermal links include silicon nitride (SiNx) membranes, Si bridges, and laser-cut polyimide. We summarize a wide variety of microfabricated bolometers with VACNT absorbers that measure optical power levels spanning over seven orders of magnitude.

Citation

AIP Advances

Volume

10

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0004025

Local Download

Citation

Tomlin, N. , Yung, C. , Stephens, M. , Vayshenker, I. , Castleman, Z. , Denoual, M. , Drake, G. , Farber, N. , Harber, D. , Heuerman, K. , Kopp, G. , Passe, H. , Richard, E. , Rutkowski, J. , Sprunck, J. , Van Dreser, S. and Zheng, W. (2020), Microfabricated carbon nanotube bolometers, AIP Advances, [online], https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0004025, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=929445 (Accessed October 9, 2025)