Patent ID: 7705582

Claim:
A broadband power sensor comprising: a substrate; an aperture within the substrate; a membrane formed over at least a portion of the substrate and extending over the aperture; a coplanar waveguide (CPW) launch positioned over the substrate and including a pair of ground conductors terminating over the substrate and a signal conductor extending from the substrate over at least a portion of the aperture; a conductive under-layer positioned partially over the substrate and supported partially over the aperture by the membrane, wherein the conductive under-layer and the signal conductor are stratified by an intermediary dielectric; a transition formed on the substrate including a pair of vias extending through the intermediary dielectric and connecting the pair of ground conductors with the conductive under-layer; an electro-thermal transducer partially supported by the membrane, the electro-thermal transducer including: an impedance matched, bifurcated load formed over the aperture and supported over the aperture by the membrane, the bifurcated load having a width extending substantially the width of the conductive under-layer, wherein the conductive under-layer is forked so that one prong of the conductive under-layer is connected to a proximal end of one portion of the bifurcated load and the other prong of the conductive under-layer is connected to a proximal end of the other portion of the bifurcated load, an underpass connecting the proximal ends of the portions of the bifurcated load to maintain phase coherence of a propagated signal, a conductor strip having a width extending substantially the width of the bifurcated load, the conductor strip being connected with the distal end of the bifurcated load, and spanning a gap between the portions of the bifurcated load, and a thermopile extending over the aperture and supported by the membrane, the thermopile being adapted to generate a voltage in response to heat generated in the impedance matched, bifurcated load; wherein the signal conductor is connected with the conductor strip by a via extending through the intermediary dielectric to guide electromagnetic signals to the bifurcated load; and a thermometer arranged over the substrate to measure a temperature of the substrate.