Kawakami, A., Saito, S., & Hyodo, M. (2011). Fabrication of nano-antennas for superconducting Infrared detectors. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., 21(3), 632–635.
Abstract: To improve the response performance of superconducting infrared detectors, we have developed a fabrication process for nano-antennas. A nano-antenna consists of a dipole antenna, and a superconducting thin film strip placed in the antenna's center. By measuring the transition temperature of the superconducting strips, we confirmed that their superconductivity maintained a good condition after the nano-antenna fabrication process. We also evaluated nano-antenna characteristics using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The evaluated antenna length and width were respectively set at around 2400 nm and 400 nm, and the antennas were placed at intervals of several micrometers around the area of 1 mm2 . In an evaluation of spectral transmission characteristics, clear absorption caused by antenna effects was observed at around 1400 cm-1. High polarization dependencies were also observed.
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Lobanov, Y., Shcherbatenko, M., Finkel, M., Maslennikov, S., Semenov, A., Voronov, B. M., et al. (2015). NbN hot-electron-bolometer mixer for operation in the near-IR frequency range. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., 25(3), 2300704 (1 to 4).
Abstract: Traditionally, hot-electron-bolometer (HEB) mixers are employed for THz and “super-THz” heterodyne detection. To explore the near-IR spectral range, we propose a fiber-coupled NbN film based HEB mixer. To enhance the incident-light absorption, a quasi-antenna consisting of a set of parallel stripes of gold is used. To study the antenna effect on the mixer performance, we have experimentally studied a set of devices with different size of the Au stripe and spacing between the neighboring stripes. With use of the well-known isotherm technique we have estimated the absorption efficiency of the mixer, and the maximum efficiency has been observed for devices with the smallest pitch of the alternating NbN and NbN-Au stripes. Also, a proper alignment of the incident Eâƒ<2014>-field with respect to the stripes allows us to improve the coupling further. Studying IV-characteristics of the mixer under differently-aligned Eâƒ<2014>-field of the incident radiation, we have noticed a difference in their shape. This observation suggests that a difference exists in the way the two waves with orthogonal polarizations parallel and perpendicular Eâƒ<2014>-field to the stripes heat the electrons in the HEB mixer. The latter results in a variation in the electron temperature distribution over the HEB device irradiated by the two waves.
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González, F. J., Alda, J., Ilic, B., & Boreman, G. D. (2004). Infrared Antennas Coupled to Lithographic Fresnel Zone Plate Lenses. Appl. Opt., 43(33), 6067–6073.
Abstract: Several designs for Fresnel zone plate lenses (FZPLs) to be used in conjunction with antenna-coupled infrared detectors have been fabricated and tested. The designs comprise square and circular FZPLs with different numbers of Fresnel zones working in transmissive or reflective modes designed to focus infrared energy on a square-spiral antenna connected to a microbolometer. A 163× maximum increase in response was obtained from a 15-zone circular FZPL in the transmissive mode. Sensor measurements of normalized detectivity D* resulted in a 2.67× increase with FZPLs compared with measurements made of square-spiral antennas without FZPLs. The experimental results are discussed and compared with values obtained from theoretical calculations.
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Alda, J., Rico-García, J. M., López-Alonso, J. M., & Boreman, G. (2005). Optical antennas for nano-photonic applications. Nanotech., 16(5), S230–S234.
Abstract: Antenna-coupled optical detectors, also named optical antennas, are being developed and proposed as alternative detection devices for the millimetre, infrared, and visible spectra. Optical and infrared antennas represent a class of optical components that couple electromagnetic radiation in the visible and infrared wavelengths in the same way as radioelectric antennas do at the corresponding wavelengths. The size of optical antennas is in the range of the detected wavelength and they involve fabrication techniques with nanoscale spatial resolution. Optical antennas have already proved and potential advantages in the detection of light showing polarization dependence, tuneability, and rapid time response. They also can be considered as point detectors and directionally sensitive elements. So far, these detectors have been thoroughly tested in the mid-infrared with some positive results in the visible. The measurement and characterization of optical antennas requires the use of an experimental set-up with nanometric resolution. On the other hand, a computation simulation of the interaction between the material structures and the incoming electromagnetic radiation is needed to explore alternative designs of practical devices.
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González, F. J., & Boreman, G. D. (2005). Comparison of dipole, bowtie, spiral and log-periodic IR antennas. Inf Phys & Technol, 46(5), 418–428.
Abstract: Antenna-coupled microbolometers use planar lithographic antennas to couple infrared radiation into a bolometer with sub-micron dimensions. In this paper four different types of infrared antennas were fabricated on thin grounded-substrates and coupled to microbolometers. Dipole, bowtie, spiral and log-periodic IR antenna-coupled detectors were measured at 10.6 μm and their performance compared. A new method to calculate the radiation efficiency based on the spatial and angular response of infrared antennas is presented and used to evaluate their performance. The calculated radiation efficiency for the dipole, bowtie, spiral and log-periodic IR antennas was 20%, 37%, 25% and 46% respectively. A dipole-length study was performed and shows that the quasistatic value of the effective permittivity accurately describes the incident wavelength in the substrate at infrared frequencies for antennas on a thin substrate.
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