Patent ID: 7274019

Claim:
Apparatus for detecting radiation emitted, reflected or scattered by an object, said apparatus comprising: a superconducting structure responsive to an external radiation emitted, reflected or scattered by the object; an energy source for directing energy onto a small area of said superconducting structure in forming a small localized non-superconducting area on said superconducting structure having an electrical resistance characteristic of the radiation emitted, reflected or scattered by the object; displacement means coupled to said energy source for scanning said energy over said superconducting structure; and a detector for detecting and recording the electrical resistance characteristic of the small localized non-superconducting area on said superconducting structure as said energy source is scanned over said structure in measuring and recording the spectral characteristics of the object, wherein said detector means detects a change in resistance in the small localized non-superconducting area on said structure arising from the IR radiation emitted, reflected or scattered by the object and incident on the superconducting structure.