In a previous article, we discussed three types of infrared sensors: thermopile, pyroelectric, and microbolometer. So, which one is better suitable for thermal imaging? The answer is microbolometer.
1. Smaller pixel size
For thermopile and pyroelectric, the pixel size of about 50-100μm has reached the limit, but the current mainstream microbolometer pixel size has reached 12μm and below, which is smaller and lighter than the body with the same resolution. .
2. Greater resolution
The resolution of thermopile and pyroelectric infrared sensors is essentially limited to a single sensor to a 120×84 array. The resolution of the microbolometer can be extended to 1280×1024 and above, making the imaging clearer.
3. Higher sensitivity
The NETD of pyroelectric is about 0.5-2℃, and the NETD of thermopile is about 0.1-0.5℃. The microbolometer has the best sensitivity, with a NETD of less than 40mk, and can distinguish targets with a temperature difference of 0.04°C.
In addition, because microbolometers are based on MEMS technology, their costs are relatively high. There are also differences in their application scenarios. Microbolometers are used in a wider range of applications, such as fire rescue, large-scale temperature measurement, drone payloads, etc.
In short, the three types of infrared sensors each have their own viewing angle characteristics and advantages, and they are all an indispensable part of the infrared industry. In fact, infrared sensors are not limited to these three types. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the entire sensor family. There is a larger and broader world of sensors waiting for us to explore.
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