NANO-TIP SPACERS FOR PRECISE GAP CONTROL AND THERMAL ISOLATION IN MEMS STRUCTURES

摘要

A THz radiation detector comprising a vertical antenna separated from a suspended platform by an isolating thermal air gap for concentrating THz radiation energy into a smaller suspended MEMS platform upon which a thermal sensor element is located. THz photon energy is converted into electrical energy via a thermally isolated air gap between plates of a coupling capacitor separated by a plurality of nano-tip spacers that determine the gap distance. The capacitor couples energy from the antenna to the thermal sensor.