An IR photodetector includes an electrically conductive layer, a first dielectric layer over the electrically conductive layer, and a phase change material layer over the first dielectric layer. The IR photodetector further includes first and second electrically conductive contacts coupled to the phase change material layer, and a graphene layer over the phase change material layer and having a perforated pattern therein. The IR photodetector includes circuitry configured to apply a bias voltage between the first and second electrically conductive contacts, and detect a sensing current in the phase change material layer caused by IR radiation received by the graphene layer, the IR radiation having a frequency range based upon the bias voltage.

An example object of the present invention is to provide a bolometer-type detector capable of reducing heat transfer between pixels. A bolometer-type detector according to an example aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of pixels, and at least includes: a substrate, a heat insulating layer provided on the substrate, bolometer films provided on individual pixels on the heat insulating layer, and a wiring for signal output connected to contact electrodes provided in contact with the bolometer films, wherein the wiring for signal output is disposed in a layer different from the bolometer films, and the heat insulating layer between adjacent pixels is removed at least partially in the depth direction and in a region of a length of 50% or longer and a width of 100 nm or wider of a closed curve that surrounds each bolometer film.

Optical microcavity resonance measurements can have readout noise matching the fundamental limit set by thermal fluctuations in the cavity. Small-heat-capacity, wavelength-scale microcavities can be used as bolometers that bypass the limitations of other bolometer technologies. The microcavities can be implemented as photonic crystal cavities or micro-disks that are thermally coupled to strong mid-IR or LWIR absorbers, such as pyrolytic carbon columns. Each microcavity and the associated absorber(s) rest on hollow pillars that extend from a substrate and thermally isolate the cavity and the absorber(s) from the rest of the bolometer. This ensures that thermal transfer to the absorbers is predominantly from radiation as opposed to from conduction. As the absorbers absorb thermal radiation, they shift the resonance wavelength of the cavity. The cavity transduces this thermal change into an optical signal by reflecting or scattering more (or less) near-infrared (NIR) probe light as a function of the resonance wavelength shift.

A sensing element of an infrared detector including a first absorber configured to form a first set of minority carriers upon receipt of an infrared flux, a collector, a first barrier disposed between the first absorber and the collector, a second absorber configured to form a second set of minority carriers upon receipt of the infrared flux, and a second barrier disposed between the second absorber and the collector. In response to a voltage being applied to the collector, the first and second set of minority carriers are collected at the collector.

High speed and spectrally selective pyroelectric detectors with plasmonic structure and methods of making and using same are disclosed. According to an aspect, a pyroelectric detector includes an artificial optical absorber or plasmonic absorber comprising an ensemble of subwavelength conductive components forming a plasmonic structure configured to receive light and to generate thermal energy from the received light. Further, the pyroelectric detector includes a pyroelectric material configured to receive the generated thermal energy from the plasmonic structure and to generate an electrical signal representative of the received thermal energy. Further, the pyroelectric detector includes an electronic component configured to receive the electrical signal from the pyroelectric material for detection of the received light.

An example apparatus includes: a semiconductor substrate; a mechanical resonator supported by the substrate, the mechanical resonator including an array of capacitors; and a plasmonic infrared (IR) absorber including an array of metal structures. The mechanical resonator is between the substrate and the IR absorber.

An infrared (IR) detection sensor for detecting IR radiation. The IR detection sensor including a plurality of nanowires positioned adjacent to each other so as to define a layer. The layer has an outer surface directable towards a source of IR radiation. First and second terminals are electrically coupled to the layer and a circuit is electrically coupled to the first and second terminals. The circuit is configured to determine a value of an electrical property, such as the resistance, of the layer in response to the IR radiation absorbed by the layer.

Various embodiments include heat and volatile-organic-compounds detecting systems. In one example, the heat-detecting system includes at least one heat sensor mounted externally to a device, such as a local power-box (LPB). The heat sensor has an area-of-detection to detect heat emitted from at least one face of the LPB at one or more locations. The heat-detecting system also includes a high-absorptance infrared-collector (HAIC) formed within the LPB to collect excessive heat generated by a component within the LPB. The excessive heat is correlated to a pre-determined temperature level, and a temperature of the collected excessive heat is measured by the heat sensor. Each of the heat sensor and the HAIC are coupled to a control module. Other apparatuses, designs, and methods are disclosed.

An infrared photodetector includes: a p-type and highly-doped silicon substrate; a metal structure disposed on the silicon substrate; a first electric contact to the silicon substrate; and a second electric contact to the metal structure.

A two-dimensional terahertz radiation detector includes a spectral conversion element, an array of microlenses, and a matrix image sensor. Such a detector can be particularly compact, light, and inexpensive. For some embodiments, it can be used to produce multispectral images of an external scene, from terahertz radiation that originates from the scene.