Design and development of tunable filters for MEMS adaptive infrared detectors

The combination of MEMS and high performance infrared (IR) detector technology offers a unique opportunity for new solutions to major challenges faced by a wide range of defense, commercial, communication, biomedical instrumentation, and environmental monitoring applications. Tunable Fabry-Pérot filters are core components in MEMS adaptive infrared detectors. The filter performance and the overall device integrity are significantly influenced by the design of the filter structure and the materials used for the key structural elements. The mechanical design and analysis of FP filter structures by means of finite element modeling is presented. The characterization of filter structural material, low temperature PECVD silicon nitride, and the determination of its mechanical properties are reported. Finally, the fabricated filter array is demonstrated