ABSTRACT
The Golay cell is a sensitive photo-acoustic or pneumatic infrared (IR) thermal detector. Invented by Marcel Golay in the late 1940s, it offers the best performance among thermal infrared detectors [1,2]. Despite some disadvantages, such as high cost (about $5,000) and relatively large size, the Golay cell is still commercially available and is used where high performance is essential. New versions of miniaturized micromachined Golay cells that utilize capacitive as well as tunneling displacement transducers have been developed.
