The United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of the

The United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of

Techoscience Corporation

Jam Farhoomand

Robert E McMurray, Jr

Herbert M Pickett

Fabrication of far infrared photoconductor arrays, especially for low background astronomy, is particularly challenging due to arrays' relatively large pixel size, susceptibility to stray radiation, and the requirement for low bias levels. A hybrid-far infrared photoconductor array as presented, provides a system and method for the development of large-format far IR arrays. The hybrid-far infrared array is provided with a blocking layer, situated in between a detecting layer and a readout layer, which allows detection of far infrared signals without complications based on readout glow. In particular, the readout glow, detector heating, and thermal mismatch between the readout and the detecting layer are addressed by careful selection of the materials for the blocking layer. The blocking layer is provided with an array of conductive vias passing through the bulk of the blocking layer in order to efficiently transmit electrical signals between the detecting layer and the readout layer.

Far infrared photoconductor array

A resonant infrared detector includes an infrared-active layer which has first and second parallel faces and which absorbs radiation of a given wavelength. The detector also includes a first tuned reflective layer, disposed opposite the first face of the infrared-active layer, which layer reflects a specific portion of the radiation incident thereon and allows a specific portion of the incident radiation at the given wavelength to reach the infrared-active layer. A second reflective layer, disposed opposite the second face of the infrared-active layer, reflects back into the infrared-active layer substantially all of the radiation at the given wavelength which passes through the infrared-active layer. The reflective layers have the effect of increasing the quantum efficiency of the infrared detector relative to the quantum efficiency of the infrared-active layer alone.

Resonant infrared detector with substantially unit quantum efficiency

A method is described for generating tunable far-infrared radiation. The apparatus includes a Schottky-barrier diode which has one side coupled through a conductor to a waveguide that carries a tunable microwave frequency, the diode having an opposite side which is coupled through a radiating whisker to a bias source. Infrared light is directed at the diode, and infrared light with tunable sidebands is radiated by the whisker through an open space to a reflector. The original infrared is separated from a tunable infrared sideband by a polarizing Michelson interferometer.

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Jam Farhoomand