Influence of dielectric substrate on the responsivity of microstrip dipole-antenna-coupled infrared microbolometers

We report on the influence of the dielectric substrate on the performance of microstrip dipole-antenna-coupled microbolometers. The location, the width, and the magnitude of the resonance of a printed dipole are altered when the dielectric substrate is backed by a ground plane. A thicker dielectric substrate shifts the antenna resonance toward shorter dipole lengths and leads to a stronger and slower detector response. The incorporation of an air layer into the antenna substrate further increases thermal impedance, leading to an even stronger response and shifting the antenna resonance toward longer dipole lengths. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.