Ultra sensitive silicon sensor
AssigneeNorthrop Grumman Corporation
InventorNathan Bluzer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Electro-thermal feedback is utilized for removing thermal conductance between a bolometer's absorber element of a pixel in a thermal radiation sensor assembly and the environments through its mechanical support structure and electrical interconnects, thereby limiting the thermal conductance primarily through photon radiation. Zeroing the thermal conductance associated with the mechanical support structure and electrical interconnects is achieved by electro-thermal feedback that adjust the temperature of an intermediate stage of the mechanical support structure and electrical interconnects to equal the bolometer's absorber element temperature.
Claims32
A thermal radiation sensor assembly, comprising:
- means for providing a heat bath for the assembly;
- an absorber element for detecting thermal radiation;
- an intermediate stage for thermally isolating the absorber element from the means for providing a heat bath, and including a thermal isolation member, having a predetermined thermal conductance, interconnecting the absorber element to the intermediate stage;
- and
- an electro-thermal feedback circuit incorporated into the intermediate stage for reducing the thermal conductivity between the absorber element and the means providing a heat bath by causing the temperature of the intermediate stage to converge to the temperature of the absorber element when detecting thermal radiation, effectively causing the thermal conductance of the thermal isolation member to attain a minimum conductance value and thereby improve the sensitivity of the absorber element to the thermal radiation limit.
A thermal radiation sensor assembly, comprising:
- an array of sensor pixels, each of said pixels including, a heat bath member;
- an absorber element for detecting thermal radiation;
- an intermediate stage for locating the absorber element above the heat bath member and including a thermal isolation member having a predetermined thermal conductance interconnecting the absorber element to the intermediate stage;
- and
- an electro-thermal feedback circuit for reducing the thermal conductivity between the absorber element and the heat bath member by causing the temperature of the intermediate stage to converge to the temperature of the absorber element when detecting thermal radiation, effectively causing the thermal conductance of the thermal isolation member to attain a minimum conductance value and thereby improve the sensitivity of the absorber element to the thermal radiation limit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.