Several successful development programs have been conducted on Infra-Red bolometer arrays at the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA-LETI Grenoble), in collaboration with the CEA-Sap (Saclay); taking advantage of this background, we are now developing an X-ray spectro-imaging camera for next generation space astronomy missions, using silicon technology. We ha ve developed monolithic silicon micro-calorimeters based on implanted thermistors. Thes e micro-calorimeter arrays will be used for future space missions. A 8x8 array prototype consisting of a grid of 64 suspended pixe ls on SOI (Silicon On Insulator) has been created. Each pixel of this array detector is made of a tantalum (Ta) absorber and is bonded, by means of an indium bump hybridization process, to a silicon ther mistor. The absorber array is bound to the thermistor ar ray in a collective process step. The fabrication process of our detector involves a combination of standard silicon technologies such as Si bulk micromachining techniques, based on deposition, photolithography and plasma etching steps. Finally, we present the results of measurements performed on the different building el ements and processes that are required to create a detector ar ray up to 32*32 pixels in size. Keywords: X-ray, SOI, micro-calorimeter , ion-implantation, micro technology.
