From bolometers to beetles: the development of thermal imaging sensors

Purpose - This paper seeks to describe and discuss the historical development of IR sensors used in thermal imaging and to identify and consider some recent research trends. Design/methodology/approach - This paper first considers cooled semiconductor photon detectors and their limitations and then traces the historical development of un-cooled IR sensing technologies and their commercialisation. It then discusses certain present-day developments and research trends. Findings - This paper shows that military-funded research by the USA in the 1980s led to families of un-cooled IR sensors, pyroelectric detectors and microbolometers, that have since been widely commercialised. Research continues in the search for a technology that can yield un-cooled sensors offering the sensitivity of cooled devices, such as Golay cells, microcantilever arrays and biomimetics. Originality/value - This paper traces the technological evolution of un-cooled thermal imaging sensors and identifies and considers recent research.