Conducting‐Polymer Bolometers for Low‐Cost IR‐Detection Systems

Abstract

AbstractSemiconducting polymers are promising materials for manufacturing optoelectronic devices, such as large‐area solar cells or small light‐emitting diodes, through the use of printing technologies. In their oxidized form, π‐conjugated polymers become good electrical conductors and their optical absorption shifts to the infrared region. It is demonstrated that conducting polymers can be integrated in bolometers for IR detection. A bolometer is a thermally isolated thin device that absorbs IR radiation and translates a temperature change into a change in electrical resistance. While commercial bolometers are usually made of complex architectures comprising several materials (that is, an IR absorbing layer, a conducting layer, and a thermally insulating layer), the first polymer bolometer is demonstrated with a freestanding layer of poly(3,4‐ethylene‐dioxythiophene) having high IR absorption, low thermal conductivity, and good thermistor action in one single layer. The solution processability of conducting polymers, their compatibility with high‐resolution printing technologies, and their unique combination of optoelectronic properties can lead to a breakthrough for low‐cost uncooled IR cameras, which are in high demand for security and safety applications.