US 12,345,573 B2
Photonic bolometer and performing broadband high-absorption photonic bolometry
Nikolai Nikolaevich Klimov, Ellicott City, MD (US); Nathan Andrew Tomlin, Boulder, CO (US); and Christopher Shing-Yu Yung, Louisville, CO (US)
Assigned to GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE, Gaithersburg, MD (US)
Filed by Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Commerce, Gaithersburg, MD (US)
Filed on Sep. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/957,817.
Application 17/957,817 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/486,852, filed on Sep. 27, 2021, granted, now 12,066,741.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/251,186, filed on Oct. 1, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/083,218, filed on Sep. 25, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0032022 A1, Feb. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. G01J 5/0818 (2022.01); G01J 5/08 (2022.01); G01J 5/20 (2006.01); G01J 5/58 (2022.01)
CPC G01J 5/58 (2013.01) [G01J 5/0818 (2013.01); G01J 5/0853 (2013.01); G01J 5/20 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A photonic bolometer for performing broadband high-absorption photonic bolometry, the photonic bolometer comprising:
a photonic chip;
a weak thermal link disposed on and in mechanical communication with the photonic chip;
a thermally-isolated member disposed on the weak thermal link and in mechanical communication with the weak thermal link, such that the weak thermal link is interposed between the thermally-isolated member and the photonic chip, and the weak thermal link thermally isolates the thermally-isolated member from the photonic chip;
a photonic temperature sensor disposed on the thermally-isolated member and comprising a resonance frequency from which a temperature of the thermally-isolated member is determinable and that varies with temperature of the thermally-isolated member, wherein the photonic temperature sensor receives primary probe light from a chip waveguide and produces a bolometer light from the primary probe light;
the chip waveguide disposed on the thermally-isolated member in optical communication with the photonic temperature sensor and that communicates the primary probe light to the photonic temperature sensor and that monitors transmission and storage of the primary probe light by the photonic temperature sensor, wherein the chip waveguide receives the bolometer light from the photonic temperature sensor to determine the temperature of the thermally-isolated member via a change in resonance frequency of the photonic temperature sensor; and
a photon absorber disposed on the thermally-isolated member in thermal communication with the photonic temperature sensor and that receives incident radiation light, increases temperature due to absorption of the incident radiation light, heats the photonic temperature sensor in response to receipt of the incident radiation light, and changes the resonance frequency of the photonic temperature sensor in response to receiving the incident radiation light.