Two dimensional array infrared ray image pickup device

• US 5,541,412 A
• Filed: 11/25/1994
• Issued: 07/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tanaka, Akio, Teranishi, Nobukazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannaher, Constantine
• Assistant Examiner(s): TYLER, VIRGIL O
• Application Number:
  US08/348,112
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 250/330, 250/332, 250/338.4, 250/370.08, 250/338.1, 250/339.02, 250/339.04
• US Class Current: 250/332
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• 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 5/08 Optical arrangements
• 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 27/14609 Pixel-elements with integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements scanning details of imagers (circuitry of solid-state image sensors H04N25/00); circuitry of imagers H04N25/70
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14618 Containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1462 Coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14627 Microlenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14649 Infrared imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

An infrared ray image pickup device has a two-dimensional array structure having a sensor substrate, a plurality of scanning circuits provided to form two dimensional arrays on a surface of the substrate, a layer having a plurality of cavities provided over the scanning circuits, a plurality of beams provided to extend over the cavities, each of the beams including an element for converting a temperature variation to an electric signal, a supporting element provided on a peripheral region of the substrate for supporting a lens substrate including a plurality of micro-lenses that are located to face the beams so that a convex portion of each of the micro-lenses is spaced from a top of each of the beams by the same distance as a focal distance of the micro-lenses. The supporting element may have a plurality of convex portions made of boron phosphate silicate glass or boron silicate glass. Alternatively, the supporting element may include a plurality of bearings provided on a packaging substrate and bonding agents surrounding the bearings, the packaging substrate being provided thereon with the sensor substrate.

Claims

1. An infrared ray image pickup device having a two-dimensional array structure comprises:

a substrate;

a plurality of scanning circuits provided as two-dimensional arrays on a surface of said substrate;

a layer having a plurality of cavities provided over said scanning circuits;

a plurality of beams extending across said cavities, each of said beams comprising;

a first plate-like beam portion made of a first insulation material, said first plate-like beam portion having a first width, and including an expanding portion having a second width larger than said first width;

a thermoelectric transducer provided on said first plate-like beam portion, said thermoelectric transducer extending along a longitudinal center axis of said first plate-like beam portion, and having a third width smaller than said first width;

a second plate-like beam portion having said first width and being provided to cover said thermoelectric transducer so that said thermoelectric transducer is completely sealed by said first and second plate-like beam portions, said second plate-like beam portion being made of a second insulation material having an inexpansive residual stress different from an expansive residual stress of said first insulation material of said first plate-like beam portion so that each of said beams is gradually arched to raise up its center portion, and said second plate-like beam portion including an expanding portion having the second width larger than said first width, said expanding portion of said second plate-like beam portion being positioned to correspond to said expanding portion of said first plate-like beam portion; and

an infrared-ray absorption layer provided entirely on said expanding portion of said second plate-like beam portion;

a lens-substrate provided on a plurality of spacers provided on a peripheral area of said layer so that said lens-substrate is spaced apart from said layer, said lens-substrate having a plurality of micro-lenses whose centers are positioned directly over said expanding portions of said beams so that each of said micro-lenses faces said infrared-ray absorption layer, said spacers having a height equal to a sum of a difference in level between a top and bottom of said arched beams, a difference in level between the center and the edge of said micro-lenses and a focal distance of said micro-lenses thereby causing said micro-lenses to be spaced apart from the tops of said arched beams by said focal distance of said micro-lenses.

2. The infrared ray image pickup device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said spacers are made of a material selected from the group consisting of boron phosphate silicate glass and boron silicate glass.

3. The infrared ray image pickup device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said expanding portions of said first and second plate-like beam portions have a square-like shape.

4. The infrared ray image pickup device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said expanding portions of said first and second plate-like beam portions have a rectangular-like shape.