Noise-equivalent temperature
Noise-equivalent temperature (NET) is a measure of the sensitivity of a detector of thermal radiation in the
blackbody
, then the NET simply scales with the NEP.
If a detector is limited by either
Johnson noise then the NET can be decreased by using an increased integration time. The NET of flicker noise
limited detectors can not be reduced by increased integration time.
Typically uncooled
MWIR) or InSb
(MWIR) can approach a NET figure of 10 mK. In the microwave radiation region NET values are typically several hundred millikelvins to several kelvins.
For a particular mean signal temperature there is a fundamental limit to NET given by the natural thermodynamic fluctuations of the photon flux from the source under investigation.
See also
External links
- Expanding the Vision of Sensor Materials (1995)[permanent dead link] National Materials Advisory Board (NMAB) Expanding the Vision of Sensor Materials (1995) at the Wayback Machine (archived August 12, 2012)