UC Davis

Testing the next generation of novel infrared sensorsin a research setting can be a time-consuming and expensive procedure. To address this challenge, an automated solution for characterizing miniaturized optical sensing devices is presented. The system enables rapid, automated characterization of thou- sands of miniaturized devices. The advantages of this system include its low cost, high flexibility, and speed. It enables fast and unique statistical analysis to determine performance and optimal design parameters by individually testing thousands of devices. The proposed system uses a single microprobe to individually test and characterize thousands of devices using optical and RF interrogation techniques, individually spending 20 seconds on each sequential device. Without any need for human input the system allows for the collection of massive amounts of data. Furthermore, the system can easily adapt to different device types, chip layouts and light sources. It uses a precision 2D stage retrofitted with open-source electro-mechanical hardware and software to allow accessibility to any chip. This versatile system can be employed to characterize a wide variety of different devices. Experimentally, the system successfully characterized thousands of meta-surface enhanced aluminum nitride contour mode MEMS resonators. The figures of merit evaluated in the experiments include quality factor, fluctuation-induced noise, re- sponsivity, and noise equivalent power. The best device observed was a detector with a noise equivalent power of 85.6 pW/√Hz; for this device, the quality factor, responsivity, and fluctuation noise spectral density was found to be 2531, 4.32 Hz/nW, and 0.37 Hz/√Hz . Overall, this automated system offers an efficient and cost-effective solution for characterizing the next generation of miniaturized optical sensing devices. It provides researchers with a powerful tool for data collection and analysis, enabling quick advancements in the development of IR sensors.