Infrared radiation sources, sensors and source combinations, and methods of manufacture

1. An incoherent radiation emitter/detector comprising:

a narrow band device having an emitter/detector surface, the emitter/detector surface characterized by a plurality of geometric features thereon having a size, shape, and distribution definitive of the narrow band, the narrow band having a spectral bandwidth less than a corresponding ideal black body spectral bandwidth.

2. The emitter/detector of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises metal for filament having at least one surface characterized by the plurality of geometric features.

3. The emitter/detector of claim 2 , wherein the metal foil filament is self-supporting.

4. The emitter/detector of claim 1 , wherein the spectral bandwidth comprises a spectral transition between absorbing in-band and reflecting out-of-band emissions thereby effecting a band emitter.

5. The emitter/detector of claim 1 , wherein the distribution of the plurality of geometric features comprises a random texture.

6. The emitter/detector of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of geometric features includes projections from the surrounding emitter/detector surface.

7. The emitter/detector of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of geometric features comprises a mixture of small and large geometric feature sizes.

8. The emitter/detector of claim 1 , wherein the spectral bandwidth further comprises a full width half maximum (FWHM) spectral resolution (dλ/λ) of not more than about 0.1.

9. The emitter/detector of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of geometric features comprises a regular array of micron-scale structures.

10. The emitter/detector of claim 9 , wherein the micron-scale structures comprise a refractory metal oxide.

11. The emitter/detector of claim 1 , wherein the narrow band device is not more than a few microns thick.

12. The emitter/detector of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of geometric features comprises an array of planar emission/detection elements.

13. The emitter/detector of claim 12 , wherein the array of planar emission/detection elements comprises a two-dimensional array having 90-degree rotational symmetry.

14. The emitter/detector of claim 12 , wherein each of the planer emission/detection elements comprises a square unit mask.

15. The emitter/detector of claim 12 , wherein each of the planer emission/detection elements comprises a shape selected from the group consisting of: plus signs; annular rings; tripoles; and combinations thereof.

16. The emitter/detector of claim 1 , wherein the size, shape, and distribution of the plurality of geometric features are further definitive of one or more of: a peak frequency in a transmission band; a width of the transmission band; a location of minima, which define the band; and a steepness of the intensity falloff.

17. The emitter/detector of claim 1 , wherein the shape of the plurality of geometric features comprises one or more attributes selected from the group consisting of: width of lines; feature-to-feature variations; height measured from the emitter/detector surface; and wall profile shape.

18. A method of manufacturing a narrow band incoherent radiation emitter/detector comprising:

providing a device having an emitter/detector surface; and

forming a plurality of geometric features on the emitter/detector surface, the geometric features having a size, shape, and distribution definitive of the narrow band, the narrow band having a spectral bandwidth less than a corresponding ideal black body spectral bandwidth.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein forming the plurality of geometric features on the emitter/detector surface comprises using a two-dimensional (2D) planar process.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein forming the plurality of geometric features on the emitter/detector surface comprises a process selected from the group consisting of: electrolytic plasma etching; ion-milling; photo-lithographic masking and exposure techniques; ion beam lithography; laser deposition; etched electro-mechanical, chemically-treated, ion bombarded; printing; and combinations thereof.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the distribution of the plurality of geometric features comprises a random texture.

22. The method of claim 18 , wherein forming the plurality of geometric features comprises removing material from the emitter/detector surface between geometric features the plurality of geometric features, leaving the geometric features as projections from the surrounding emitter/detector surface.

23. The method of claim 18 , wherein forming the plurality of geometric features comprises forming a mixture of small and large geometric feature sizes on the same emitter/detector surface.

24. The method of claim 18 , wherein the spectral bandwidth further comprises a full width half maximum (FWHM) spectral resolution (dλ/λ) of not more than about 0.1.

25. The method of claim 18 , wherein forming the plurality of geometric features comprises forming a regular array of micron-scale structures.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein forming the micron-scale structures comprises using a refractory metal oxide.

27. The method of claim 18 , wherein forming the plurality of geometric features comprises forming a two-dimensional array of geometric features having 90-degree rotational symmetry.

28. The method of claim 18 , wherein forming each the plurality of geometric features comprises a forming a shape selected from the group consisting of: plus signs; annular rings; tripoles; and combinations thereof.

29. The method of claim 18 , wherein the shape of the plurality of geometric features comprises one or more attributes selected from the group consisting of: width of lines; feature- to-feature variations; height measured from the emitter/detector surface; and wall profile shape.