The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 24, 1996
Filed:
Dec. 24, 1990
Richard C McKee, Glenwood, MD (US);
Northrop Grumman Corporation, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
A resonant, photoconductive detector for infrared radiation in which a reduced-volume pattern of the photoconductor permits impedance-matching to free space. The photoconductor pattern is a split-ring pattern, typically made of HgCdTe, which is virtually cylindrically symmetric, yielding a non-polarization-sensitive response. The region below the patterned photoconductor is a quarter-wavelength resonant cavity type structure. The ohmic contacts are conductively distanced from one another by use of the split-ring pattern. Spacing dimensions are slightly less than a wavelength for the infrared wavelengths to be absorbed; but ring-width dimensions of the photoconductor are substantially less to effect the volume reduction and the corresponding detectivity and radiation-hardness improvements. The essentially cylindrical isotropic pattern eases fabrication by averaging etching nonuniformities.