Synchronous detection for photoconductive detectors
AssigneeDiasense, Inc.
InventorsAugustyn Waczynski, Richard L. Wiggins
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Abstract
Disclosed is a radiation detector which includes a photoconductive detector and a modulator which modulates radiation passing to the photoconductive detector from a radiation source. An AC bias source is connected to the photoconductive detector and provides at least two levels of bias thereto. The modulator supplies synchronization signals to the AC bias source such that the level of bias supplied to the photoconductive detector is synchronized to the modulation of the radiation by the modulator. An integrator is connected to and receives an output signal generated by the photoconductive detector.
Claims20
A method of biasing a photoconductive detector to obtain synchronous detection, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) modulating radiation passing from a radiation source to a photoconductive detector,
- b) applying an AC bias to the photoconductive detector in a manner which is synchronized with the modulation of the radiation passing to the photoconductive detector, and
- c) integrating an output signal generated by the photoconductive detector over a predetermined time period.
A radiation detector comprising a photoconductive detector, a modulator which modulates radiation passing to said photoconductive detector from a radiation source, an AC bias source connected to the photoconductive detector and providing at least two levels of bias thereto, with the modulator supplying synchronization signals to the AC bias source such that the level of bias supplied to the photoconductive detector is synchronized to the modulation of the radiation by the modulator, and an integrator connected to and receiving an output signal generated by the photoconductive detector.
A radiation detector comprising a plurality of separate photoconductive detector elements arranged on a substrate in a linear array, a modulator which modulates radiation passing to each detector element from a radiation source, an AC bias source connected to each detector element and providing at least two levels of bias thereto, with the modulator supplying synchronization signals to the AC bias source such that the level of bias supplied to each detector element is synchronized to the modulation of the radiation by the modulator, and a separate integrator connected to and receiving an output signal generated by each detector element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.