Low-temperature isolated-target semiconductor bolometers

This paper presents the results of a test of low-temperature isolated-target bolometers, in which the radiation is absorbed by a blackened surface and the electrical signal is produced by a semiconductor microthermometer. At a substrate temperature of 1.6 K a noise equivalent power of 1.2 x 10 to the -14th W/sq rt Hz is obtained on the basis of the electrical measurement data. The contribution of the bolometer-component heat capacities is determined, and ways of reducing them are indicated. It is pointed out that the possibility of reducing the dimensions of the heat-sensitive elements is limited because of the appearance of excess noise.