Abstract. A far infrared radiometer (FIRR) dedicated to measuring radiation emitted by clear and cloudy atmospheres was developed in the framework of the Thin Ice Clouds in Far InfraRed Experiment (TICFIRE) technology demonstration satellite project. The FIRR detector is an array of 80 × 60 uncooled microbolometers coated with gold black to enhance the absorptivity and responsivity. A filter wheel is used to select atmospheric radiation in nine spectral bands ranging from 8 to 50 µm. Calibrated radiances are obtained using two well-calibrated blackbodies. Images are acquired at a frame rate of 120 Hz, and temporally averaged to reduce electronic noise. A complete measurement sequence takes about 120 s. With a field of view of 6°, the FIRR is not intended to be an imager. Hence spatial average is computed over 193 illuminated pixels to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and consequently the detector resolution. This results in an improvement by a factor of 5 compared to individual pixel measurements. Another threefold increase in resolution is obtained using 193 non-illuminated pixels to remove correlated electronic noise, leading an overall resolution of approximately 0.015 W m−2 sr−1. Laboratory measurements performed on well-known targets suggest an absolute accuracy close to 0.02 W m−2 sr−1, which ensures atmospheric radiance is retrieved with an accuracy better than 1 %. Preliminary in situ experiments performed from the ground in winter and in summer on clear and cloudy atmospheres are compared to radiative transfer simulations. They point out the FIRR ability to detect clouds and changes in relative humidity of a few percent in various atmospheric conditions, paving the way for the development of new algorithms dedicated to ice cloud characterization and water vapor retrieval.

The Broadband Radiometer (BBR) is an instrument being developed for the ESA EarthCARE satellite. The BBR instrument objective is to provide top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiance measurements in two spectral channels, and over three along-track directions. The instrument has three fixed telescopes (one for each view) each containing a broadband detector. Each detector consists of an uncooled 30-pixel linear focal plane array (FPA) coated with gold black in order to ensure uniform spectral responsivity from 0.2 µm to 50 µm. The FPA is hybridized with a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) and a proximity electronics circuit-card assembly (CCA) packaged in an aluminum base plate with cover. This paper provides a technical description of the detector design and operation. Performance data at the FPA pixel level as well as unit-level test results on early prototypes of the detectors are also presented.

No abstract

Focal planes of 80x60 VO x microbolometers with pixel pitch of 104 µm were developed in support of the remote sensing of ice clouds in the spectral range from 7.9 to 50 µm. A new design that relies on the use of central posts to support the microbolometer platform was shown effective in minimizing the structural deformation usually occurred in platforms of large area. A process for goldblack coating and patterning of the focal plane arrays was established. It was found that the goldblack absorbs more than 98 % and 92 % of incident light respectively at wavelengths shorter and longer than 20 µm. Moreover, a spectral uniformity of better than 96 % was achieved in all spectral channels required for the measurements. The noise figures derived from the data acquired over short periods of acquisition time showed the evidence of a correlation with the format of the addressed sub-arrays. This correlation was not observed in the data acquired over long periods of time, suggesting the presence of low frequency effects. Regardless of the length of acquisition time, an improvement of noise level could be confirmed when the operating temperature was increased. The dependence of responsivity on sub-array format and operating temperature was investigated. The noise equivalent power derived from this study was found to be in the range from 45 to 80 pW, showing that the far infrared focal plane arrays are suited for use in the intended application.

High absorptivity and low thermal mass are two important requirements for coatings applied to thermal infrared detectors. Gold black coatings are very good candidates to ensure these characteristics in the broadband infrared spectral range. A specific deposition system was designed and built at INO in order to provide gold-black coatings for different broadband detection applications including the broadband radiometer (BBR) instrument for the European Space Agency (ESA) EarthCARE satellite. A parametric study targeting uniform optical absorptance within the spectral range from 0.2 µm to 50 µm was conducted. Specular reflectance lower than 10% was obtained for extended wavelength range up to 100 µm. The coating thickness ranges typically between 20 µm and 35 µm, with uniformity of about ± 3 µm over a sample surface of 10x10 mm 2 . The deposit density was typically ~0.3% of the bulk density of gold. To singulate the blackened infrared detector pixels, a laser micromachining process was developed. The setup exhibits a 1µm positioning accuracy and allows for ablation of 3 µm to 12 µm wide channels through the gold-black thickness, while preserving the pixel and gold-black deposit integrity.