Carbon nanotube bolometers

A cryogenic bolometer has been fabricated using a bundle of single-walled carbon nanotubes as absorber. A bolometric response was observed when the device was exposed to radiation at 110 GHz. The temperature response was 0.4 mV/K, with an intrinsic electrical responsivity at low frequency up to 10(9) V/W and noise equivalent power of 3x10(-16) W/Hz(1/2) at 4.2 K. The response is largest at input power levels of a few femtowatts and decreases inversely proportional to the input power. Low frequency noise shows a 1/f dependence. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.