&lt;title&gt;Theoretically limited temperature sensitivity of thermal detectors with restricted spectral range&lt;/title&gt;

Igor I Taubkin,Mikhail A Trishenkov

doi:10.1117/12.179688

Abstract

Spectral characteristics of specific detectivity D*((lambda) m) and noise equivalent temperature difference NETD*((lambda) m) were calculated for background noise limited thermal detectors with restricted spectral range ((lambda) m - cut-off wavelength). In the actual spectral range ((lambda) m<15 micrometers ) thermal detectors are able to ensure the same values of D*((lambda) m) and NETD*((lambda) m) as for quantum detectors. NETD*((lambda) m) and D*((lambda) m) values are shown to be connected by `kT2-rule': NETD*((lambda) m) - (root)2kT2D*((lambda) m). It was accentuated that this rule may be applied to quantum photodetectors but with some definitions. The approximations were offered permitting to calculate values of D*((lambda) m) and NETD*((lambda) m) in all spectral ranges with the accuracy of not worse than 2%. It was shown that as D*((lambda) m) of an ideal thermal detector with a cold filter increases the cooling temperature necessary for achievement of theoretical limited values of D*((lambda) m) and NETD*((lambda) m) also increases. Such a behavior is opposite to that known for quantum photodetectors.

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