Potential application of micro-bolometer coupled antenna-pairs in beam synthesis

The IR micro-bolometer coupled antenna-pairs has demonstrated its unique power response features compared to the single antenna coupled micro-bolometers. The response pattern is determined by that of the single antenna and an interference oscillation term of the antenna-pair with respective to the angle of incidence of the radiation field, and can be steered by shifting the location of the bolometer. This paper explores the potential application of antenna-pair coupled detector in beam synthesis. It describes an array configuration based upon these micro-bolometers, and discusses the corresponding coherent data processing method for the purpose of obtaining response pattern narrowing effects from such an array. This directional gain enhancement, together with the beam steering control, could potentially lead to an array capable of providing a novel IR lensless imaging technique.