Infrared detector

• US 5,021,663 A
• Filed: 10/15/1990
• Issued: 06/04/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Hornbeck, Larry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannaher, Constantine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eisenberg, Jacob M.
• Application Number:
  US07/597,280
• Time in Patent Office: 232 Days
• Field of Search: 250/338.1, 250/338.2, 250/338.3, 250/338.4, 250/332, 250/370.08, 250/370.01, 250/330, 250/342, 250/349
• US Class Current: 250/349
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/202 Arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/02 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/023 Particular leg structure or construction or shape; Nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/20 using resistors, thermistors or semiconductors sensitive to radiation, e.g. photoconductive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19 using infrared-radiation detection systems G08B13/194 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1467 of the hybrid type

Abstract

Preferred embodiments include a monolithic uncooled infrared detector array of bolometers fabricated over a silicon substrate (142); the bolometers include a stack (144) of oxide (146) TiN (148), a-Si:H (150), TiN (152), oxide (154) with the TiN forming the infrared absorbers and resistor contacts and the a-Si:H the resistor with a high temperature coefficient of resistivity. The resistor is suspended over the silicon substrate (142) by metal interconnects (154 and 156) and related processing circuitry is formed in the silicon substrate (142) beneath the resistor.

Claims

1. An array of bolometers for detecting radiation in a spectral range, comprising:

(a) a substrate including an array of bolometer circuit elements adjacent a first surface;

(b) an array of resistors, each of said resistors having leads and spaced from said surface by about one quarter wavelength of the center of said spectral range, said resistor plus leads being formed from a stack including a first conductive layer, a resistive layer, and a second conductive layer with said second conductive layer the closest layer to said surface, each of said resistors further oriented to receive radiation, and located over and electrically connected to a corresponding set of said circuit elements.

2. The array of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) a chopper for the radiation received by said resistors.

3. The array of claim 1, wherein:

(a) each of said resistors is mechanically connected to said surface by connections that attach to said surface by connections that attach to said leads on said first conductive layer; and

(b) said stack is supported solely by said connections.

4. The array of claim 1, wherein:

(a) said first conductive layer is split into two regions; and

(b) said two regions are connected to said corresponding circuit elements by said leads plus air bridges.

5. The array of claim 1, wherein:

(a) said second conductive layer has a passivation layer;

(b) said surface is reflective; and

(c) the space between said surface and said passivation layer is evacuated.

6. The array of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the sheet resistance of said first and second conductive layers provides at least 50% absorption in said spectral band.

7. The array of claim 1, wherein:

(a) said stack includes a first passivation layer on said first conductive layer and a second passivation layer on said second conductive layer;

(b) said first and second passivation layers are silicon dioxide;

(c) said first and second conductive layers are titanium nitride; and

(d) said resistive layer is amorphous silicon.

8. A bolometer for detecting radiation in a spectral range, comprising:

(a) a resistor formed from a planar stack, said stack including (i) a planar layer of resistive material with first and second surfaces, the resistivity of said resistive material depending upon temperature, (ii) a first layer of a first conducting material abutting said first surface, (iii) a second layer of a second conducting material abutting said second surface, said first layer split into first and second regions which form the two terminals of the resistor;

(b) said resistor oriented to receive radiation in a spectral range; and

(c) a detector for detecting the resistivity of said resistor.

9. The bolometer of claim 8, further comprising:

(a) said layer of resistive material having high conductivity adjacent said first layer and said second layer.

10. The bolometer of claim 8, further comprising:

(a) a chopper for the radiation received by said resistor.

11. The bolometer of claim 8, further comprising:

(a) a third layer of a third conducting material, said third layer parallel to and spaced from said second layer a distance equal to about one quarter of the wavelength of the center of said spectral range.

12. The bolometer of claim 11, wherein:

(a) the thickness and conductivities of said first layer and said second layer are characterized by at least 50% absorption at the center of said spectral range by said resistor.

13. The bolometer of claim 8, wherein:

(a) said resistive material is amorphous silicon;

(b) said first and second conductivity materials are titanium nitride; and

(c) said stack is characterized by in situ deposition of said second layer, said planar layer, and said first layer.

14. The bolometer of claim 10, wherein:

(a) said two regions are connected to said detector by leads plus air bridges.

15. A method of detecting radiation in a spectral range, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a resistive material which is substantially transparent to radiation in a spectral range;

(b) providing conducting material on said resistive material;

(c) providing a reflecting material spaced from said conducting material by a substantially transparent material;

(d) wherein the thickness and conductivity of said conducting material and said reflecting material spacing are characterized by at least 50% absorption about the center of a spectral range; and

(e) measuring the temperature of said resistive material when exposed to radiation in the spectral range.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of:

(a) chopping the radiation received by said materials.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

(a) said conducting materials is titanium nitride;

(b) said resistive material is amorphous silicon; and

(c) said reflecting material is aluminum.

18. A method of fabrication of an infrared imager, comprising the steps of:

(a) forming an array of bolometer circuitry at a surface of a substrate;

(b) forming a spacer layer over said circuitry;

(c) forming a resistor stack on said spacer layer;

(d) forming connections from said resistor stack to said circuitry; and

(e) removing said spacer layer.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

(a) forming a reflective layer over said bolometer circuitry prior to said forming a spacer layer.

20. The method of claim 18. wherein:

(a) said forming a resistor stack is by in situr deposition of a passivation layer, a conductive layer, a resistive layer, another conductive layer, and another passivation layer.

21. An array of bolometers for detecting radiation in a spectral range, comprising:

a substrate including an array of bolometer circuitry elements adjacent a first surface of said substrate; and

an array of resistors the value of which varies with received radiation, each of said resistor spaced from a corresponding circuit element by about one quarter wavelength of the center of said spectral range, oriented to receive radiation, and located over and electrically connected said corresponding set of said circuit elements.

22. An array of bolometers for detecting radiation in an spectral range, comprising:

a substrate having a first surface;

an array of resistors the value of which varies with received radiation, oriented to receive radiation, each of said resistors having a selected and spaced above said substrate a selected distance so as to substantially cover a selected area of said first surface; and

an array of bolometer circuit elements sets formed at said first surface, selected ones of said circuit element sets connected to corresponding ones of said variable resistors in said array, and located within said selected area below said corresponding resistors.

23. The array of claim 22, wherein:

(a) each of said resistors has leads, and said resistor plus leads are formed from a stack including a first conductive layer, a resistive layer, and a second conductive layer with said second conductive layer the closest layer to said surface.

24. The array of claim 23, wherein:

(a) each of said resistors is mechanically connected to said surface by connections that attach to said leads on said first conductive layer; and

(b) said stack is supported solely by said connections.

25. The array of claim 23, wherein:

(a) said first conductive layer is split into two regions; and

(b) said two regions are connected to said corresponding circuit elements by said leads plus air bridges.

26. The array of claim 22 wherein said circuit element set and said variable resistor are separated by about one quarter wavelength of the center of the spectral range.

27. The array of claim 22, wherrein the spacing between the nominal top surface of a circuit element set and the bottom most surface of the corresponding variable resistor is about one quarter wavelength of the center of the spectral range.

28. An array of bolometers having resistors which vary with received radiation in a spectral range, said array comprising:

(a) a plurality of pixels formed in a layered structure; and

(b) said layered structure including a substrate, circuit elements formed on said substrate, a conducting radiation reflecting layer insulated from and located on said circuit elements, said conducting layer acting as a ground plane and radiation reflector, a spacer layer located on said reflector layer, said spacer layer defining a well above said circuit elements, and said radiation variable resistors supported by said spacer layer and located above said well.

29. The array of claim 28 wherein the distance from said circuit elements and said reflector is about one quarter of the wavelength of the center of the spectral range.

30. The array of claim 28 where each of said variable resistors has leads, and said resistor plus leads being formed from a stack including a first conductive layer, a resistive layer, and a second conductive layer with said second conductive layer being the closest to said surface.

31. The array of claim 29 wherein said first conductive layer is split into two regions, and said two regions are connected to said corresponding circuit elements by said leads plus air bridge.