Nanoscale bolometer operating near the thermodynamic limit
| DWPI Title: Nanobolometer for infrared imaging, has subwavelength antenna on front surface of suspended membrane plate for absorbing infrared light incident on front surface of suspended membrane plate, and thermometer arranged on suspended membrane plate to measure temperature |
| Abstract: A nanoscale bolometer for infrared (IR) thermal imaging comprises a subwavelength antenna that provides a specific detectivity approaching a fundamental, thermodynamic limit. The uncooled nanobolometer achieves performance comparable to cooled, high-performance, semiconductor photodetectors, but with significantly reduced size, weight, power, and cost. |
| Use: Nanobolometer for infrared imaging. |
| Advantage: The nanobolometer can reach the radiation-dominated fundamental limit without drastically increasing the absorber area and sacrificing pixel size and resolution. The nanobolometer has a reflecting metallic backplane spaced approximately one-quarter wavelength from the front surface of suspended membrane plate, thus providing a Salisbury screen to enable greater absorbance of the incident infrared light. |
| Novelty: The nanobolometer has a membrane plate (12) suspended above a substrate (11), where the suspended membrane plate and multiple support beams comprise silicon nitride or silicon, and thickness of the suspended membrane plate and multiple support beams is less than 100 nm. A subwavelength antenna (15) on a front surface of the suspended membrane plate absorbs infrared light incident on the front surface of the suspended membrane plate. A thermometer is arranged on the suspended membrane plate to measure temperature, where the subwavelength antenna comprises titanium nitride. |
| Filed: 4/12/2022 |
| Application Number: US17718778A |
| Tech ID: SD 15488.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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