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US 2014/0326883 A1Published application
Nanowire thermoelectric infrared detector
AssigneeThe Board of Regents for Oklahoma State University
InventorsReza Abdolvand, Mohammad Jafar Modarres-Zadeh
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Abstract
A thermoelectric infrared detector. The detector has an absorption platform comprising a material that increases in temperature in response to incident infrared radiation and the platform covering substantially an entire area of the detector. The detector includes a thermocouple substantially suspended from contact with a substrate by at least one arm connected to the substrate.
Claims20
A thermoelectric infrared detector comprising:
- a platform forming an optical cavity and comprising a material that increases in temperature in response to incident infrared radiation, the platform covering substantially an entire area of the detector;
- and
- a thermocouple attached directly to the platform and substantially suspended from contact with a substrate by at least one arm connected to the substrate.
An infrared detector comprising:
- a plurality of support arms proceeding from a substrate and containing a plurality of thermoelectric connections therein;
- and
- an infrared absorber platform in thermal connection with the plurality of arms and heating the arms in response to absorbing infrared radiation;
- wherein the thermoelectric connections form a thermocouple with the absorber, the absorber acting as a hot junction and the substrate acting as a cold junction, the thermocouple providing a voltage signal on the thermoelectric connections in proportion to the temperature difference between the hot and cold junctions.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- providing an infrared absorber;
- providing a plurality of Parylene-N support arms supporting the absorber away from the substrate;
- attaching a thermally conductive connection from the substrate to the infrared absorber to detect heating of the absorber relative to the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.