Long wave infrared detection using probabilistic spintronic bolometer arrays

Abstract

The use of probabilistic spintronic devices for infrared radiation detection has introduced a shift in approach to thermal imaging. The integration of probabilistic magnetic tunnel junctions with infrared plasmonic nano-antennas achieves high-sensitivity digital-mode infrared sensors at room temperature. Here, we present a scalable approach towards multipixel plasmonic-spintronic bolometer array fabrication and readout. We fabricate proof-of-concept 2x2 row-column multiplexed probabilistic plasmonic sprintronic arrays and show their response to long-wave infrared radiation (8-14um) with high readout speeds (10K-1M counts per second). These spintronic, ultrafast, nanoscale (SUN) bolometers can result in novel high-pixel density CMOS compatible infrared detection platforms. Our work provides a broadband (9kHz to 3GHz) readout platform for future digital probabilistic detector applications. Furthermore, our approach addresses a key challenge associated with scaling infrared pixel sizes that can drive progress towards high pixel density detector arrays for infrared sensing and microscopy applications.