Method and apparatus for thermal gradient stabilization of microbolometer focal plane arrays
US5763885A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 19, 1995 |
| Grant date | Jun 9, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 19, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L2224/73265
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A thermal shunt apparatus directs heat flux transmitted through electrical signal leads from a focal plane array (FPA) to a relatively isothermal top surface of a TE cooler. The FPA mounts with a first thermally conductive attachment to a thermal spreader plate that is highly thermally conductive. The thermal spreader plate is mounted to the top surface of the TE cooler by a second thermally conductive attachment. The combination of the relatively isothermal surfaces, the FPA thermal spreader and the TE cooler top plate, separated by the thermally conductive interface, maintains a relatively constant temperature difference between the electrical leads connected between the thermal shunt and the FPA edge. The constant temperature difference provides for constant heat flux between these points and a constant temperature gradient across the surface of the FPA.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.