Architecture and method of coupling electromagnetic energy to thermal detectors
US6329655A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 7, 1999 |
| Grant date | Dec 11, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 7, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01Q21/24
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A radiation sensor. The inventive sensor has a two-level detector structure formed on a substrate in which a thermal detector element is suspended over the substrate as a microbridge structure. A receiver of electromagnetic radiation is provided on the same side of the substrate in a manner that efficiently couples the radiation field to the thermal detector element. The thermal detector element has a sandwich structure including a heater metal layer, a dielectric layer, and a thin film thermo-resistive material. The thermal detector element is suspended out of physical contact with the receiver. In one embodiment, the receiver is an antenna having a crossed bowtie configuration that efficiently couples the radiation field to the detector element. The inventive radiation sensors are especially useful for mm-wave and microwave sensing applications. The sensor can be used individually or in linear or two-dimensional arrays thereof. The invention also is directed to a method of fabricating such a radiation sensor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.