Patent · US Expired

Thermal isolation for hybrid thermal detectors

US5578826A · kind A · utility

9Cited by
25References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 6, 1995
Grant dateNov 26, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 6, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10N15/10
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A hybrid thermal detector (10, 110) includes a focal plane array (20, 120), a thermal isolation structure (40, 140), and an integrated circuit substrate (60, 160). The focal plane array (20, 120) includes thermal sensors (30, 130). The thermal isolation structure (40, 140) includes untrimmed mesa-type formations (44, 146, 148) and mesa strip conductors (42, 142, 144) that provide thermal isolation, signal transport, and structural support of the focal plane array (20, 120) when mounted on the integrated circuit substrate (60, 160). Hybrid thermal detector (10) includes a common electrode (28) which provides a bias voltage to all thermal sensors (30). Hybrid thermal detector (110) has electrically isolated thermal sensors (130), each thermal sensor (130) is supported by mesa strip conductors (142, 144), which provide a bias voltage to and receive a signal voltage from the thermal sensor (130). To improve both pixel-substrate and inter-pixel thermal isolation, mesa strip conductors (42, 142, 144) and common electrode (28) may be formed from a thermally insulating material, such as cermet or a semiconductive material. Untrimmed mesa-type formations (44, 146, 148) may be anisotropicall…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.