US 12,393,013 B2
Direct thermal infrared vision via nanophotonic detector design
Chinmay Khandekar, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Weiliang Jin, Sunnyvale, CA (US); and Shanhui Fan, Stanford, CA (US)
Assigned to The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, CA (US)
Filed by The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 15, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/945,754.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/244,584, filed on Sep. 15, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0369821 A1, Nov. 7, 2024
Int. Cl. G02B 23/12 (2006.01); G02B 17/00 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 23/12 (2013.01) [G02B 17/002 (2013.01); G02B 17/004 (2013.01); G02B 2207/101 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Apparatus comprising:
a focal plane array including two or more pixels;
an input imager configured to receive infrared light from a scene being viewed and configured to provide an infrared image of the scene being viewed to the focal plane array;
wherein temperatures of the pixels of the focal plane array form a temperature image corresponding to the infrared image;
wherein the pixels of the focal plane array have a visible reflectance that depends on pixel temperature;
a source of visible light configured to illuminate the focal plane array with visible light; and
an output imager configured to receive the visible light from the focal plane array and configured to provide a visible image to a user;
wherein the output imager is configured for direct viewing by the user, whereby no electronic processing of the infrared image is needed to make the infrared image visible;
wherein the visible reflectance increases monotonically as the pixel temperature increases.