From bolometers to beetles: the development of thermal imaging sensors

Purpose This paper seeks to describe and discuss the historical development of IR sensors used in thermal imaging and to identify and consider some recent research trends. Design/methodology/approach This paper first considers cooled semiconductor photon detectors and their limitations and then traces the historical development of un‐cooled IR sensing technologies and their commercialisation. It then discusses certain present‐day developments and research trends. Findings This paper shows that military‐funded research by the USA in the 1980s led to families of un‐cooled IR sensors, pyroelectric detectors and microbolometers, that have since been widely commercialised. Research continues in the search for a technology that can yield un‐cooled sensors offering the sensitivity of cooled devices, such as Golay cells, microcantilever arrays and biomimetics. Originality/value This paper traces the technological evolution of un‐cooled thermal imaging sensors and identifies and considers recent research.