Sensor

• US 20060163453A1
• Filed: 01/26/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Hynes, Eamon, Lane, William A., Coyne, Edward John
• Granted Patent: US 7,326,932 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/214.R
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/04 Optical or mechanical part supplementary adjustable parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0411 using focussing or collimating elements, i.e. lenses or mirrors; Aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/02 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/024 Special manufacturing steps or sacrificial layers or layer structures
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/04 Casings
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/045 Sealings; Vacuum enclosures; Encapsulated packages; Wafer bonding structures; Getter arrangements getter arrangements per se H01L23/26 and H01L21/3221
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/08 Optical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0803 Arrangements for time-dependent attenuation of radiation signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0806 Focusing or collimating elements, e.g. lenses or concave mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0846 having multiple detectors for performing different types of detection, e.g. using radiometry and reflectometry channels
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/16235 Connecting to a semiconductor or solid-state bodies, i.e. cap-to-chip
• 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 31/02325 the optical elements not being integrated nor being directly associated with the device

Abstract

The invention provides a sensor element formed in a first substrate and at least one optical element formed in a second substrate, the first and second substrates being configured relative to one another such that the second substrate forms a cap over the at least one sensor element, the at least one optical element being configured to guide incident radiation on the cap to the at least one sensor element.

Claims

1. A sensor having at least one sensor element formed in a first substrate and at least one optical element formed in a second substrate, the first and second substrates being configured relative to one another such that the second substrate forms a cap over the at least one sensor element, the at least one optical element being configured to guide incident radiation on the cap to the at least one sensor element.

2. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first and second substrates are provided in silicon.

3. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor element is an infra-red sensor element.

4. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one optical element is a diffractive optical element.

5. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one optical element is a refractive optical element.

6. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cap defines a cavity around the sensor element within which the ambient conditions and composition can be specified.

7. The sensor as claimed in claim 6 wherein the cavity is provided at a pressure lower than ambient pressure.

8. The sensor as claimed in claim 6 wherein the cavity is populated with a gaseous composition selected for the application with which the sensor is to be used.

9. The sensor as claimed in claim 8 wherein the gaseous composition comprises a gas having a thermal conduction less than the thermal conduction of nitrogen.

10. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the optical element is formed in an inner surface of the cap, adjacent to the cavity.

11. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the optical element is formed in an outer surface of the cap, remote from the cavity.

12. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein optical elements are formed in an outer surface of the cap, remote from the cavity and an inner surface of the cap, adjacent to the cavity, the combination of the optical elements adjacent to and remote from the cavity forming a compound lens.

13. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of sensor elements are formed and the optical element is configured to selectively guide radiation of specific wavelengths to preselected ones of the plurality of sensor elements.

14. The sensor as claimed in claim 1 comprising a second cap, the second cap being orientated over the first cap, the second cap including an optical element, the optical elements of the first and second caps being configured to provide a compound lens.

15. A sensor array including a plurality of sensors, each of the sensors having a sensor element formed in a first substrate and an optical element formed in a second substrate, the first and second substrates being configured relative to one another such that the second substrate forms a cap over the sensor element, the optical element being configured to guide incident radiation on the cap to the sensing element, the sensor array being configured to define an image plane.

16. A discriminatory sensor configured to provide a signal on determination of a predefined three dimensional shape being sensed, the sensor including a first sensor element configured to provide a signal on sensing an object a first distance from the sensor and a second sensor element configured to provide a signal on sensing an object a second distance from the sensor, each of the first and second sensor elements including at least one sensing element formed in a first substrate and at least one optical element formed in a second substrate, the first and second substrates being configured relative to one another such that the second substrate forms a cap over the at least one sensing element, the at least one optical element being configured to guide incident radiation on the cap to the at least one sensing element.

17. The discriminatory sensor of claim 16 wherein the at least one sensing element of each of the first and second sensor element are formed in the same substrate.

18. The discriminatory sensor of claim 16 wherein the object is a human torso.

19. A gas analyser including at least one sensor element formed in a first substrate and at least one optical element formed in a second substrate, the first and second substrates being configured relative to one another such that the second substrate forms a cap over the at least one sensor element, the at least one optical element being configured to guide incident radiation on the cap to the at least one sensor element, the incident radiation guided having a wavelength indicative of the presence of a specific gas.

20. The gas analyser of claim 19 including a plurality of sensor elements and a plurality of associated optical elements therefore, each of the combined sensor elements and optical elements being configured for specific wavelength analysis such that the output of the plurality of sensor elements may be used to provide a gas wavelength signature spectrum.

21. A method of forming a sensor, the method including the steps of:

forming at least one sensor element in a first substrate,

forming an optical element in a second substrate,

bonding the first and second substrates together such that the second substrates provides a cap over the sensor element and the optical element is configured to guide incident radiation on the cap onto the sensor element.