Largest spectrum image sensor and processing its entire spectrum image

Question

I was developing a digital system to process raw images stemming from an image sensor but I would like to deal with "universal" (as possible) spectrum image sensors with no filter. I know that for long wavelengths (microwaves), the mechanism is different with respect to the detection of infrared-visible-UV-X-ray light since the last ones should use the photoelectric effect to capture photons, but between infrared-visible-UV-X ray that use photoelectric effect, the material of the sensor changes because the photon has different energy.

1. Does a new technology or a new kind of sensor exist that is able to detect "at least" radiation from Far Infrared to X-Ray wavelengths?

2. CMOS and CCD sensors have both roughly the same spectrum sensitivity (from NIR to part of Near UV)? Or exists CMOS and CCD sensors, made with different materials, able to detect also at FIR and X-ray wavelength?

3. In the market there exist CMOS or CCD image sensors with no filters? In this case, the resulting image is monochromatic?

4. A Bayer filter that gives RGB color to a detected image, since color is related to the visible spectrum only, this filter has a role on the building of a IR or UV (or X-ray) digital image? If I have a row image got by a sensor with no filter, thus an image with spectrum from Infrared to X-Ray (or UV), is it possible to make a digital filter? For example, starting from this row image with its entire spectrum with no filters, building digitally the IR only image, or UV only image or visible only image?

Answer 1

The closest thing to full-spectrum sensor comes from the field of photoacoustic spectroscopy. With a modulation applied (a chopping wheel, basically), almost any kind of EM radiation that interacts with matter will make a small thermal expansion signature, and the resulting vibration can be detected with a microphone (or seismometer, or piezoelectric transducer... depending on the chopping frequency). For an image to be created thus, a lot of processing might be required, but it should be possible to implement moving-blockage scanning, even with X-rays.

There is an older technology that also works: the bolometer. A thermocouple can be made VERY small, and energy turning to heat can be detected rapidly. Thermistors, too, can be printed on a grid for imaging. Thermal sensors were the earliest IR sensors, after all IR discovered.

Answer 2

A partial answer:

3. Yes, there are one-chip CCD cameras that yield a monochromatic image where all wavelengths are present. Color separation is achieved by (acousto-otpical) band pass filters; often used in microscopy. Foveon sensors attempt(ed) to detect multiple wavelengths at different depths of one sensor.

4. Bayer mask cameras are sensitive to IR light, that is why they have IR blocking filters. You can make a night vision camera by knocking the IR filter from a web cam (and get a blurry image during the day). But no, you cannot discriminate color signals from a monochromatic camera.