Infrared light detection array and method of producing the same

• US 6,914,245 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2002
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaneda, Osamu, Sone, Takanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sung, Christine
• Application Number:
  US10/286,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20030111603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 250/338.1, 250/336.1
• US Class Current: 250/338.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/40 using bimaterial elements

Abstract

An infrared light detection array with a plurality of infrared light detectors, said infrared light detectors each comprising: a supporting leg fixed to said substrate at one end, having a laminated structure of an insulation layer and a wiring layer; and a heat insulation structure portion supported by said supporting leg, comprising an insulation layer having a first surface to serve as a surface of incidence for infrared light to impinge on and a second surface to serve as a surface of incidence for reading light to impinge on, a reflection film which is formed on said second surface of said insulation layer, and a resistor connected with said wiring layer, and as said supporting legs heated up to a detection temperature by said infrared light reversibly warp, said infrared light detectors change the reflection direction of said reading light impinging upon said reflection films.

Claims

1. An infrared light detection array with a plurality of infrared light detectors arranged on a substrate in the form of a matrix, said infrared light detectors each comprising:

a) a supporting leg fixed to said substrate at one end, having a laminated structure of an insulation layer and a wiring layer;

b) a heat insulation structure portion supported by said supporting leg, comprising an insulation layer having a first surface to serve as a surface of incidence for infrared light to impinge on and a second surface to serve as a surface of incidence for reading light to impinge on, a reflection film which is formed on said second surface of said insulation layer, and a resistor connected with said wiring layer,

and as said supporting legs heated up to a detection temperature by said infrared light reversibly warp, said infrared light detectors change the reflection direction of said reading light impinging upon said reflection films,

wherein said supporting legs non-reversibly warp, as said resistors carry a current through said wiring layers and said supporting legs are heated up to a temperature higher than said detection temperature.

2. An infrared light detection array according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of row wires connected respectively with one ends of said resistors of said infrared light detectors arranged in a row direction;

a plurality of column wires connected respectively with other ends of said resistors of said infrared light detectors arranged in a column direction;

a vertical scanning circuit to select any desired row wire from said plurality of row wires;

a horizontal scanning circuit to select any desired column wire from said plurality of column wires; and

controlling elements connected in series with said resistors and included in said infrared light detectors,

wherein said resistors carry a current using said controlling elements of said infrared light detectors with rows and columns selected by said vertical scanning circuit and said horizontal scanning circuit.

3. An infrared light detection array according to claim 2, characterized in that said controlling element is selected out from a transistor and a diode.

4. An infrared light detection array according to claim 1, characterized in that a main component of said resistors is an element selected from a group including titanium, tantalum, titanium nitride and tantalum nitride.

5. An infrared light detection array according to claim 1, characterized in that said resistors are diodes.

6. An infrared light detection array according to claim 5, characterized in that said diodes are comprised of a pn junction diode joining an n-type silicon layer containing boron as an impurity with a p-type silicon layer containing arsenic or antimony as an impurity.

7. An infrared light detection array according to claim 5, further comprising:

a plurality of row wires connected respectively with one ends of said diodes of said infrared light detectors arranged in a row direction;

a plurality of column wires connected respectively with other ends of said diodes of said infrared light detectors arranged in a column direction;

a vertical scanning circuit to select any desired row wire from said plurality of row wires;

a horizontal scanning circuit to select any desired column wire from said plurality of column wires,

wherein said diodes of said infrared light detectors with rows and columns selected by said vertical scanning circuit and said horizontal scanning circuit carry a current.

8. An infrared light detection array according to claim 1, characterized in that said insulation layers and said wiring layers forming said supporting legs are comprised of ceramic layers and metal layers having different thermal expansion coefficients from each other.

9. An infrared light detection array according to claim 8, characterized in that said ceramic layers include one layer selected from a silicon oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxynitride film,

and that said metal layers have an element selected from a group including titanium, titanium nitride, aluminum, tungsten, gold, copper and platinum as a main component.

10. An infrared light detection array according to claim 1, characterized in that insulation plates supported by supporting columns are disposed on said second surfaces of said insulation layers to be approximately parallel to said insulation layers, and that said reflection films are formed on said insulation plates.

11. An infrared light detection array according to claim 1, characterized in that said heat insulation structure portions include infrared absorbing films on the first surface side to said resistors, and the sheet resistance of said infrared absorbing films is from about 100 Ω

/□

to about 500 Ω

/□

.

12. An infrared light detection array according to claim 11, characterized in that the optical film thickness of said insulation layers between said infrared absorbing films and said reflection films included in said heat insulation structure portions is approximately 2.5 μ

m to infrared light on a wavelength of 10 μ

m.

13. An infrared light detection array with a plurality of infrared light detectors arranged on a substrate in the form of a matrix, said infrared light detectors each comprising:

a) a supporting leg fixed to said substrate on one end, having a laminated structure of an insulation layer and a wiring layer;

b) a heat insulation structure portion supported by said supporting leg, comprising an insulation layer having a first surface for infrared light to impinge upon and a second surface for reading light to impinge upon, a half-mirror layer to transmit a portion of said reading light but reflect the other portion of said reading light, and a resistor connected with said wiring layer; and

c) a mirror layer disposed on said substrate to reflect said reading light transmitted through said half-mirror layer and causes said reading light reflected by said half-mirror layer to interfere with said reading light reflected by said mirror layer to thereby create interference light,

and as said supporting legs heated up to a detection temperature by said infrared light reversibly warp, said infrared light detectors change the light intensity of said interference light,

wherein said supporting legs non-reversibly warp, as said resistors carry a current through said wiring layers and said supporting legs are heated up to a temperature which is higher than said detection temperature.

14. A method of producing an infrared light detection array with a plurality of infrared light detectors arranged on a substrate in the form of a matrix, comprising:

a step of preparing a substrate;

a step of depositing a sacrificial layer on said substrate;

a step of forming insulation layers to define heat insulation structure portion areas and supporting leg areas on said sacrificial layer;

a resistor forming step of forming resistors in said heat insulation structure portion areas of said insulation layers;

a reflection film forming step of forming reflection films on said resistors;

an annealing step of heating said substrate forming said reflection films to a predetermined annealing temperature;

a step of forming a wiring layer connected with said resistors on said supporting leg areas of said insulation layers after said annealing step; and

a step of removing said sacrificial layer and producing said infrared light detectors with said heat insulation structure portions supported on said substrate by said supporting legs comprised of said insulation layers and said wiring layers,

wherein said method further comprising a correction step of causing said resistors included in said infrared light detectors to carry a current after said infrared light detectors are formed and heating up said resistors to a temperature lower than said annealing temperature, so that said supporting legs non-reversibly warp and the supporting angles of said reflection films with respect to said substrate become approximately uniform among all of said infrared light detectors.

15. A method according to claim 14, characterized in that said resistor forming step comprises a step of forming a polycrystalline silicon film on said insulation layers, implanting n-type impurities and p-type impurities into said polycrystalline silicon film and forming said resistors from pn junction diodes.

16. A method according to claim 14, characterized in that said reflection film forming step comprises:

a step of depositing a further sacrificial layer on said heat insulation structure portion areas of said insulation layers;

a step of forming said reflection films on said sacrificial layer; and

a step of removing said sacrificial layer and forming said reflection films supported on said heat insulation structure portion areas of said insulation layers.

17. A method according to claim 14, characterized in that said correction step comprises:

a step of approximately uniformly irradiating infrared light from the infrared incident side of said infrared light detection array;

a step of irradiating reading light upon said reflection films of said infrared light detectors included in said infrared light detection array;

a step of detecting reflection light generated as said reading light is reflected by said reflection films; and

a step of heating said resistors and warping said supporting legs non-reversibly in such a manner that the detected intensities of light become approximately uniform among said infrared light detectors.

18. A method according to claim 17, characterized in that said correction step comprises a pulsed current step of applying pulses to said resistor of one of said infrared light detectors, and terminating the pulsed current to said infrared light detectors at the point that the intensity of said reflection light reaches a predetermined intensity while the said pulsed current is not carried.