Electromagnetic radiation-detection device comprising ferroelectric sensing, reference and temperature-stabilizing components

Claim 2

An electromagnetic radiation detection device, comprising:

Claim 3

Means for maintaining the sensing and reference elements within about 0.1 centigrade degrees of crystallographic transition temperatures of the sensing and reference elements, said temperature-maintaining means comprising: a. a ferroelectric crystalline temperature-stabilizing element composed of the same basic ferroelectric crystalline material as the sensing and reference elements, the temperature-stabilizing element being electrically insulated from but thermally in contact with the sensing and reference elements; and b. means for subjecting the temperature-stabilizing element to an alternating electric field, in the direction of a ferroelectric axis of the temperature-stabilizing element.

Claim 4

stabilizing the temperature of the electromagnetic radiation sensing elements and an equal number of ferroelectric crystalline reference elements, the reference elements being of the same basic ferroelectric crystalline material as the sensing elements, within about 0.1 centigrade degrees of crystallographic transition temperatures of the sensing and reference elements; and

Claim 5

stabilizing the temperature of the electromagnetic radiation sensing elements and an equal number of ferroelectric crystalline reference elements, the reference elements being of the same basic ferroelectric crystalline material as the sensing elements, within about 0.1 centigrade degrees of crystallographic transition temperatures of the sensing and reference elements; and

Claim 6

a second ferroelectric crystalline body, having a crystallographic transition temperature slightly above the temperature of intended temperature stabilization of the ferroelectric crystalline temperature-stabilizing element, and comprising third and fourth sensing elements;

Claim 7

means for comparing the capacitances, in the direction of the ferroelectric axes, of the sensing and reference elements; and

Claim 8

means for shielding the reference element from electromagnetic radiation; the ferroelectric crystalline temperature stabilizing element constituting a second ferroelectric crystalline body.

Claim 9

a third ferroelectric crystalline body, having a crystallographic transition temperature approximately equal to that of the first ferroelectric crystalline body, and comprising a first reference element and a second reference element;

Claim 10

comparing temperature dependent properties of the sensing and reference elements; said temperature being stabilized by subjecting ferroelectric crystalline temperature stabilizing element to an alternating electric field in a direction of a ferroelectric axis, the temperature stabilizing element consisting of the same basic ferroelectric crystalline material as the sensing and reference elements, and the temperature stabilizing element being electrically insulated from but thermally in contact with the sensing and reference elements.

Claim 11

comparing temperature dependent properties of the sensing and reference elements.

Claim 12

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 2, in which the temperature-dependent properties which are compared are capacitances, in the direction of ferroelectric axes, of the sensing and reference elements.

Claim 13

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 2, in which the basic ferroelectric crystalline material of which the ferroelectric crystalline elements are composed has a single ferroelectric axis.

Claim 14

a fourth ferroelectric crystalline body, having a crystallographic transition temperature approximately equal to that of the second ferroelectric crystalline body, and comprising third and fourth reference elements;

Claim 15

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 2, in which the basic ferroelectric material of which the ferroelectric crystalline elements are composed is selected from the group consisting of ferroelectric materials having second order crystallographic transitions and ferroelectric materials having weak first order transitions.

Claim 16

sixteen electrodes, a pair of electrodes being connected to each sensing element and each reference element, each electrode being approximately perpendicular to the ferroelectric axis of the ferroelectric crystalline material employed, and each pair of electrodes being of such size and position that the capacitances of the eight sensing and reference elements are equal within about 1 percent;

Claim 17

means for electrically connecting: a. a first electrode of the first sensing element to a first electrode of the third sensing element; b. the second electrode of the third sensing element to a first electrode of the second sensing element; c. the second electrode of the second sensing element to a first electrode of the fourth sensing element; d. the second electrode of the fourth sensing element to the second electrode of the first sensing element; e. a first electrode of the first reference element to a first electrode of the third reference element; f. the second electrode of the third reference element to a first electrode of the second reference element; g. the second electrode of the second reference element to a first electrode of the fourth reference element; and h. the second electrode of the fourth reference element to the second electrode of the first reference element;

Claim 18

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 2, in which the basic ferroelectric crystalline material of which the ferroelectric crystalline components are composed is selected from the group consisting of triglycine sulfate, triglycine fluoberylate, and mixtures thereof.

Claim 19

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 2, in which the basic ferroelectric crystalline material of which the ferroelectric crystalline components are composed is selected from the group consisting of barium niobate, strontium niobate, and mixtures thereof.

Claim 20

means for applying a first alternating electric field between: a. the first electrode of the first sensing element, and b. the second electrode of the second sensing element;

Claim 21

means for applying a second alternating electric field, substantially equal in voltage to the first alternating electric field, between: a. the first electrode of the first reference element, and b. the second electrode of the second reference element; and

Claim 22

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 2, in which the basic ferroelectric crystalline material of which the ferroelectric crystalline components are composed is potassium tartrate tetrahydrate.

Claim 23

means for comparing: a. the voltage between i. the second electrode of the first sensing element, and ii. the first electrode of the second sensing element, with b. the voltage between i. the second electrode of the first reference element, and ii. the first electrode of the second reference element; the ferroelectric crystalline temperature stabilizing element constituting a fifth ferroelectric crystalline body.

Claim 24

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 2, in which the basic ferroelectric crystalline material of which the ferroelectric crystalline components are composed is triglycine sulfate.

Claim 25

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 2, in which the sensing and reference elements are derived from a single growth crystal.

Claim 26

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 4, in which the electromagnetic radiation sensing component comprises:

Claim 27

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 11, in which the sensing element is coated with an electromagnetic radiation absorptive and reradiating coating upon the portion of the sensing element exposed to incident electromagnetic radiation.

Claim 28

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 4, in which the electromagnetic radiation sensing component comprises:

Claim 29

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 13, in which the ferroelectric crystalline components are all derived from the same basic ferroelectric crystalline material, the basic ferroelectric crystalline material being selected from the group consisting of ferroelectric materials having second order crystallographic transitions and ferroelectric materials having weak first order transitions.

Claim 30

The electromagnetic radiation detector of claim 14, in which the ferroelectric crystalline components having varying crystallographic transition temperatures comprise varying amounts compositional inclusions.

Claim 31

The electromagnetic radiation detector of claim 14, in which the basic ferroelectric material contains hydrogen, and in which the ferroelectric crystalline componeNts having varying crystallographic transition temperatures comprise varying amounts of deuterium.

Claim 32

The electromagnetic radiation detector of claim 13, in which the first and third ferroelectric crystalline bodies are portions of a first ferroelectric growth crystal; and in which the second and fourth ferroelectric crystalline bodies are portions of a second ferroelectric growth crystal.

Claim 33

The electromagnetic radiation detection device of claim 17, in which the sensing elements are coated with an electromagnetic radiation absorptive and reradiating coating upon the portions of the sensing elements exposed to incident electromagnetic radiation.

Claim 34

A process for measuring the magnitude of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of simultaneously

Claim 35

A process for measuring the magnitude of electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of simultaneously

Claim 36

The process of claim 20, in which the properties of the sensing and reference elements which are compared are the capacitances, in the direction of a ferroelectric axis, of the sensing and reference elements.