pW IR Sensing with MEMS coupled to Metasurfaces

This paper focuses on infrared (IR) sensors based on merging radiofrequency (RF) aluminum nitride (AIN) contour mode resonators (CMRs) integrated with spectrally-selective IR metasurfaces. Thousands of this type of innovative sensors were fabricated and characterize using a dedicated automatized approach. The proposed system utilizes a microprobe to sequentially test and characterize thousands of devices on a wafer, employing optical and RF interrogation techniques, dedicating ~20 s to each device. Analysis of the collected data provides insights into sensor response relative to design parameters and geometrical variations. Additionally, new interrogation systems are proposed to enhance the sensing performance of the sensors. The devices were able to detect weak IR signals with < 100 pW of power and exhibit a noise equivalent power (NEP) in the fW/sqrt(Hz) range at room temperature. These metrics highlight their potential of this technology in a wide range of applications, including spectroscopy, imaging, and security, among others.