Patent ID: 7157708

Claim:
An ultra-sensitive electromagnetic radiation sensor assembly, comprising: a radiation detection sub-assembly; an intermediate stage sub-assembly; a heat bath sub-assembly; a first thermally responsive temperature sensing element collocated with a thermal absorber element in thermal contact with said radiation detector sub-assembly; a second thermally responsive temperature sensing element collocated with and in thermal contact with said intermediate stage sub-assembly; a temperature difference signal amplifier located in thermal contact with said intermediate stage sub-assembly together with said second temperature sensing element; first thermal isolation support means located between said radiation detection sub-assembly and said intermediate stage subassembly; second thermal isolation support means located between said intermediate stage sub-assembly and said heat bath sub-assembly; means connecting said first thermally responsive temperature sensing element and the second thermally responsive temperature sensing element so as to generate a temperature difference signal, and wherein said temperature difference signal is coupled to and amplified by said temperature difference signal amplifier and, circuit means for removing threshold voltage offsets and low frequency 1/f noise in a readout signal.