Platinum Silicide Micromechanical Infrared Photon Detector

The proposed work is intended to lead to the development of a revolutionary class of photon detectors capable of operating at ambient temperatures with fast response times. Specific benefits of the proposed detector include: i) Low cost versions can readily be reduced-to-practice due to inherent simplicity of the sensing element compared to existing photon or thermal detectors, ii) there is no need for cooling the device to eliminate the thermal generated carriers, iii) The concept behind this device is inherently simple, iv) fast response times (< ,us) response times, faster than thermal detectors, v) more than one order of magnitude more sensitive than thermal detectors, vi) compatibility with IC fabrication techniques.