Carbon nanotube based detector
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsRobert C. Haddon, Mikhail E. Itkis
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Abstract
Systems and methods for designing and fabricating carbon nanotube based detectors are disclosed. In some embodiments, one or more sensor elements can be formed from a film of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Bolometric properties of such detectors are disclosed. In some embodiments, the film can be thermally isolated in various ways, such as suspending the film and providing a vacuum environment, to provide the bolometric properties. Various properties of the SWNT films, such as resistivity-dependence on temperature and spectral response, can be obtained by adjusting the dimension and/or composition of the film. Examples of SWNT film formation, detector element fabrication, and array fabrication are disclosed.
Claims37
An infrared (IR) detector, comprising:
- a sensor element comprising a thin film of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) suspended between electrical contacts.
An infrared (IR) detector array, comprising:
- a plurality of sensor elements arranged in an array, each sensor element comprising a thin film of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) suspended between electrical contacts.
A device, comprising:
- a film formed from a plurality of carbon nano-structures, said film suspended between first and second electrical contacts to allow measurement of change in an electrical property of said film in response to a change in temperature of said film.
A bolometer for measuring incident energy, comprising:
- a detection element comprising a film formed from a plurality of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), wherein said film is configured to experience a change in temperature resulting from absorption of at least a portion of said incident energy and wherein said detection element is configured so as to substantially minimize thermal coupling between said film and its surrounding;
- and
- an electrical circuit coupled to said detection element and configured to measure a change in an electrical resistance of said film resulting from the change of temperature of said film in response to absorption of at least a portion of said incident energy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.