An infrared sensor is formed in such a manner that an infrared receiver and a base substrate are spaced with a beam made of a thin-film phononic crystal in which through holes are arranged periodically. The beam made of a phononic crystal is formed in such a manner that a period P of through holes increases at arbitrary intervals in a direction from the infrared receiver toward the base substrate.

A thermal imaging system comprises a substrate, stacked graphene arrays on the substrate, and a number of bandpass filters separating the stacked graphene arrays.

We disclose an array of Infra-Red (IR) detectors comprising at least one dielectric membrane formed on a semiconductor substrate comprising an etched portion; at least two IR detectors, and at least one patterned layer formed within or on one or both sides of the said dielectric membrane for controlling the IR absorption of at least one of the IR detectors. The patterned layer comprises laterally spaced structures.

A communication apparatus includes an antenna array having a plurality of antenna elements, a plurality of thermoelectric devices that are arranged on the plurality of antenna elements of the antenna array, and a processor that determines which subset of the antenna elements are in an activated state and which are in a deactivated state, and further executes an activation or a deactivation of each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices in synchronization with the activated state or the deactivated state of different subsets of antenna elements of the plurality of antenna elements. Further, the processor controls each of the first plurality of thermoelectric devices to apply adaptive cooling on a first subset of antenna elements to maintain a corresponding temperature in a first specified range and apply adaptive cooling on a second subset of antenna elements to maintain a corresponding temperature in a second specified range.

A thermopile sensor according to the present disclosure includes a p-type portion and an n-type portion. The p-type portion has a first phononic crystal in which first holes are arranged in a plan view. The n-type portion has a second phononic crystal in which second holes are arranged in a plan view. The p-type portion and the n-type portion constitute a thermocouple. The boundary scattering frequency of phonons in the first phononic crystal is different from the boundary scattering frequency of phonons in the second phononic crystal. Alternatively, the ratio of the sum of the areas of the first holes to the area of the first phononic crystal in a plan view is different from the ratio of the sum of the areas of the second holes to the area of the second phononic crystal in a plan view.

A multispectral or thermal imager comprising a lens assembly, an array of IC chips that is arranged in a field of view of the lens assembly, each IC chip comprising an array of thermopile devices, and a filter assembly comprising one or more wavelength filters. The filter assembly comprises a respective wavelength filter for at least one of the three or more rows of IC chips. At least one wavelength filter is transparent in a portion of a wavelength range that passes through the lens assembly. The filter assembly is configured such that radiation of the same wavelength range passes to the rows of IC chips in the pair of non-adjacent rows, and such that the wavelength range that passes to the rows in the pair of non-adjacent rows is different from a wavelength range that passes to the one or more rows other than the pair of non-adjacent rows.

In a radiant heat sensor, first and second thermoelectric members are alternately arrayed one by one in a direction along a first surface of a plate-shaped member so as to be separated from each other, and each of the first and second thermoelectric members configure a portion of the first surface. First conductor patterns extend the first surface, disposed on the first surface so as to span a single first thermoelectric member and a single second thermoelectric member that are adjacent to each other, and configure hot contact portions between the first and second thermoelectric members. Second conductor patterns extend along the first surface, disposed on the first surface so as to span a single first thermoelectric member and a single second thermoelectric member that are adjacent to each other, and configure cold contact portions between the first and second thermoelectric members.

Device and method of forming the device are disclosed. The method includes providing a substrate prepared with a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) region and a sensor region. A substrate cavity is formed in the substrate in the sensor region, the substrate cavity including cavity sidewalls and cavity bottom surface and a membrane which serves as a substrate cavity top surface. The cavity bottom surface includes a reflector. The method also includes forming CMOS devices in the CMOS region, forming a micro-electrical mechanical system (MEMS) component on the membrane, and forming a back-end-of-line (BEOL) dielectric disposed on the substrate having a plurality of interlayer dielectric (ILD) layers. The BEOL dielectric includes an opening to expose the MEMS component. The opening forms a BEOL cavity above the MEMS component.

An infrared sensor substrate includes: column signal lines; row signal lines; a pixel array of pixels including infrared detector elements connected to the column signal lines and the row signal lines. The infrared sensor substrate includes: a current source connected to the infrared detector elements via the column signal lines; a voltage source that applies a voltage to the infrared detector elements via the row signal lines; output terminals connected to the column signal lines, the output terminals being connectable to a signal processing circuit substrate that processes output signals of the infrared detector elements. The infrared sensor substrate includes a monitoring terminal capable of monitoring the voltage applied to the infrared detector elements by the first voltage source.

A radiation thermometer includes a barrel, an infrared sensor, a first aperture, an infrared absorption structure, and a reflection structure. The barrel includes an infrared inlet port formed on a front end thereof. The infrared sensor is disposed on a base end side so as to be opposite to the infrared inlet port in the barrel. The first aperture divides between the infrared inlet port and the infrared sensor in the barrel. The infrared absorption structure is disposed on at least a part of an inner end surface on the base end side in the barrel or of an outer surface of the infrared sensor. The reflection structure is disposed on at least a part of an inner peripheral surface on the base end side relative to the first aperture in the barrel or at least a part of the first aperture which is located toward the infrared sensor.