Focal plane antenna to sensor interface for an ultra-sensitive silicon sensor
AssigneeNorthrop Grumman Corporation
InventorNathan Bluzer
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Abstract
An electrical interface between a scene to be imaged and a bolometer type sensor is disclosed. Efficiency is improved by means of a thermal energy concentrator including a lens and an antenna. Where a plurality of bolometer pixels are located in an array, a microantenna is provided for each pixel in the array with a common lens being provided to focus and channel incoming radiation to each microantenna. Radiation from a scene is further coupled by means of a lens and microantenna to the absorbing element of each bolometer through an AC coupling circuit including an electronic chopper implemented by means of a PIN diode, the conductivity of which is varied so as to affect the reflection coefficient of the input signal supplied through the microantenna.
Claims38
An electromagnetic radiation sensor assembly, comprising:
- at least one bolometer type sensor located in a detector sub-assembly and including a thermally responsive sensing element co-located with and in thermal contact with a thermal absorber element;
- a sub-assembly including an antenna for receiving incident radiant energy from a remote source of electromagnetic radiation;
- one or more elements for maximizing the energy coupling between the remote source of electromagnetic energy and the thermal absorber element;
- an AC coupling circuit comprising an inductive coupling circuit for providing electrical coupling and thermal isolation of the radiant energy from the antenna element to the thermal absorber element;
- wherein the thermally responsive sensing element senses the temperature change in the absorber element;
- and
- readout circuitry for providing an output signal of the temperature sensed by said sensing element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.