UNCOOLED LONG-WAVELENGTH INFRARED SENSOR USING CYTOCHROME C PROTEIN ON CMOS READ-OUT CIRCUITS

Cytochrome c protein thin film shows high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR). In this paper, we studied the characteristics of cytochrome c protein, whose absorption rate is 65% at wavelengths of 10 mu m. We designed a chip for an infrared microbolometer with suspended aluminum electrodes. The protein solution was deposited on a sensing pixel using an inkjet printer. The TCR, thermal conductance, time constant, responsivity and detectivity were 25.98(%/K), 7.96 x 10(-5) (W/K), 1.094 (ms), 2.57 x 10(4) (V/W) and 5.89 x 10(8) (cm. Hz(1/2)/W), respectively. We experimentally demonstrated integrating cytochrome c protein with a CMOS circuit as a sensing pixel for a long-wavelength infrared microbolometer at room temperature. Based on our experimental results, such a microbolometer array holds promise for the future.