Infrared Response in the 95 to 300 K Temperature Range of Detectors Based on Oxygen-depleted Y-Ba-Cu-O Thin Films

In order to develop radiation thermal detectors, oxygen-depleted amorphous YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) thin films were grown at low temperature (< 150¡C) on SiO2/Si substrates by direct-current hollow cathode sputtering, which allows to envisage further integration of detectors on a readout electronics silicon chip. Planar and metal/YBCO/metal tri-layer sensing structures were then processed. The near-infrared optical response showed evidence of a transition from bolometric to pyroelectric behavior on planar devices, but it was only pyroelectric for tri-layer devices. They exhibited response level and noise performance competitive with other room temperature infrared bolometers with the possibility to enhance this performance by cooling down to 95 K.