Optically transitioning thermal detector structures
AssigneeL-3 Communications Corporation
InventorHoward Beratan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal absorption structure of a radiation thermal detector element may include an optically transitioning material configured such that optical conductivity of the thermal absorption structure is temperature sensitive and such that the detector element absorbs radiation less efficiently as its temperature increases, thus reducing its ultimate maximum temperature.
Claims14
A method of making a focal plane array assembly, comprising forming a plurality of individual thermal detector elements arranged as an array, each of at least a portion of the plurality of individual detector elements comprising an optically transitioning thermal absorption structure and being configured to sense radiation falling incident thereon by measuring at least one property of the thermal absorption structure that changes value with temperature, the thermal absorption structure being provided with at least one optically transitioning material that is an integral part of the thermal absorption structure itself;
- and where the method further comprises:
- selecting a composition of the optically transitioning material to tailor the optical transition characteristics of the material as a function of temperature so that the thermal absorption structure absorbs less of the incident radiation as its temperature increases;
- and
- viewing a scene with the focal plane array such that a temperature of the optically transitioning material of each of the portion of individual thermal detector elements increases while viewing the scene to cause the optically transitioning material to transition from a semiconducting phase to a metallic phase while viewing the scene.
A method, comprising:
- viewing a scene with a focal plane array that includes a plurality of individual thermal detector elements, at least a portion of the plurality of individual thermal detector elements each comprising an optically transitioning thermal absorption structure provided with at least one optically transitioning material that is an integral part of the thermal absorption structure itself;
- and
- sensing radiation from the scene that falls incident on the thermal detector elements of the focal plane array by measuring at least one property of the thermal absorption structure of each of the thermal detector elements that changes value with temperature;
- where the temperature of the optically transitioning material of the thermal absorption structure of each of the portion of individual thermal detector elements of the focal plane array increases due to absorbed incident radiation while viewing the scene to cause the optically transitioning material of the thermal absorption structure to transition from a semiconducting phase to a metallic phase while viewing the scene such that the thermal absorption structure absorbs less of the incident radiation as its temperature increases while viewing the scene.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.