Uncooled thermal imaging using a piezoresistive microcantilever

The operation of an uncooled, microcantilever‐based infrared (IR) imaging device is demonstrated. Bending of the microcantilever is a function of the IR radiation intensity incident on the cantilever surface. The infrared image of the source is obtained by rastering a microfabricated cantilever over the image formed at the focal plane of a concave mirror. The bending variation of the microcantilever, as it scanned the focal plane of the mirror, is used to construct an infrared image of the source in front of the mirror. The thermal image obtained by scanning a single element cantilever is presented.