High Sensitivity and Wide Dynamic Range IR Sensors Based on Electrostrictive Effect in Thin Film Barium Strontium Titanate.

红外和太赫兹传感器被广泛用于监测环境和促进我们对自然的了解。它们在医疗保健、公共安全、安全和科学仪器方面有许多应用。例如，通过在医院和交通枢纽安装红外成像系统，可以及早发现和遏制疫情爆发。红外和太赫兹成像在检测乳腺癌方面也显示出了巨大的前景，据估计，2011年美国有近4万人死于乳腺癌。红外成像的另一个非常重要的应用是增强夜间驾驶的能见度和减少道路交通死亡。在快速增长的自动驾驶汽车行业，这类系统也特别关键。红外成像用于探测野火、灭火和确定农作物的状况。最后，红外和太赫兹遥感为化学和生物制剂的检测提供了一种有效的方法。此外，除了拟议的研究成果的直接影响外，还将与用于无线通信的声波设备领域相关的更广泛的影响尽管有许多应用，但目前可用的IR和THz传感器的许多局限性需要解决，以充分利用其潜力。该项目的目标是开发一种新型谐振型非制冷红外传感器阵列，该阵列利用铁电薄膜钛酸锶钡(BST)的电致伸缩特性，超过传统上与低温冷却光子红外传感器相关的高性能水平。PI建议通过本科生研究体验(REU)让本科生参与进来。与密歇根大学S暑期工程本科生项目的合作也将包括来自少数族裔的本科生参与这项研究。提出的谐振式红外传感器将利用优化设计的薄膜BST声波谐振器的高频率-阻抗温度系数、高品质因数和偏置电压相关的压电响应，实现室温操作、高灵敏度、小像素面积和高分辨率图像。对新型铁电谐振式非制冷红外传感器的研究包括建模与仿真、材料生长与优化、制备与表征以及对红外探测传感器的评价。这项拟议的研究具有变革性，因为它有望为开发新型低功耗、高灵敏度和高度可扩展的基于谐振的红外传感器阵列铺平道路，这些阵列的性能超过最先进的室温红外传感器。薄膜BST谐振式传感器的基本原理也将适用于工作在太赫兹频率范围的传感器阵列的开发。

IR and THz sensors are widely used for monitoring the environment and advancing our understanding of nature. They have many applications in healthcare, public safety, security, and scientific instrumentation. For example, early detection and containment of an outbreak is possible by placing IR imaging systems in hospitals and transportation hubs. IR and THz imaging have also shown great promise in the detection of breast cancer, which is estimated to have caused almost 40,000 deaths in the United States in 2011. Other very important application of IR imaging is visibility enhancement for nighttime driving and reducing road-traffic fatalities. Such systems are also especially critical in the rapidly growing industry of autonomous vehicles. IR imaging is used for the detection of wildfires, firefighting, and determining the conditions of crops. Finally, IR and THz remote sensing offer an effective method to detect chemical and biological agents. In addition, to the direct impact of the proposed research outcomes, there will also be broader impacts associated with the field of acoustic wave devices for wireless communications In spite of the numerous applications, many limitations of currently available IR and THz sensors need to be addressed to fully utilize their potential. The objective of the proposed project is to develop a new class of resonant-type uncooled IR sensor array that employs the electrostrictive properties of thin film ferroelectric barium strontium titanate (BST) to exceed the high performance levels that are traditionally associated with cryogenically cooled photon based IR sensors. The PI proposes to involve undergraduates through the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). Collaboration with Michigan?s Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) program will also involve undergraduates from under-represented minorities in this research.The proposed resonant mode IR sensors will utilize the large temperature coefficient of frequency versus impedance, high quality factors, and bias voltage dependent piezoelectric response of optimally designed thin film BST film acoustic wave resonators to achieve room temperature operation, high sensitivity, small pixel area, and high resolution images. The research on novel ferroelectric resonant uncooled IR sensors is based on modeling and simulations, material growth and optimization, fabrication and characterization, and finally evaluation of the sensor for IR detection. The proposed research is transformative as it is expected to pave the way for the development of novel low power, high sensitivity, and highly scalable resonant based IR sensors arrays that surpass performance of the state-of-the-art room temperature IR sensors. The basic principle for thin film BST resonant sensors will also be applicable to the development of sensor arrays operational at THz frequency range.