Patent ID: 7303997

Claim:
A method of producing a microbolometer comprising the steps of: (a) depositing a thin film of a compound selected from the group consisting of silicon nitride, silicon dioxide and vanadium oxide on a substrate formed of a material selected from the group consisting of silicon, GeAs, GeLnP, quartz, a metal oxide and a ceramic; (b) forming microbridges on the substrate; (c) defining windows in a pixel area of the microbridges; (d) etching the windows making them thinner than the remainder of the pixel area; (e) releasing the thin film by chemical etching; (f) depositing a thin film of material selected from the group consisting of YBaCuO, a nickel iron alloy, amorphous silicon, germanium, a low temperature superconductor and a high temperature superconductor on the microbridges; (g) depositing a conductive film on the thin film; and (h) removing selected areas of thin and conductive films.