Use of a combination of iron monoxide and spinel oxides as a sensitive material for detecting infrared radiation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9376346-B2
Application number	US-48277509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2009
Priority date	Dec 14, 2006
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to the use of a material having a spinel ferrite/iron monoxide structure as a sensitive material in the form of a thin film for the bolometric detection of infrared radiation, the chemical composition of said structure, excluding doping agents that may be present, having empirical formula (I): (Fe 1−z M z ) x O, where x is strictly less than 1 and strictly greater than 0.75. The invention also relates to a bolometric device for infrared radiation detection and infrared imaging, comprising at least one sensor provided with a sensitive element in the form of a thin film as defined above.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bolometric device for detecting infrared radiation or for infrared imaging, comprising at least one sensor provided with a sensitive element having the form of a thin film comprising at least one combination of iron monoxide and of spinel ferrite(s), the chemical composition of which, excluding dopants that may be present, corresponds to the empirical formula:
(Fe 1−z M z ) x O  (I)

wherein:
the metals or the oxygen are in the form of ions;
Fe represents identical or different ferrous and/or ferric cations;
M represents metal cations, other than the ferrous cations;
z represents the number of metal cations other than the ferrous cations;
x being a number less than 1 and greater than 0.75; wherein
the thin film is a single-phase material having an NaCl-type structure comprising the at least one combination of iron monoxide and of spinel ferrite(s).

2. The bolometric device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thin film has a thickness ranging from 10 to 500 nm.

3. The bolometric device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor, inserted into a housing comprising an infrared-transparent aperture area, comprises a membrane capable of absorbing infrared radiation and of converting it to heat, the membrane being arranged so as to be able to be exposed to incident infrared radiation that has passed through the aperture area, and so as to transmit a portion of the heat thus produced to the sensitive element.

4. The bolometric device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a plurality of the at least one sensor in the form of an array of pixels.

5. The bolometric device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the array is connected to a CCD or CMOS matrix.

6. The bolometric device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thin film has the structural formula:

α
⁡

(

Fe

3
-

β
α

⁢

M

β
α

⁢

O
4

)

,

⁢

Fe

x
⁡

(

1
-
z

)

-

3
⁢
α

+
β

⁢

M

xz
-
β

⁢

O

1
-

4
⁢
α

(
II
)

wherein:

α
⁡

(

Fe

3
-

β
α

⁢

M

β
α

⁢

O
4

)

,

represents spinel aggregates; and
Fe x(1−z)−3α+β M xz−β O 1−4α , represents the NaCl-type iron monoxide matrix wherein the spinel aggregates are dispersed, with:
β representing the number of M cations, other than the ferrous cations, within the spinel aggregates;
α representing the number of

(

Fe

3
-

β
α

⁢

M

β
α

⁢

O
4

)

formula units contained in the assembly of the spinel aggregates;
the metals or the oxygen are in the form of ions;
Fe represents identical or different ferrous and/or ferric cations; and
M represents metal cations, other than the ferrous cations.

7. The bolometric device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thin film comprises crystallites having a diameter ranging from 5 and 50 nm.

8. A method for providing a thin film sensitive material for the bolometric detection of infrared radiation, comprising providing the thin film recited in claim 1 .

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the chemical composition of the thin film sensitive material corresponds to the structural formula:

α
⁡

(

Fe

3
-

Assignees

• Tailhades Philippe
• Presmanes Lionel
• Bonningue Corinne
• Mauvernay Bruno
• Ouvrier-Buffet Jean-Louis
• Arnaud Agnes
• Rabaud Wilfried
• Commissariat Energie Atomique
• Univ Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier
• Centre Nat Rech Scient

Inventors

• Tailhades Philippe
• Presmanes Lionel
• Bonningue Corinne
• Mauvernay Bruno
• Ouvrier-Buffet Jean-Louis
• Arnaud Agnes
• Rabaud Wilfried

Classifications

• C04B35/63416

  Polyvinylalcohols [PVA]; Polyvinylacetates · CPC title

• C04B35/6263

  characterised by their solids loadings, i.e. the percentage of solids · CPC title

• G01J5/046

  Materials; Selection of thermal materials · CPC title

• C23C16/406

  of iron group metals · CPC title

• C04B2235/658

  Atmosphere during thermal treatment · CPC title