An optimum double correlated sampling technique for infrared radiation detection

This paper presents a technique for biasing VO2 bolometers in the hysteretic region, improving its sensitivity as compared to the ones that operates in the semiconductor region. In this new method, the sensor is heated and relaxed around the transition region, where the device is highly sensitive to infrared radiation. An optimum filter is used to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio, taking into consideration a reference bolometer cell or an average of several other cells. A model, defined from experimentally measured characteristics, is used to simulate and demonstrate the achievable performance of the proposed technique.