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US 5,672,903 AGranted
Uncooled ybacuo thin film infrared detector
AssigneeSouthern Methodist University
InventorsDonald P. Butler, Zeynep Celik-Butler, Pao-Chuan Shan
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Abstract
A thermal detector includes a transducer layer of semiconducting yttrium barium copper oxide which is sensitive at room temperature to radiation and provides detection of infrared radiation. In a gate-insulated transistor embodiment, a layer of ferroelectric semiconducting yttrium barium copper oxide forms a gate insulator layer and increases capacitance of the transistor or latches the transistor according to the polarization direction of the ferroelectric layer.
Claims11
A pyroelectric detector, comprising:
- an integral transducer structure for absorbing infrared radiation, comprising
- (1) an electrically conducting supporting layer having a supporting layer lower surface and a supporting layer upper surface,
- (2) a semiconducting transducing layer of crystalline or polycrystalline oxide formed from (1) at least one member selected from the group consisting of barium, strontium, and calcium, (2) at least one member selected from the group consisting of yttrium, lanthanum, and rare earths, (3) copper, and (4) oxygen, having a transducing layer lower surface, a transducing layer upper surface, a resistance of greater than 0.1 .OMEGA.-cm at twenty degrees centigrade, a change in dielectric constant with change in temperature of at least 0.2 per degree centigrade at 20 degrees centigrade, and the transducing layer lower surface opposing said supporting layer upper surface, and
- (3) a first electrode layer having a first electrode layer lower surface, a first electrode layer upper surface, and the first electrode layer lower surface opposing a first region of the supporting layer upper surface across the transducing layer;
- means, electrically coupled via said first electrode layer, for measuring pyroelectric current generated by changes in temperature of said transducing layer.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.