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Title: Infrared (IR) photon-sensitive spectromicroscopy in a cryogenic environment

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1257244

A system designed to suppress thermal radiation background and to allow IR single-photon sensitive spectromicroscopy of small samples by using both absorption, reflection, and emission/luminescence measurements. The system in one embodiment includes: a light source; a plurality of cold mirrors configured to direct light along a beam path; a cold or warm sample holder in the beam path; windows of sample holder (or whole sample holder) are transparent in a spectral region of interest, so they do not emit thermal radiation in the same spectral region of interest; a cold monochromator or other cold spectral device configured to direct a selected fraction of light onto a cold detector; a system of cold apertures and shields positioned along the beam path to prevent unwanted thermal radiation from arriving at the cold monochromator and/or the detector; a plurality of optical, IR and microwave filters positioned along the beam path and configured to adjust a spectral composition of light incident upon the sample under investigation and/or on the detector; a refrigerator configured to maintain the detector at a temperature below 1.0K; and an enclosure configured to: thermally insulate the light source, the plurality of mirrors, the sample holder, the cold monochromator and the refrigerator.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
Assignee:
Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (Livermore, CA)
Patent Number(s):
9,366,574
Application Number:
14/642,631
OSTI ID:
1257244
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 2015 Mar 09
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (6)

Energy-resolved detection of single infrared photons with λ = 8 μm using a superconducting microbolometer journal July 2012
Ultrasensitive hot-electron nanobolometers for terahertz astrophysics journal July 2008
Development of the nano-HEB array for low-background far-IR applications conference July 2010
Microstrip superconducting quantum interference device radio-frequency amplifier: Scattering parameters and input coupling journal April 2008
Energy resolution of terahertz single-photon-sensitive bolometric detectors journal February 2010
Spectroscopic study of excess electrons in liquid helium journal March 1994

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