GB881596A - Improvements in or relating to thermal radiation detectors - Google Patents

Abstract

881,596. Thermo-couples. ALBISWERK ZURICH A.G. Oct. 7, 1959 [Oct. 7, 1958], No. 34031/59. Class 37. A thermal radiation detector comprises a plurality of thermo-couples, the hot junctions of which are disposed along a plurality of axes in a common plane, at least one of the elements forming each thermo-couple consisting of a wire whose longitudinal axis at the hot junction is perpendicular to the said common plane. As shown, Fig. 2, a plurality of wires 2 of e.g. bismuth, are pushed into perforations in a plate 1 of insulating material and secured thereto by an insulating layer 3 sprayed on to one side of the plate. A layer 4 of a good electrically conductive but poor thermally conductive material, e.g. antimony, is vapour deposited over the ends of the wires 2 which protrude slightly from the other side of the plate, and a filtering and protecting layer 5 is deposited on layer 4. In a modification, the wires 2 pass through the layer 4 and slightly protrude beyond it, the ends of the wires receiving incident radiation and conducting heat to the junctions. Fig. 3 shows a plurality of insulated wires 7 clamped between two halves of an insulating plate 6, the bare ends of the wires being aligned in one plane and conductive and filtering layers being deposited thereon. In Fig. 5, discrete thermocouples formed by wires of bismuth 14 and antimony 15 joined by intermediate layers 16 of gold are mounted in a plate 17 of insulating material. The heat-receiving areas of the thermo-couples may be arranged according to a system of rectangular or polar co-ordinates, and may vary in size or density with their distance from the centre of the plate.