SUPERCONDUCTOR BOLOMETER Russian patent published in 2008 - IPC H01L39/14 

FIELD: thermal-type millimetric- and submillimetric-wave detectors.

SUBSTANCE: proposed superconductor bolometer has thin radiation-absorber film and superconducting electrodes; inserted between absorber film and electrodes are superconductor tunneling junctions of superconductor-insulator-normal metal type in case absorber is made of normal metal or superconductor-insulator-weak superconductor when absorber is made of thin normal-metal film or of superconductor whose critical temperature is below that of electrodes; absorber volume v, tunneling junction size S, and given bias voltage U are chosen from equation v = (NEP)²/(20kT⁶), where NEP is power equivalent to noise; k is Boltzmann constant; T is temperature; S = P_bgeρ(kTV_gap); P_bg is background radiation power; e is electron charge; ρ = R_n ·_{S is product of normal resistance by area; Vgap is energy gap voltage; U = Vgap - kT/e.}

EFFECT: enhanced watt-ampere sensitivity, reduced noise, extended (by order of magnitude) dynamic range and saturation power , enlarged frequency band and operating temperature range(by more than order of magnitude).

1 cl, 5 dwg