Abstract

The performance of a pyroelectric detector with a carbon multiwalled nanotube coating was evaluated in the $0.9–14\mathrm{\mu m}$ wavelength range. The relative spectral responsivity of this detector was shown to be flat over most of the wavelength range examined, and the spectral flatness was shown to be comparable to the best infrared black coatings currently available. This finding is promising because black coatings with spectrally flat absorbance profiles are usually associated with the highest absorbance values. The performance of the detector (in terms of noise equivalent power and specific detectivity) was limited by the very thick ($250\mathrm{\mu m}$ thick) ${\mathrm{LiNbO}}_3$ pyroelectric crystal onto which the coating was deposited. The responsivity of this detector was shown to be linear in the $0.06–2.8\mathrm{mW}$ radiant power range, and its spatial uniformity was comparable to that of other pyroelectric detectors that use different types of black coating. The carbon nanotube coatings were reported to be much more durable than other infrared black coatings, such as metal blacks, that are commonly used to coat thermal detectors in the infrared. This, in combination with their excellent spectral flatness, suggests that carbon nanotube coatings appear extremely promising for thermal detection applications in the infrared.

© 2006 Optical Society of America

Infrared responsivity of a pyroelectric detector with a single-wall carbon nanotube coating

E. Theocharous, C. Engtrakul, A. C. Dillon, and J. Lehman
Appl. Opt. 47(22) 3999-4003 (2008)

Assembly and evaluation of a pyroelectric detector bonded to vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes over thin silicon

E. Theocharous, S. P. Theocharous, and J. H. Lehman
Appl. Opt. 52(33) 8054-8059 (2013)

Single-wall carbon nanotube coating on a pyroelectric detector

John H. Lehman, Chaiwat Engtrakul, Thomas Gennett, and Anne C. Dillon
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Influence of Black Coatings on Pyroelectric Detectors

W. R. Blevin and Jon Geist
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Multiwall carbon nanotube absorber on a thin-film lithium niobate pyroelectric detector

John H. Lehman, Katherine E. Hurst, Antonije M. Radojevic, Anne C. Dillon, and Richard M. Osgood, Jr.
Opt. Lett. 32(7) 772-774 (2007)