Proximity sensor

• US 10,205,035 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2012
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oerlikon Surface Solutions Ag, PfAffikon (OC Oerlikon Corporation AG)
• Original Assignee: Oerlikon Surface Solutions Ag, PfAffikon (OC Oerlikon Corporation AG)
• Inventors: Keckes, Antal, Schuler, Peter, Hermann, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Yushina, Galina
• Application Number:
  US14/007,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20140183678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,538 Days
• Field of Search: 438104, 438 57
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0203 Containers; Encapsulations , e.g. encapsulation of photodiodesfor photovoltaic devices H01L31/048; for organic photosensitive devices H10K30/80
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic proximity sensor having a decorative surface, characterized in that the decorative surface comprises a semiconductor layer, the thickness of which is between 10 nm and 100 nm. This coating imparts a desired metallic appearance to the proximity sensor, without the property thereof as a proximity sensor being lost.

Claims

1. Method for producing an electronic proximity sensor, having the steps of:

providing a capacitive proximity sensor having a sensor surface, and

coating the sensor surface with a semiconductor layer, the thickness of which is between 10 nm and 100 nm, wherein the coating is achieved by a vacuum process,

wherein the semiconductor layer is a silicon layer or a germanium layer or a layer consisting of silicon and germanium, and

wherein the electronic proximity sensor has a decorative surface with a metallic appearance.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the vacuum process comprises at least one of PVD and CVD process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer is a layer component of a layer system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer is a layer component of a layer system and the layer system is structured as alternating layer system comprising at least one semiconductor layer and one dielectric layer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the semiconductor layer is a Si-layer and the dielectric layer is a SiO₂-layer.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises germanium and the dielectric layer is a SiO₂-layer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a primer of UV acryl lacquer is first applied onto the surface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a top layer of UV acryl lacquer is applied.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the vacuum process includes or is magnetron sputtering.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein germanium and silicon oxide are alternately formed.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the one semiconductor layer comprises silicon and germanium combined, and the one dielectric layer comprises silicon oxide.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the decorative surface comprises an entire decorative surface.