Microbolometers vs. Photon detectors

[jabonet]

What could be the diference between a microbolometer capable of detecting temperature diferences of 0.1 K and a photon detector capable of the same 0.1 K.
Jabonet

 

[IRstuff]

Based on that statement, none.

However, the primary difference is that the bolometer will require f/1 or so optics to achieve that, while a cooled detector can do that with f/3 or f/4 optics.

The next difference is that bolometers typically have slow response times to transient conditions, with thermal time constants on the order of 20 ms or so, while cooled detectors have integration times less than a few milliseconds. Therefore, a cooled detector will perform more accurately in a dynamic scene.

TTFN

 

[cev]

There is also a difference in spectral response. The microbolometer will respond fairly uniformly across a wide wavelength range, while the photon detector will have a narrower spectral bandwidth and a greater response to longer wavelengths (because each photon is weighted equally, lower-power photons have greater weight).

CV