Imaging in curved arrays: methods to produce free-formed curved detectors
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorsTodd J. Jones, Shouleh Nikzad
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A detector including a detector membrane comprising a semiconductor sensor and a readout circuit, the detector membrane having a thickness of 100 micrometers or less and a curved surface conformed to a curved focal plane of an optical system imaging electromagnetic radiation onto the curved surface; and a mount or substrate attached to a backside of the detector membrane. A maximum of the strain experienced by the detector membrane is reduced by distribution of the strain induced by formation of the curved surface across all of the curved surface of the detector membrane, thereby allowing a decreased radius of curvature (more severe curving) as compared to without the distribution.
Claims20
A detector, comprising:
- a detector membrane comprising a semiconductor sensor and a readout circuit, the detector membrane having a thickness of 100 micrometers or less and a curved surface conformed to a curved focal plane of an optical system imaging electromagnetic radiation onto the curved surface;
- and
- a mount attached to a backside of the detector membrane;
- wherein:
- a maximum of a strain experienced by the detector membrane is reduced by distribution of the strain induced by formation of the curved surface across all of the curved surface of the detector membrane, thereby allowing an increased radius of curvature of the curved surface, and
- the semiconductor sensor converts photons to charged particles and the readout circuit measures a quantity of the charged particles, the semiconductor sensor comprises an elemental semiconductor or compound semiconductor, and the readout circuit is integrated with the semiconductor sensor monolithically or in a hybrid fashion.
A detector, comprising:
- a detector membrane comprising a semiconductor sensor and a readout circuit, the detector membrane having a thickness of 100 micrometers or less and a curved surface conformed to a curved focal plane of an optical system imaging electromagnetic radiation onto the curved surface;
- wherein:
- the semiconductor sensor converts photons to charged particles and the readout circuit measures a quantity of the charged particles, the semiconductor sensor comprises an elemental semiconductor or compound semiconductor and the readout circuit is integrated with the semiconductor sensor monolithically or in a hybrid fashion;
- the detector membrane comprises a radius of curvature of 50 mm or less;
- and
- the curved surface has an area of at least 400 millimeters squared.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.