Proceedings Article | 3 October 2024
KEYWORDS: Thermal modeling, Phonon transport in nanostructures, Instrument modeling, Infrared detectors, Detector development, Silicon, Sensors, Porosity, Electrical conductivity, Design, Silicon nitride, Thermal effects
Future planetary missions call for thermal detectors with high sensitivity over a wide range of temperature or wavelength. Conventional approaches based upon photon detectors are limited to a narrow and material-selective range of wavelength, and they often require cryogenic cooling for measurements of far-infrared (FIR) radiation or very low-temperature objects, which result in a significant increase in the system’s size, weight, and power (SWaP). While thermal detectors based upon thermopiles are uncooled and sensitive to a wide range of wavelengths including FIR radiation, their sensitivity, limited by the material’s thermoelectric response and heat losses, is an order of magnitude lower than photon detectors. To address the sensitivity requirements for future planetary science missions that target very cold objects such as ice giant planets, icy regoliths, planetary satellites, and primitive bodies, we introduce a high-sensitive broadband thermopile concept using holey silicon – a thin membrane of silicon with a microfabricated arrangement of pores that can be optimized to minimize heat losses and enable breakthrough thermoelectric performance. In this paper, we present our analytical model for the holey silicon-based thermopile, its performance expectations, and its performance comparisons with the state-of-the-art thermopile technology. More specifically, we investigate the roles of thermal conductance in holey silicon-based thermopile performance, analyze the impact of thermal conduction and thermal radiation at different temperature limits, and discuss the expected significance of this prospective technology on future planetary missions.
