Multispectral sensor

• US 8,816,282 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat A L'Energie Atomique et AUX Energies Alternatives, Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Commissariat A L'Energie Atomique et AUX Energies Alternatives, Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Thiel, Michael, Kallmann, Ulrich, Kundermann, Stefan, Mottin, Eric, Arnaud, Agnes
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jo, Taeho
• Application Number:
  US12/989,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20110194100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• Field of Search: 2503381-3385, 25033901-33909, 250/339.1, 25033911-33915, 250/332, 25037001-37015
• US Class Current: 250/338.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/42 using electric radiation detectors optical or mechanical part G01J1/04; by comparison with a reference light or electric value G01J1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/36 Investigating two or more bands of a spectrum by separate detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/42 Absorption spectrometry; Double beam spectrometry; Flicker spectrometry; Reflection spectrometry beam switching arrangements G01J3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/20 using resistors, thermistors or semiconductors sensitive to radiation, e.g. photoconductive devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14652 Multispectral infrared imagers, having a stacked pixel-element structure, e.g. npn, npnpn or MQW structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14669 Infrared imagers

Abstract

A multispectral sensor which includes a complementary metal oxide semiconductor substrate having a switching circuit, at least one antenna-receiving combination device for detecting terahertz radiation, at least one additional bolometer for detecting mid-range infrared radiation, and at least one diode for detecting radiation in the visible to near-infrared range. A multispectral imaging and/or spectroscopy system, a method for detecting and/or examining life forms, objects, and materials using such a system, and the use of such a sensor and system are also described.

Claims

1. A multispectral sensor, comprising:

a complementary metal oxide semiconductor substrate having a switching circuit;

at least one antenna receiver combination device to detect terahertz radiation;

at least one device to detect mid-range infrared radiation; and

at least one diode to detect radiation in a visible to near-infrared range;

wherein the at least one device to detect mid-range infrared radiation and the at least one diode are situated beneath an antenna of the at least one antenna receiver combination device with no galvanic conductive connection between the at least one antenna receiver combination device and the at least one device to detect mid-range infrared radiation, and with no galvanic conductive connection between the at least one antenna receiver combination device and the at least one diode.

2. The sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein the antenna receiver combination device is one of an antenna-bolometer combination device or an antenna-diode combination device, and the device to detect mid-range infrared radiation is one of a bolometer or a metal-insulator-metal diode.

3. The sensor as recited in claim 2, wherein the antenna receiver combination device is at least one of an antenna-bolometer, antenna-Schottky diode, and an antenna-metal-insulator-metal diode combination device.

4. The sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor includes at least two different antenna receiver combination devices having one of different interspaced, contiguous, or overlapping detection frequency bands, and at least two different devices to detect mid-range infrared radiation having one of different interspaced, contiguous, or overlapping detection frequency bands, and at least two different diodes to detect radiation in the visible to near-infrared range having one of different interspaced, contiguous, or overlapping detection frequency bands.

5. The sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor includes at least two different antenna receiver combination devices which are designed in such a way that the terahertz range is subdivided into at least two sub-bands which are associated with the antenna receiver combination devices.

6. The sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor includes at least two antenna receiver combination devices having different antenna designs.

7. The sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor includes at least two different antenna receiver combination devices which are tuned to frequency ranges in the terahertz range to be detected.

8. The sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor has a plurality of antenna receiver combination devices, devices to detect mid-range infrared radiation, and diodes to detect radiation in the visible to near-infrared range, the antenna receiver combination devices, devices to detect mid-range infrared radiation, and diodes to detect radiation in the visible to near-infrared range having a grid design.

9. The sensor as recited in claim 8, wherein the antenna receiver combination devices, devices to detect mid-range infrared radiation, and diodes to detect radiation in the visible to near-infrared range are situated on the sensor as pixels in a grid of at least 20 by 20.

10. The sensor as recited in claim 9, wherein the grid is of at least 50 by 50.

11. The sensor as recited in claim 9, wherein the grid is of at least 100 by 100.

12. The sensor as recited in claim 8, wherein the antenna receiver combination devices, devices to detect mid-range infrared radiation, and diodes to detect radiation in the visible to near-infrared range are situated on the sensor in a symmetrical pattern.

13. The sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein the antenna receiver combination device includes at least one of a metal layer, a semiconductor layer, a layer composed of one or more electrically conductive polymers, a layer based on carbon nanotubes which is transmissive to radiation in the visible to near-infrared range, and a layer based on carbon nanotubes which is transmissive to infrared radiation.

14. The sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein an antenna of the antenna receiver combination device is situated on a carrier composed of a galvanically nonconductive material.

15. The sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor has a multispectral optical system.

16. The sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor has a reflective optical system.

17. The sensor as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor has an evaluation electronics system.

18. A multispectral imaging system, comprising:

a sensor, including a complementary metal oxide semiconductor substrate having a switching circuit, at least one antenna receiver combination device to detect terahertz radiation, at least one device to detect mid-range infrared radiation, at least one diode to detect radiation in a visible to near-infrared range; and

a terahertz radiation source;

wherein the at least one device to detect mid-range infrared radiation and the at least one diode are situated beneath an antenna of the at least one antenna receiver combination device with no galvanic conductive connection between the at least one antenna receiver combination device and the at least one device to detect mid-range infrared radiation, and with no galvanic conductive connection between the at least one antenna receiver combination device and the at least one diode.

19. A spectroscopy system comprising:

a sensor, including a complementary metal oxide semiconductor substrate having a switching circuit, at least one antenna receiver combination device to detect terahertz radiation, at least one device to detect mid-range infrared radiation, at least one diode to detect radiation in a visible to near-infrared range; and

a terahertz radiation source;

wherein the at least one device to detect mid-range infrared radiation and the at least one diode are situated beneath an antenna of the at least one antenna receiver combination device with no galvanic conductive connection between the at least one antenna receiver combination device and the at least one device to detect mid-range infrared radiation, and with no galvanic conductive connection between the at least one antenna receiver combination device and the at least one diode.

20. A method for examining life forms, comprising:

emitting, by a terahertz radiation source, a narrow terahertz band which is changed within a broad frequency range; and

detecting by a sensor, at least one of transmitted, reflected and scattered radiation, the sensor including a complementary metal oxide semiconductor substrate having a switching circuit, at least one antenna receiver combination device to detect terahertz radiation, at least one device to detect mid-range infrared radiation, and at least one diode to detect radiation in a visible to near-infrared range;

wherein the at least one device to detect mid-range infrared radiation and the at least one diode are situated beneath an antenna of the at least one antenna receiver combination device with no galvanic conductive connection between the at least one antenna receiver combination device and the at least one device to detect mid-range infrared radiation, and with no galvanic conductive connection between the at least one antenna receiver combination device and the at least one diode.