RADIATION SENSORS

• US 20170030768A1
• Filed: 07/22/2016
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Dardona, Sameh, Piech, Marcin, Schmidt, Wayde R., Vincitore, Antonio M., Mantese, Joseph V., Willigan, Rhonda R., Harris, Peter R., Santana, Jose L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,126,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/429 applied to measurement of ultraviolet light using counting tubes G01T

Abstract

In accordance with at least one aspect of this disclosure, an ultraviolet radiation (UV) sensor includes a UV sensitive material and a first electrode and a second electrode connected in series through the UV sensitive material such that UV radiation can reach the UV sensitive material. The UV sensitive material can include at least one of zinc tin oxide, magnesium oxide, magnesium zinc oxide, or zinc oxide. The electrodes can be interdigitated comb electrodes.

Claims

1. An ultraviolet radiation (UV) sensor, comprising:

a UV sensitive material; and

a first electrode and a second electrode connected in series through the UV sensitive material such that UV radiation can reach the UV sensitive material.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the UV sensitive material includes at least one of tin oxide, zinc tin oxide, magnesium oxide, magnesium zinc oxide, or zinc oxide.

3. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the electrodes are interdigitated comb electrodes.

4. The sensor of claim 2, wherein the UV sensitive material and the electrodes are coplanar.

5. The sensor of claim 3, wherein the UV sensitive material is disposed in a space defined between the electrode extensions of each electrode.

6. The sensor of claim 2, wherein at least one of the electrodes and the UV sensitive material are at least partially transparent to UV radiation.

7. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the UV sensitive material is a separate layer from the electrodes.

8. The sensor of claim 7, wherein each electrode is a separated by a layer of the UV sensitive material.

9. The sensor of claim 8, wherein the sensor includes a first layer of the UV sensitive material, a second layer having a second layer comb electrode with second layer comb electrode extensions, a third layer of UV sensitive material, and a fourth layer having a fourth layer comb electrode with fourth layer comb electrode extensions.

10. The sensor of claim 9, wherein the fourth layer comb electrode extensions are narrower than the second layer comb electrode extensions.

11. The sensor of claim 10, wherein the first layer is a sheet, wherein the third layer includes a comb shape with third layer extensions.

12. The sensor of claim 11, further including a fifth layer of the UV sensitive material, wherein the fifth layer has a comb shape with fifth layer extensions that are less wide than the third layer.

13. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor has a curved shaped.

14. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the curved shape is cylindrical.

15. The sensor of claim 1, further including a conductive film separated from the electrodes by a dielectric for sensing capacitance between the conductive film and the electrodes.

16. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the UV sensitive material is disposed in a planar spiral relationship with the plurality of electrodes.

17. A method for manufacturing an ultraviolet (UV) sensor, comprising:

depositing or printing a UV sensitive material on or within a plurality of electrodes.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising depositing or printing the electrodes.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the electrodes are interdigitated and the UV sensitive material is deposited or printed in a space between a plurality of electrode extensions.

20. The method of claim 19, forming the UV sensitive material to be coplanar with the electrodes to form a sensor layer.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising forming a plurality of the sensor layers one on top of another such that each sensor layer is electrically separated by the UV sensitive material but UV radiation is allowed to pass through each layer to reach the UV sensitive material in each sensor layer.

22. A radiation sensor, comprising:

a radiation sensitive material configured to be sensitive to one or more wavelengths of radiation; and

a first electrode and a second electrode connected in series through the radiation sensitive material such that radiation can reach the radiation sensitive material.

23. The radiation sensor of claim 22, wherein the radiation sensitive material exhibits a greater absorbance of ultraviolet radiation than other adjacent radiation wavelength bands.

24. The radiation sensor of claim 22, wherein a radiation sensitive material absorbance decreases above wavelengths of about 200 nm.

25. The radiation sensor of claim 24, wherein the radiation sensitive material absorbance is at least about ten times higher at a portion of a band of wavelengths between about 100 nm and about 400 nm versus a band of wavelengths above 400 nm.

26. The radiation sensor of claim 22, wherein an absorbance of the radiation sensitive material drops about 80% at wavelengths higher than about 325 nm.