Most uncooled thermal cameras use either vanadium oxide (VOx) or amorphous silicon (α-Si) microbolometers. Both work on the same principle: infrared radiation heats a thermally isolated pixel, changing its resistance.
VOx
Vanadium oxide offers high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), good sensitivity and mature manufacturing. It is widely used in professional thermal modules and gives consistent NETD performance.
Amorphous silicon
Amorphous silicon can be simpler to fabricate in some processes and is common in cost-sensitive consumer products. It is a proven alternative, although VOx is often preferred for demanding image quality.
Which should you choose?
For most industrial and security applications, choose a VOx core for sensitivity and image quality. Our 640×512 modules use VOx detectors with ≤40 mK NETD and 12µm pixels.