초록 ▼

Between the spaced biasing electrodes of a thermal radiation imaging device A D.C. bias source is connected to cause the flow of a bias current in the device body which is preferably of n-type cadmium mercury telluride. The bias current supports an ambipolar drift of radiation-generated minority car

Between the spaced biasing electrodes of a thermal radiation imaging device A D.C. bias source is connected to cause the flow of a bias current in the device body which is preferably of n-type cadmium mercury telluride. The bias current supports an ambipolar drift of radiation-generated minority carriers (holes) in the opposite direction. The device is operated in a system in which the radiation pattern is scanned across the device body in the same direction and at the same rate as the ambipolar velocity. Instead of having a single read-out electrode, a more sophisticated system with better performance is obtained by distributing between the spaced biasing electrodes a plurality of read-out electrodes each of which forms a Schottky barrier or p-n junction with the body material.

대표청구항 ▼

A thermal radiation imaging system comprising (a) a semiconductor body of a given conductivity type in which free charge carriers can be generated on absorption of radiation within a certain wavelength range, (b) spaced biasing electrode means on the body via which a bias current predominantly of ma

A thermal radiation imaging system comprising (a) a semiconductor body of a given conductivity type in which free charge carriers can be generated on absorption of radiation within a certain wavelength range, (b) spaced biasing electrode means on the body via which a bias current predominantly of majority charge carriers can be caused to flow in the body in a preferred direction and parallel to a major surface of the body, said bias current being capable of supporting an ambipolar drift of radiation-generated free minority charge carriers in the opposite direction to the flow of majority carriers, (c) means for scanning a radiation pattern across a major surface of the semiconductor body in the same direction as the ambipolar drift and at a rate corresponding substantially to the ambipolar drift velocity whereby integration of the minority charge carriers generated by the radiation pattern occurs with the ambipolar drift, and (d) plural read-out electrodes each comprising a rectifying barrier formed with the body material of said given conductivity type, which rectifying read-out electrodes are distributed in the ambipolar drift path between the biasing electrode means to detect the integrated radiation-generated minority charge-carriers in the ambipolar drift at different locations in the body.