Spin-transfer switching current distribution and reduction in magnetic tunneling junction-based structures

Spin transfer switching current distribution within a cell and switching current reduction were studied at room temperature for magnetic tunnel junction-based structures with resistance area product (RA) ranged from 10 to 30 /spl Omega/-/spl mu/m/sup 2/ and TMR of 15%-30%. These were patterned into current perpendicular to plane configured nanopillars having elliptical cross sections of area /spl sim/0.02 /spl mu/m/sup 2/. The width of the critical current distribution (sigma/average of distribution), measured using 30 ms current pulse, was found to be 3% for cells with thermal factor (KuV/k/sub B/T) of 65. An analytical expression for probability density function p(I/I/sub c0/) was derived considering a thermally activated spin transfer model, which supports the experimental observation that the thermal factor is the most significant parameter in determining the within-cell critical current distribution. Spin-transfer switching current reduction was investigated through enhancing effective spin polarization factor /spl eta//sub eff/ in magnetic tunnel junction-based dual spin filter (DSF) structures. The intrinsic switching current density (J/sub c0/) was estimated by extrapolating experimental data of critical current density (J/sub c/) versus pulse width (/spl tau/), to a pulse width of 1 ns. A reduction in intrinsic switching current density for a dual spin filter (DSF: Ta/PtMn/CoFe/Ru/CoFeB/Al2O3/CoFeB/spacer/CoFe/PtMn/Ta) was observed compared to single magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ: Ta/PtMn/CoFe/Ru/CoFeB/Al2O3/CoFeB/Ta). J/sub c/ at /spl tau/ of 1 ns (/spl sim/J/sub c0/) for the MTJ and DSF samples were 7/spl times/10/sup 6/ and 2.2/spl times/10/sup 6/ A/cm/sup 2/, respectively, for identical free layers. Thus, a significant enhancement of the spin transfer switching efficiency is seen for DSF structure compared to the single MTJ case.     

Temperature of laser-cooled /sup 171/Yb/sup +/ ions and application to a microwave frequency standard

Microwave frequency standards based on buffer gas-cooled /sup 171/Yb/sup +/ ions have demonstrated high stability but are limited in accuracy by the second-order Doppler shift caused by thermal motion. We have previously obtained near shot noise-limited Ramsey fringes with a laser-cooled ion cloud. Here, we present measurements confirming that the ion temperature remains <1 K throughout the microwave interrogation period for a Ramsey pulse separation of up to 10 s and longer. The potential stability of the ions as a frequency standard is better than /spl sigma//sub y/ (/spl tau/)=5/spl times/10/sup -14/ /spl tau//sup -1/2/, and estimates of the systematic offsets to the clock frequency and their uncertainties indicate that a total uncertainty of four parts in 10/sup 15/ or better is achievable.     

Demagnetizing factors for rectangular prisms

For rectangular prisms of dimensions 2a/spl times/2b/spl times/2c with constant material susceptibility /spl chi/, we have calculated and tabulated the fluxmetric and magnetometric demagnetizing factors N/sub f/ and N/sub m/, defined along the 2c dimension as functions of c/(ab)/sup 1/2/(=1/spl sim/500), a/b(=1/spl sim/256), and /spl chi/(=0/spl sim/10/sup 9/). We introduce an interpolation technique for obtaining N/sub f,m/ with arbitrary values of c/(ab)/sup 1/2/, a/b, and /spl chi/.     

High-potential magnetic anisotropy of CoPtCr-SiO/sub 2/ perpendicular recording media

The magnetic anisotropy of CoPtCr-SiO/sub 2/ perpendicular recording media, including higher energy terms, was studied as a function of film composition and seed layer materials. All series of CoPtCr films with various Cr content, deposited on Ru seed layers, show maximum values of total anisotropy K/sub u/ at 25-30 at%Pt. The maximum value for CoPt(Cr=0) films reaches /spl sim/15/spl times/10/sup 6/ erg/cm/sup 3/. The addition of SiO/sub 2/ to the CoPtCr films reduces the grain K/sub u/, however the grain K/sub u/ maintains a large value of 8/spl times/10/sup 6/ erg/cm/sup 3/ even when 10at%SiO/sub 2/ is added to (Co/sub 90/Cr/sub 10/)/sub 80/Pt/sub 20/, for instance, which indicates the high-potential thermal stability. Theoretical calculations for media designs of 400 Gbits/in/sup 2/ revealed that the ratio of the high-energy anisotropy term K/sub u2/ to K/sub u1/(K/sub u/=K/sub u1/+K/sub u2/) is required to be 0.2-0.35 to enhance the energy barrier for the remanent state, without a notable change in switching field. The films deposited on Ru seed layers were found to show negligibly small K/sub u2/ values, however, the values of K/sub u1/ and K/sub u2/ vary significantly with the seed layer material used. K/sub u1/ decreases almost linearly as the K/sub u2/ value increases. It is concluded that CoPtCr films have a sufficient potential in the values of K/sub u1/ and K/sub u2/ for high-density perpendicular media.     

Amorphous silicon two-color microbolometer for uncooled IR detection

This paper describes the modeling and design of two-color microbolometers for uncooled infrared (IR) detection. The goal is to develop a high resolution IR detector array that can measure the actual temperature and color of an object based on two spectral wavelength regions. The microbolometer consists of high temperature amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin film layer held above the substrate by Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ bridge. A thin NiCr absorber with sheet resistance of 377 /spl Omega//sqr is used to enhance the optical absorption in the medium and long IR wavelength windows. A tunable micromachined Al-mirror was suspended underneath the detector. The mirror is switched between two positions by the application of an electrostatic voltage. The switching of the mirror between the two positions enables the creation of two wavelength response windows, 3-5 and 8-12 /spl mu/m. A comparison of the two response wavelength windows enables the determination of the actual temperature of a viewed scene obtained by an IR camera. The microbolometer is designed with a low thermal mass of 1.65/spl times/10/sup -9/ J/K and a low thermal conductance of 2.94/spl times/10/sup -7/ W/K to maximize the responsivity R/sub v/ to a value as high as 5.91/spl times/10/sup 4/ W/K and detectivity D/sup */ to a value as high as 2.34/spl times/10/sup 9/ cm Hz/sup 1/2//W at 30 Hz. The corresponding thermal time constant is equal to 5.62 ms. Hence, these detectors could be used for 30-Hz frame rate applications. The extrapolated noise equivalent temperature difference is 2.34 mK for the 8-12 /spl mu/m window and 23 mK for the 3-5 /spl mu/m window. The calculated absorption coefficients in the medium and long IR wavelength windows before color mixing are 66.7% and 83.7%. However, when the color signals are summed at the output channel, the average achieved absorption was 75%.     

Magnetoresistively detected electron spin resonance in low-density two-dimensional electron gas in GaAs-AlGaAs single quantum wells

Electron spin resonance (ESR) is a natural candidate for quantum bit manipulation, provided that the confinement of a small number of electrons in a sufficiently small volume can be achieved. An important step is the development of low carrier density materials and structures in which the electron spins are isolated and can be controlled by ESR. We report on the realization of three low-density (n/sub 1/=1.77/spl times/10/sup 10/, n/sub 2/=4.5/spl times/10/sup 10/, and n/sub 3/=9/spl times/10/sup 10/ cm/sup -2/ without the help of a gate to deplete the channel) two-dimensional electron systems in GaAs-AlGaAs single quantum wells (QWs) and on the magnetoresistively detected electron spin resonance (MDESR) measurements in these samples. The MDESR has been characterized at /spl nu/=1 and /spl nu/=3 and the current intensity, microwave power, and temperature dependence have been studied. The structures that have been investigated represent the lowest density single QW samples in which MDESR has been detected. The implications of detection of the MDESR at such low electron density to coupled quantum-dot spin device technology will be presented.     

A combined chemical vapor deposition and rapid thermal diffusion process for SiGe Esaki diodes by ultra-shallow junction formation

SiGe Esaki diodes have been realized by rapid thermal diffusion of phosphorous into an SiGe layer grown by ultra-high-vacuum chemical-vapor-deposition on an Si p/sup +/-substrate for the first time. The phosphorous-doped SiGe forms the n/sup +/-electrode, while heavily boron-doped Si/sub 0.74/Ge/sub 0.26/ and Si substrate is used for the p/sup +/ electrode. The diodes show a peak current density of 0.18 kA/cm/sup 2/, a current peak-to-valley ratio of 2.6 at room temperature, and they exhibit only a weak temperature dependence. Cross-sectional transmission microscopy showed a good crystalline quality of the strained Si/sub 0.74/Ge/sub 0.26/ layer even after the diffusion step at 900/spl deg/C.     

Determination of the shear impedance of viscoelastic liquids using cylindrical piezoceramic resonators

In this paper, a new method for determining the rheological parameters of viscoelastic liquids is presented. To this end, we used the perturbation method applied to shear vibrations of cylindrical piezoceramic resonators. The resonator was viscoelastically loaded on the outer cylindrical surface. Due to this loading, the resonant frequency and quality factor of the resonator changed. According to the perturbation method, the change in the complex resonant frequency /spl Delta/~/spl omega/ = /spl Delta/w/sup re/ + j/spl Delta//spl omega//sup im/ is directly proportional to the specific acoustic impedance for cylindrical waves Zc of a viscoelastic liquid surrounding the resonator, i.e., /spl Delta/~w /spl sim/ jZ/sub c/, where j = (-1)/sup 1/2/. Hence, the measurement of the real and imaginary parts of the complex resonant frequency determines the real part, R/sub c/, and imaginary part, X/sub c/, of the complex acoustic impedance for cylindrical waves Z/sub c/ of an investigated liquid. Further-more, the specific impedance Z/sub L/ for plane waves was related to the specific impedance Z/sub c/ for cylindrical waves. Using theoretical formulas established and the results of the experiments performed, the shear storage modulus /spl mu/ and the viscosity /spl eta/ for various liquids (e.g., epoxy resins) were determined. Moreover, the authors derived for cylindrical resonators a formula that relates the shift in resonant frequency to the viscosity of the liquid. This formula is analogous to the Kanazawa-Gordon formula that was derived for planar resonators and Newtonian liquids.     

Magnetic and structural properties of Co ion-implanted GaN

A GaN epilayer was grown on Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ substrate by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, and Co/sup -/ ions with a dose of 3/spl times/10/sup 16/ cm/sup -2/ were implanted into GaN at 350/spl deg/C. The implanted samples were postannealed at 700/spl deg/C-900/spl deg/C to recrystallize the samples and to remove implantation damage. We have investigated the magnetic and structural properties of Co ion-implanted GaN by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD results did not show any peaks associated with the second phase formation, and only the diffraction from the GaN layer and substrate structure were observed. The temperature dependence of magnetization taken in zero-field-cooling and field-cooling conditions showed the features of superparamagnetic system in films annealed at 700/spl deg/C-900/spl deg/C. The magnetization curves at 5 K for samples annealed at 700/spl deg/C-900/spl deg/C exhibits ferromagnetic hysteresis loops, and the highest residual magnetization (M/sub R/) and coercivity (H/sub c/) of M/sub R/=1.5/spl times/10/sup -4/ emu/g and H/sub c/=107 Oe were found in the 800/spl deg/C annealed sample. XPS measurement showed the metallic Co 2p core levels and the metallic valence band spectra for as-implanted and 700/spl deg/C-900/spl deg/C annealed samples. From these, it could be explained that the magnetic property of our films originated from Co and CoGa magnetic clusters.     

Optimization of attenuation estimation in reflection for in vivo human dermis characterization at 20 MHz

In vivo skin attenuation estimators must be applicable to backscattered radio frequency signals obtained in a pulse-echo configuration. This work compares three such estimators: short-time Fourier multinarrowband (MNB), short-time Fourier centroid shift (FC), and autoregressive centroid shift (ARC). All provide estimations of the attenuation slope (/spl beta/, dB.cm/sup -1/.MHz/sup -1/); MNB also provides an independent estimation of the mean attenuation level (IA, dB.cm/sup -1/). Practical approaches are proposed for data windowing, spectral variance characterization, and bandwidth selection. Then, based on simulated data, FC and ARC were selected as the best (compromise between bias and variance) attenuation slope estimators. The FC, ARC, and MNB were applied to in vivo human skin data acquired at 20 MHz to estimate /spl beta//sub FC/, /spl beta//sub ARC/, and IA/sub MNB/, respectively (without diffraction correction, between 11 and 27 MHz). Lateral heterogeneity had less effect and day-today reproducibility was smaller for IA than for /spl beta/. The IA and /spl beta//sub ARC/ were dependent on pressure applied to skin during acquisition and IA on room and skin-surface temperatures. Negative values of IA imply that IA and /spl beta/ may be influenced not only by skin's attenuation but also by structural heterogeneity across dermal depth. Even so, IA was correlated to subject age and IA, /spl beta//sub FC/, and /spl beta//sub ARC/ were dependent on subject gender. Thus, in vivo attenuation measurements reveal interesting variations with subject age and gender and thus appeared promising to detect skin structure modifications.     

Ultrahigh-sensitive tin-oxide microsensors for H/sub 2/S detection

Ultrahigh-sensitivity SnO/sub 2/-CuO sensors were fabricated on Si(100) substrates for detection of low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide. The sensing material was spin coated over platinum electrodes with a thickness of 300 nm applying a sol-gel process. The SnO/sub 2/-based sensors doped with copper oxide were prepared by adding various amounts of Cu(NO/sub 3/)/sub 2/.3H/sub 2/O to a sol suspension. Conductivity measurements of the sensors annealed at different temperatures have been carried out in dry air and in the presence of 100 ppb to 10-ppm H/sub 2/S. The nanocrystalline SnO/sub 2/-CuO thin films showed excellent sensing characteristics upon exposure to low concentrations of H/sub 2/S below 1 ppm. The 5% CuO-doped sensor having an average grain size of 20 nm exhibits a high sensitivity of 2.15/spl times/10/sup 6/ (R/sub a//R/sub g/) for 10-ppm H/sub 2/S at a temperature of 85/spl deg/C. By raising the operating temperature to 170/spl deg/C, a high sensitivity of /spl sim/10/sup 5/ is measured and response and recovery times drop to less than 2 min and 15 s, respectively. Selectivity of the sensing material was studied toward various concentrations of CO, CH/sub 4/, H/sub 2/, and ethanol. SEM, XRD, and TEM analyses were used to investigate surface morphology and crystallinity of SnO/sub 2/ films.     

Structure, properties, and thermal stability of nanocrystallite Fe-Ti-N soft magnetic films

We deposited Fe-Ti-N magnetic films with a high sputtering power of 7 W/cm/sup 2/. When the composition of the films was in the range of Fe-Ti(3.9 at.%)-N(8.8 at.%) to Fe-Ti(3.3 at.%)-N(13.5 at.%), the films were composed of /spl alpha/' and Ti/sub 2/N precipitates. With the addition of nitrogen, 4/spl pi/M/sub s/ became higher than that of pure iron, reaching a maximum of 23.8 kG. At the same time, H/sub c/ was reduced to a minimum of 1.12 Oe. The best films can meet the needs of the recording head in dual-element giant magnetoresistive/inductive heads, yielding high storage density (10 Gb/in/sup 2/). The incorporation of N in /spl alpha/-Fe brought about the /spl alpha/' phase with its higher saturation magnetization. Ti additions inhibited the equilibrium decomposition /spl alpha/'/spl rarr//spl alpha/+/spl gamma/'. Because H/sub C//sup D//spl prop/D/sup 6/, where D is average grain diameter, grain size control is very important. The nitrogen induces severe distortion of the /spl alpha/' lattice, which can cause the grains to break into pieces and reduce the grain size. High sputtering power also led to the formation of fine grains, with diameter in the order of 14 nm. Probably Ti/sub 2/N is preferentially precipitated on the grain boundary, pinning the grain boundary and stabilizing the grain size during high-temperature heat treatment. The temperature limit for stability of the structure and its associated low coercivity was not less than 520/spl deg/C.     

Disposable biosensor based on a hemoglobin colloidal gold-modified screen-printed electrode for determination of hydrogen peroxide

A disposable reagentless hydrogen peroxide biosensor based on the direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin immobilized on a colloidal gold-modified screen-printed carbon electrode (Hb-Au-SPCE) was proposed. The electrochemical behavior of immobilized Hb at a SPCE was studied for the first time. The electrode reaction of immobilized Hb showed a surface-controlled process with an electron transfer rate constant of (0.40 /spl plusmn/ 0.02) s/sup -1/ determined in the scan rate range from 25 to 200 mV s/sup -1/. The Hb-Au-SPCE exhibited an electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of hydrogen peroxide with a K/sub M//sup app/ value of 1.8 mM, which was allowed to be used as a disposable sensor for determination of hydrogen peroxide with a linear range from 1.0 /spl times/ 10/sup -5/ M to 3.2 /spl times/ 10/sup -4/ M, a detection limit of 5.5 /spl times/ 10/sup -6/ M at 3/spl sigma/, a high sensitivity, fast response, and good selectivity, accuracy, and reproducibility. The disposable reagentless sensor was stable, low cost, and simple to use for detection of hydrogen peroxide in real samples.     

Experimental demonstration of a compact and high-performance laser-pumped rubidium gas cell atomic frequency standard

The authors present a compact high-performance laser-pumped Rubidium atomic frequency standard exploiting the advantages of laser optical pumping for improved stability. The clock is based on an industrial Rb clock with the lamp assembly removed and optically pumped by light from a compact frequency-stabilized laser head. The modification of the buffer gas filling in the clock resonance cell reduces instabilities on medium-term timescales arising from the ac Stark effect and temperature variations. The frequency stability of the demonstrator clock was measured to be better than 4/spl times/10/sup -12//spl tau//sup -1/2/ up to 10/sup 4/ s, limited by the local oscillator (LO) quartz and RF loop electronics. Long-term drifts under atmosphere amount to 2-6/spl times/10/sup -13//day only, comparable to or lower than that for lamp-pumped clocks under similar conditions. Typical signal contrasts lie at around 20%, corresponding to a shot-noise limit for the short-term stability of 2/spl times/10/sup -13//spl tau//sup -1/2/. The results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of a laser-pumped Rb clock reaching <1/spl times/10/sup -12//spl tau//sup -1/2/ in a compact device (< 2 L, 2 kg, 20 W), given the optimization of the implemented techniques. Compact high-performance clocks of this kind are of high interest for space applications such as telecommunications, science missions, and future generations of satellite navigation systems [GPS, global orbiting navigation satellite system (GLONASS), European satellite navigation system (GALILEO)].     

Multidimensional CMOS in-plane stress sensor

This paper reports a novel multidimensional complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) based stress sensor. The device uses an octagonal n-well in a p-substrate and eight peripheral contacts enabling the current to be switched in eight directions rotated by an angle of /spl pi//4. By taking full advantage of the piezoresistive behavior of single-crystal silicon, the measurement of all in-plane stress tensor components, i.e., /spl sigma//sub xx/, /spl sigma//sub yy/, and /spl sigma//sub xy/, is demonstrated. This information is derived from the zeroth and second angular-order Fourier components of voltage signals parallel and perpendicular to the switched current. Nonlinearities of the system are reduced by proper bias conditions using a center contact. The device was calibrated by applying defined normal stresses using a bending bridge setup. The device behavior was modeled including piezoresistive effects and the junction field effect by a combination of the finite element method and a nonlinear simulation program with integrated circuits emphasis (SPICE) network simulation using junction field effect transistor (JFET) elements. Stress sensitivities of 200 /spl mu/V V/sup -1/ MPa/sup -1/ are demonstrated for the determination of the three stress components.     

Modeling plastic deformation effects in steel on hysteresis loops with the same maximum flux density

Plastic deformation affects the hysteretic magnetic properties of steels because it changes the dislocation density, which affects domain-wall movement and pinning, and also because it places the specimen under residual strain. An earlier paper proposed a model for computing hysteresis loops on the basis of the effect of grain size d and dislocation density /spl zeta//sub d/. In that paper, hysteresis loops were compared that all had the same maximum flux density B/sub max/. The result was that coercivity H/sub c/ exhibited a linear relationship with inverse grain size (1/d) and /spl zeta//sub d//sup 1/2/. The same was true of hysteresis loss W/sub H/. If one compared hysteresis loops all with the same H/sub max/, these linear dependences were only approximately found. Because the relationships are simpler for loops of constant B/sub max/, core loss experimenters compare loops that all have the same B/sub max/. In this paper, we modify the model to study the effect of plastic tensile deformation on hysteresis loops with the same B/sub max/. We found linear relationships between H/sub c/ and residual plastic strain /spl epsiv//sub r/ and between W/sub H/ and /spl epsiv//sub r/. With increasing residual tensile strain, H/sub c/ increases (whereas with increasing elastic tensile strain, H/sub c/ decreases). Also, with increasing residual tensile strain, the slope of the hysteresis loop decreases (whereas with increasing elastic tensile strain, the slope increases). We also consider the effect of compressive plastic deformation.     

The /spl plusmn/45/spl deg/ correlation interferometer as a means to measure phase noise of parametric origin

A radiofrequency interferometric detector is combined with the correlation-and-averaging technique in a new scheme for the measurement of the phase noise of a component. The method relies upon the assumption that the phase noise of the component being tested (DUT) exceeds the amplitude noise, which is consistent with the general experience in the field of wireless engineering. The new scheme is based on the amplification of the DUT noise sidebands and on the simultaneous measurement of the amplified noise by means of two mixers driven in quadrature, /spl plusmn/ 45/spl deg/ off the carrier phase. The /spl plusmn/45/spl deg/ detection has two relevant properties, namely 1) the sensitivity is neither limited by the thermal energy k/sub B/T/sub 0/, nor by temperature uniformity, and 2) the noise of the measurement amplifier is rejected, despite a single amplifier being shared by the two channels of the correlator. The article provides the theoretical background and experimental results. The sensitivity of the first 100-MHz prototype, given in terms of the S/sub /spl phi//(f) floor, is some 12 dB below k/sub B/T/P/sub 0/, where P/sub 0/ is the carrier power. Using a dual carrier suppression scheme, the residual flicker is as low as -168 dBrad/sup 2//Hz at f=1 Hz off the carrier.     

Spin transfer effect in magnetic tunnel junction with a nano-current-channel Layer in free layer

The current-induced magnetization switching (spin transfer effect) in a low resistance-area (RA) product magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device with critical current density of 1.4/spl times/10/sup 7/ A/cm/sup 2/ was demonstrated. The RA product of the MTJ is 4.2 /spl Omega//spl mu/m/sup 2/ and the magnetoresistance (MR) ratio induced by current is up to 16%. An MTJ structure with a novel nano-current-channel (NCC) layer inserted into the free layer for the current-induced magnetization switching by lower current density was proposed and prototyped. By using the current confined effect, the local current density in the integrated free layer was sufficiently high to switch the magnetization locally. Such local magnetization reversal helped to reverse the magnetic moments around together with the polarized current and spread out the switching of the entire free layer through the superparamagnetic nano-channels. The critical current density was reduced to 4.2/spl times/10/sup 6/ A/cm/sup 2/, which is only one quarter of that for a pure MTJ structure.     

Microbolometers on a flexible substrate for infrared detection

Uncooled semiconducting YBaCuO infrared microbolometers have been fabricated on a flexible polyimide substrate formed by spin-coating a silicon wafer with a release layer. The wafer was used as a carrier for the flexible substrate during fabrication. The finished microbolometers on the flexible substrate showed a temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) TCR =(1/R)(dR/dT) of -3.03% K/sup -1/, at room temperature, which is comparable to the TCR values observed for semiconducting YBaCuO microbolometers fabricated directly on Si. In order to provide protection and better mechanical integrity, some of the devices were encapsulated. The microbolometers attained a responsivity and detectivity as high as 3.5/spl times/10/sup 3/ V/W and 1/spl times/10/sup 7/ cm/spl middot/Hz/sup 1/2//W, respectively, at 2.88 /spl mu/A of current bias. The responsivity and detectivity of the encapsulated microbolometers, on the other hand, were 1.6/spl times/10/sup 3/ V/W and 4.9/spl times/10/sup 6/ cm/spl middot/Hz/sup 1/2//W, respectively at 1 /spl mu/A of current bias. Spin-coated liquid polyimide solved two major problems previously encountered with the solid polyimide sheets when used as a flexible substrate. First, flatness of the flexible substrate was maintained with no air bubbles. Second, the thermal expansion of the flexible substrate during the fabrication process due to thermal cycling was minimal. All measurements reported in this paper, were taken prior to releasing the flexible substrate from the Si wafer containing the finished microbolometers.