Zhang Ya, Ebata Kazuki, Iimori Mirai, Liu Qian, Zhao Zihao, Takeuchi Ryotaro, Li Hua, Maenaka Kazusuke, Hirakawa Kazuhiko
Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16, Koganei-shi, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.
Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, China.
Microsyst Nanoeng. 2025 Jul 7;11(1):132. doi: 10.1038/s41378-025-00996-2.
Terahertz (THz) detectors using MEMS resonators have attracted great interests owing to their high sensitivity, rapid response, and room-temperature operation capability. For easy integration with CMOS circuits, silicon (Si) based MEMS detectors are highly desirable. Here we report an uncooled THz bolometer using doubly-clamped Si on insulator (SOI) MEMS beam resonator with piezoresistive readout. When external heat is applied to the MEMS beam, the resonance frequency shifts owing to the thermal strain in the beam, demonstrating a thermal responsivity up to 149 W. SOI MEMS resonators exhibit a thermal response time of about 88 μs, which is over 3 times faster than that of GaAs MEMS detectors. Furthermore, electrical readout of the MEMS vibrations is achieved by using the piezoresistive effect of Si, offering a low frequency noise density of 2.7 mHz/√Hz, and subsequently a noise equivalent power (NEP) of about 36 pW/√Hz for the current devices. Optical measurement using a FTIR spectrometer shows that SOI MEMS bolometers has a broadband THz response across 1-10 THz range. These results demonstrate that SOI MEMS bolometer features fast response and high sensitivity, while also being compact, broadband, and CMOS-compatible, highlighting its strong potential for advanced THz spectroscopy and imaging applications.
使用微机电系统（MEMS）谐振器的太赫兹（THz）探测器因其高灵敏度、快速响应和室温工作能力而备受关注。为了便于与CMOS电路集成，基于硅（Si）的MEMS探测器是非常理想的。在此，我们报道了一种采用具有压阻读出的绝缘体上硅（SOI）MEMS双端固支梁谐振器的非制冷太赫兹测辐射热计。当外部热量施加到MEMS梁上时，由于梁中的热应变，谐振频率会发生偏移，其热响应率高达149 W。SOI MEMS谐振器的热响应时间约为88 μs，比砷化镓MEMS探测器快3倍以上。此外，利用硅的压阻效应实现了对MEMS振动的电读出，低频噪声密度为2.7 mHz/√Hz，当前器件的噪声等效功率（NEP）约为36 pW/√Hz。使用傅里叶变换红外光谱仪（FTIR）进行的光学测量表明，SOI MEMS测辐射热计在1-10 THz范围内具有宽带太赫兹响应。这些结果表明，SOI MEMS测辐射热计具有快速响应和高灵敏度的特点，同时还具有紧凑、宽带和与CMOS兼容的特性，突出了其在先进太赫兹光谱学和成像应用中的强大潜力。
