Uncooled CMOS terahertz imager using a metamaterial absorber and pn diode

Opt Lett. 2016 Jul 15;41(14):3261-4. doi: 10.1364/OL.41.003261.

Abstract

We demonstrate a low-cost uncooled terahertz (THz) imager fabricated in a standard 180 nm CMOS process. The imager is composed of a broadband THz metamaterial absorber coupled with a diode microbolometer sensor where the pn junction is used as a temperature sensitive device. The metamaterial absorber array is integrated in the top metallic layers of a six metal layer process allowing for complete monolithic integration of the metamaterial absorber and sensor. We demonstrate the capability of the detector for stand-off imaging applications by using it to form transmission and reflection images of a metallic object hidden in a manila envelope.