Chitin-based cantilever bimorphs and readout devices

An infrared radiation sensor, comprising:

• a sense cantilever beam comprising a conducting layer, a structural layer and a chitosan infrared radiation absorbing layer and a free end;
• a reference cantilever beam comprising a conducting layer and a structural layer with a free end oriented on the same vertical and horizontal planes as the sense cantilever beam;
• and
• a beam deflection detector;
• wherein a change in capacitance upon deflection of said sense cantilever beam from absorption of infrared radiation is detected.

An infrared radiation sensor, comprising:

• a first plurality of electrically interconnected sense cantilever beams each comprising a conducting layer, a structural layer and a chitosan infrared radiation absorbing layer, each beam in parallel orientation with each other;
• a second plurality of electrically interconnected reference cantilever beams each comprising a conducting layer and a structural layer, each beam in parallel orientation with each other and with said first plurality of beams and positioned interdigitally with said first plurality of beams;
• and
• a comb capacitor readout for said sense cantilever beams where a capacitor is formed by two reference cantilevers on the sides of a sense cantilever;
• wherein said sense cantilevers deflecting in the vertical direction change the amount of overlap with the reference cantilevers upon absorption of infrared radiation by said absorbing layer.