PT Journal
AU Pris, AD
   Utturkar, Y
   Surman, C
   Morris, WG
   Vert, A
   Zalyubovskiy, S
   Deng, T
   Ghiradella, HT
   Potyrailo, RA
TI Towards high-speed imaging of infrared photons with bio-inspired nanoarchitectures
SO Nature Photonics
JI Nat. Photon.
PY 2012
BP 195
EP 200
VL 6
IS 3
DE fromIPMRAS
AB Existing infrared detectors rely on complex microfabrication and thermal management methods. Here, we report an attractive platform of low-thermal-mass resonators inspired by the architectures of iridescent Morpho butterfly scales. In these resonators, the optical cavity is modulated by its thermal expansion and refractive index change, resulting in `wavelength conversion' of mid-wave infrared (3-8 µm) radiation into visible iridescence changes. By doping Morpho butterfly scales with single-walled carbon nanotubes, we achieved mid-wave infrared detection with 18-62 mK noise-equivalent temperature difference and 35-40 Hz heat-sink-free response speed. The nanoscale pitch and the extremely small thermal mass of individual `pixels' promise significant improvements over existing detectors. Computational analysis explains the origin of this thermal response and guides future conceptually new bio-inspired thermal imaging sensor designs.
ER