Broadband THz Absorber Layers for Microbolometer Applications

The potential for wide-range THz imaging applications can be significantly enhanced with the implementation of cost-effective IR microbolometer technologies. For real-time broadband THz imaging purposes, thin films based on a titanium alloy, TiAlV, is investigated as the potential THz absorber layer in a microbolometer structure. Fabricated TiAlV thin films are evaluated in terms of their thickness, sheet resistance, and THz absorbance to assess their use in the microfabrication of a single pixel detector. Owing to its much lower conductivity compared to other metals and compatibility to microfabrication methods, by tailoring the sheet resistance with control in layer thickness, significant enhancement in THz absorbance is observed over a wide frequency range.