Electro-thermal modelling of infrared microemitters using PSPICE

Abstract

The technology to simulate dynamic infrared scenes using an array of resistively heated microbridges has progressed rapidly in recent years. This paper presents a technique to model the thermal and electrical properties of microemitters using PSPICE. The model provides an insight and understanding of many physical and dynamic properties of the pixel and is cost effective as both electrical and thermal simulations can be performed in the same design environment. The various fabrication process parameters and operating conditions can be fed to the model as user defined inputs and the application of this model can thus be extended to simulate variety of emitters. Theoretical and experimental data have been compared with simulation results and its excellent agreement verifies the validity of the PSPICE model. © 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.