Photodetector

Abstract

To provide a photodetector and a method for providing cost-effective and reliable measurements.SOLUTION: The detector 110 for optical detection comprises a circuit carrier 130 comprising a printed circuit board 132, an absorption layer 138 which is arranged on a partition of the circuit carrier 130 and which is designed to at least partially absorb the incident light beam 120 and which incorporates infrared absorbing pigments 144, a substrate layer 114 which is directly or indirectly adjacent to the absorption layer 138 and which is at least partially transparent to the incident light beam 120, and a plurality of optical elements each arranged on the substrate layer 114 and configured to: A sensor region 122, 122 ' designed to generate at least one sensor signal in a manner dependent on an illumination of the sensor region 122, 122 ' by the incident light beam 120; and an evaluation device 150 designed to generate the at least one item of information by evaluating the at least one sensor signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a detector for optical detection of radiation, particularly in the infrared spectral range, and in particular to sensing at least one optically conceivable property of an object. More particularly, the detector can be used to determine the transmittance, absorptance, emissivity, reflectance, and / or position of at least one object. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical detector and various uses of the optical detector. Such devices, methods, and uses can be employed, for example, in various fields of sensing and security technology. However, further applications are also possible. [Background technology]

[0002] Photodetectors (IR detectors) specifically designed for sensing in the infrared spectral range typically have a thin sensor layer, preferably a lead sulfide (PbS) or lead selenide (PbSe) photoconductor, disposed on a substrate layer. To achieve high performance, at least two sensor regions, preferably an array of sensor regions, may be provided, with adjacent sensor regions preferably separated by a gap. Because the IR spectral range includes wavelengths from 760 nm to 1000 μm, a large band of incident light may be lost in measurement applications.

[0003] Therefore, it is known to apply a reflective gold coating to the backside of the substrate to reduce the loss of this incident light during measurement with an IR detector. Incident light that is neither absorbed nor reflected by any of the sensor areas, or that may reach the substrate layer between two adjacent sensor areas that may be separated by a gap, can pass through the substrate layer. After passing through the substrate layer, the light beam may be reflected back on the opposite side of the substrate layer, by the circuit carrier supporting the substrate layer, or by the adhesive layer bonding the substrate layer and the circuit carrier. As a result, the back-reflected light beam may be absorbed by one of the sensor areas. In this way, the back-reflected light beam can generally deteriorate the measurement results by reaching a sensor area that is different from its assigned sensor area and therefore may contribute to a different sensor signal.

[0004] WO 2016 / 120392 A1 discloses a longitudinal optical sensor designed to generate at least one sensor signal depending on the illumination of the sensor area. According to the FiP effect, the sensor signal depends on the geometry of the illumination, particularly the beam cross-section of the illumination on the sensor area, for a given total illumination power. Furthermore, a photodetector is disclosed that includes at least one evaluation device designed to generate at least one item of geometric information from the sensor signal, particularly at least one item of geometric information related to the illumination and / or the object. Here, the sensor area of ​​the longitudinal optical sensor comprises a photoconductive material, the electrical conductivity of which depends on the beam cross-section of the light beam on the sensor area for a given total illumination power. Therefore, the longitudinal sensor signal depends on the electrical conductivity of the photoconductive material. Preferably, the photoconductive material is selected from lead sulfide (PbS), lead selenide (PbSe), lead telluride (PbTe), cadmium telluride (CdTe), indium phosphide (InP), cadmium sulfide (CdS), cadmium selenide (CdSe), indium antimonide (InSb), mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe; MCT), copper indium sulfide (CIS), copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), zinc sulfide (ZnS), zinc selenide (ZnSe), or copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS). Furthermore, solid solutions thereof and / or doped variants thereof are also possible.

[0005] US2014 / 124782A1 discloses a photodetector including a substrate configured to include a semiconductor material such as Si, Ge, or Si / Ge, as well as a readout integrated circuit, a sensor layer including a chalcogenide material that can function as both an absorption layer and a conversion layer, a detection unit electrically connected to the sensor layer and configured to detect a change in resistance of the sensor layer that can be caused by incident infrared light or heat generated therefrom, and an intervening layer disposed between the substrate and the sensor layer, the intervening layer including a reflective layer and an isolation layer sequentially stacked on the substrate.

[0006] US2012 / 146028A1 further discloses a photodetector including a substrate, particularly a semi-transparent glass substrate such as a low-alkali glass substrate or a quartz substrate, a base layer as a substrate layer, a semiconductor layer having at least an n-type region and a p-type region as a sensor layer, and a metal oxide layer as a reflective layer, wherein a portion of incident light passing through the semiconductor layer subsequently passes through the base layer and finally reaches an upper surface of the metal oxide layer. The upper surface of the metal oxide layer is provided with random unevenness, so that the incident light cannot pass through the metal oxide layer; rather, the metal oxide layer diffusely reflects the incident light.

[0007] US2007 / 145420A1 discloses a semiconductor device that solves the problem of the wiring pattern formed on the back surface of a semiconductor substrate being reflected in an output image. In a first embodiment, a reflective layer is formed between a light receiving element and a wiring layer, which reflects incident IR radiation toward the light receiving element without passing through the wiring layer. In an alternative embodiment, an anti-reflection layer, such as a titanium nitride layer formed by a sputtering method, a layer containing a pigment such as a black pigment, or an organic resin layer, is designed to absorb incident infrared radiation to prevent transmission of the incident infrared radiation.

[0008] WO 2018 / 193045 A1 discloses a detector for optical detection, including: a circuit carrier designed to carry at least one layer, the circuit carrier being or including a printed circuit board; a reflective layer arranged on a partition of the circuit carrier and designed to reflect an incident light beam, thereby generating at least one reflected light beam; a substrate layer directly or indirectly adjacent to the reflective layer and at least partially transparent to the incident light beam; a sensor layer arranged on the substrate layer and designed to generate at least one sensor signal in a manner dependent on irradiation of the sensor layer by the incident light beam and the reflected light beam; an evaluation device designed to generate at least one information item by evaluating the sensor signal; and at least two individual electrical contacts contacting the sensor layer and designed to transmit the sensor signal to the evaluation device via the circuit carrier. Further, detector systems, human-machine interfaces, entertainment devices, tracking systems, and cameras are presented, each of which includes the optical detection detector disclosed therein.

[0009] The circuit carrier designed to carry at least one layer, particularly at least one sensor layer, can preferably be or include a printed circuit board, commonly abbreviated as "PCB," which refers to a non-conductive planar substrate or board on which at least one sheet of conductive material is applied, specifically laminated. In particular, to protect the underlying electronic traces from moisture and dust and to control the flow of molten solder, the printed circuit board can be coated with a resin layer, commonly referred to as "solder mask" or "solder resist." Specifically, the resin layer can be or include a cured resin or lacquer that can be applied to the substrate of the printed circuit board using a silkscreen technique. For this purpose, a large amount of solder mask oil can be drawn across a screen mesh placed on the underlying printed circuit board.

[0010] Here, the solder mask preferably contains color pigments, with green being a particularly preferred color. Currently, green is the only color that can reliably produce solder mask dams of 0.10 mm or greater, followed by red, yellow, and blue, which can produce solder mask dams of 0.12 mm or greater. Black and white only produce solder mask dams of 0.15 mm or greater. Small solder mask dams are essential for integrated circuits and fine-pitch components to prevent solder bridge formation. Additionally, solder mask oil must function as an electrical insulator, adhere uniformly to the substrate, cure well, and be visually appealing. Consequently, black, particularly its low contrast, makes it the worst color for visual inspection of traces. Even during automated optical inspection, black solder masks are avoided due to their high failure rate.

[0011] The silkscreen method described above can further be used to apply a legend on top of the solder mask, preferably having a different color compared to the color of the solder mask. Here, the legend can indicate test points, part numbers, bar codes, warning symbols, company logos, manufacturer marks, or other types of information. Alternatively, the legend can be printed on top of the solder mask by using liquid photoimaging or an inkjet method using so-called "legend ink." Common colors used here are black, white, and yellow. Here, "liquid photoimaging" refers to a printing process that includes coating an epoxy resin on the printed circuit board and UV development, and preferably uses a white material instead of the usual green color of the solder mask.

[0012] For more information regarding printed circuit boards, see the brochure "Rigid PCB Design for Manufacturability Guide" (Bittele Electronics Inc., 2017), available at https: / / www.7pcb.com / Upload_file / DFM_Guidelines.pdf, which is incorporated herein by reference. In particular, section 7.2.1 on page 40 emphasizes that black is a shiny color that looks good, but provides little contrast between traces, planes, and open space, and also absorbs heat, increasing the risk of overheating sensitive components.

[0013] Despite the advantages contained in the above-mentioned devices, there remains a need for improved photodetectors that are simple, cost-effective, and capable of providing reliable measurements. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0014] The problem addressed by the present invention is therefore to identify an apparatus and method for optical detection that at least substantially avoids the drawbacks of known apparatus and methods of this type.

[0015] It is desirable to provide an improved, simple, cost-effective, and reliable detector for detecting optical radiation, particularly in the infrared spectral range, particularly for sensing at least one of transmission, absorption, emission, and reflection. Thus, the photodetector can be preferably positioned to avoid back reflections, which may be absorbed by at least one of the sensor regions, as much as possible. Furthermore, because the production process of photodetectors comprising photoconductive materials selected from lead sulfide (PbS), lead selenide (PbSe), their solid solutions, and / or their doped variants is particularly sensitive to changes, elimination or at least reduction of back reflections should preferably be achieved with as little impact on the photodetector production process as possible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] This problem is solved by the present invention with the features of the independent patent claims. Advantageous developments of the invention, which can be realized individually or in combination, are set out in the dependent claims and / or in the following description and detailed embodiments.

[0017] As used herein, the terms "having," "comprising," and "including," as well as grammatical variations thereof, are used in a non-exclusive manner. Thus, the phrase "A has B," as well as the phrases "A comprises B," or "A includes B," can refer to both the fact that A includes one or more additional components and / or ingredients in addition to B, and the case where no other components and / or ingredients are present in A in addition to B.

[0018] In a first aspect of the present invention, a photodetector for optical detection of an incident light beam is disclosed, wherein the photodetector according to the present invention comprises: - a circuit carrier designed to carry at least one layer; - at least one absorbing layer arranged in a partition of the circuit carrier, the absorbing layer being designed to at least partially absorb an incident light beam and incorporating an infrared-absorbing pigment; - a substrate layer directly or indirectly adjacent to said absorbing layer, said substrate layer being at least partially transparent to said incident light beam; - at least one sensor area, each sensor area being arranged on the substrate layer and designed to generate at least one sensor signal dependent on illumination of the sensor area by the incident light beam; an evaluation device designed to generate at least one item of information by evaluating said at least one sensor signal; Includes:

[0019] Here, the listed components may be separate components. Alternatively, two or more components may be integrated into one component. Preferably, the evaluation device may be formed as a separate evaluation device independent of the other optical components, but may preferably be connected to the circuit carrier to receive the sensor signal. However, other types of arrangements are also possible.

[0020] As commonly used, the term "photodetector" may be designed in particular to detect at least one wavelength in at least one band of a spectral range, the desired band of which may be selected from the ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS) and / or infrared (IR) spectral range. In the case of a photodetector according to the invention, or simply a detector according to the invention, the IR range, i.e. the spectral range from 760 nm to 1000 μm, may be particularly preferred.

[0021] According to the present invention, the detector comprises a circuit carrier designed to carry at least one element. As used herein, the term "circuit carrier" refers to a carrier provided to carry at least one electronic, electrical, and / or optical element, particularly a plurality of such elements, particularly an arrangement including a plurality of elements, specifically including at least one absorber layer, a substrate layer, and at least one sensor region, as described in detail below, and designed to mechanically support and electrically connect these electronic, electrical, and / or optical elements. In a preferred embodiment, the circuit carrier may be a planar circuit carrier. As commonly used, the term "planar" refers to a body having a two-dimensional extension at least 10 times, preferably at least 100 times, and more preferably at least 1000 times, its three-dimensional extension, commonly referred to as the "surface" of the body and commonly referred to as the "thickness" of the body. In alternative embodiments, non-planar circuit carriers may also be used, particularly one of a flex-printed circuit (FPC) or a mechatronic integrated device (MID).

[0022] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the circuit carrier can be or include a printed circuit board, commonly abbreviated as "PCB," which refers to an electrically non-conductive planar substrate, also referred to as a "board," onto which at least one conductive material, particularly a copper layer, is applied, specifically stacked on a board. Other terms for this type of circuit carrier, which further includes one or more electronic, electrical, and / or optical components, include printed circuit assembly (abbreviated "PCA"), printed circuit board assembly (abbreviated "PCB assembly" or "PCBA"), circuit card assembly (abbreviated "CCA" or simply "card"). In PCBs, the insulating substrate can include glass epoxy, where cotton paper (typically tan or brown) impregnated with phenolic resin can also be used as a substrate material. Depending on the number of sheets, the printed circuit board can be a single-sided PCB, a two-layer or double-sided PCB, or a multi-layer PCB, where different sheets are connected to each other using so-called "vias." While the application of a single-sided PCB may be sufficient for the purposes of this invention, other types of printed circuit boards may also be applicable. Double-sided PCBs can have metal on both sides, while multilayer PCBs can be designed by sandwiching additional metal layers between further layers of insulating material. Furthermore, by using two double-sided PCBs, a four-layer PCB can be created, in which the two first layers are used as power and ground planes, while the two second layers are used as signal wiring between electrical components. In a multilayer PCB, layers can be stacked alternately in the order metal, substrate, metal, substrate, metal, etc., with each metal layer being individually etched and internal vias being plated before the layers are stacked together. Furthermore, vias may be or include copper-plated holes, which can preferably be designed as conductive tunnels through the insulating board. For this purpose, through-hole components can also be used, usually attached by wire leads that pass through the substrate and are soldered to tracks or traces on the other side.

[0023] Conductive patterns or structures, such as tracks, traces, pads, vias for creating connections between adjacent sheets, or solid conductive areas, can be introduced into one or more sheets in selected regions of the sheets, preferably by removing partitions of the sheets, specifically by etching, silkscreen printing, photolithography, PCB milling, or laser resist ablation, thereby creating the desired structures. Etching can be preferably performed using a photoresist material coated on the PCB, which is subsequently exposed to light, thereby creating the desired pattern. Herein, the photoresist material can be adapted to protect metal from dissolution in the etching solution. After etching, the PCB can be finally cleaned. Using this method, specific PCB patterns can be mass-produced. However, other types of separation or connection methods are also applicable. For example, tracks introduced into a PCB can function as wires fixed at selected locations, and adjacent tracks can be insulated from each other by the substrate material, on the one hand, and by an electrically insulating fluid, specifically air or a protective gas, that may be present in the gaps between adjacent tracks under the conditions in which the PCB is used, on the other hand. Additionally, the surface of a PCB may be coated with a coating, also known as solder resist, designed to protect the metal, especially copper, in at least one sheet from harmful environmental effects such as corrosion, thereby reducing the likelihood of unwanted short circuits that may be created by solder or exposed bare wire. In multilayer PCBs, only the outer metal layers are coated in this manner, as the inner metal layers are protected by adjacent board layers.

[0024] Furthermore, electronic, electrical, and / or optical elements or components may be disposed on the substrate by soldering, welding, deposition, or the like, or may additionally or alternatively be embedded in the circuit carrier, for example, by placing them on a sheet designated for this purpose on the substrate and / or by intentionally removing a partition of the circuit carrier. Preferably, surface-mounted components, particularly transistors, diodes, IC chips, resistors, and capacitors, are thus attached to the PCB using conductive leads connecting each component to a metal track, trace, or area on the same side of the substrate. Alternatively, through-hole mounting may be used, particularly for extended or bulky components such as electrolytic capacitors and connectors. As a further alternative, components may be embedded within the substrate. Furthermore, PCBs may also include areas on the PCB commonly referred to by the term "silkscreen," on which identification characters, such as legends, identifying components or test points, may be printed. For further examples of printed circuit boards, see https: / / en.wikipedia.org / wiki / Printed_circuit_board, which is incorporated herein by reference. However, other types of circuit carriers are also applicable.

[0025] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the detector comprises an absorbing layer, which can be arranged on a partition of the circuit carrier, in particular on a partition on the surface of the circuit carrier, more particularly on a partition on the surface of the printed circuit board. As commonly used, the term "absorptive layer" or "absorbing layer" refers to a layer designed to at least partially absorb an incident light beam, preferably such that the incident light beam, after at least partially transmitting through at least one sensor area, is not reflected back to at least one sensor area by either the absorbing layer or the circuit carrier. As used herein, the term "at least partially absorbing" refers to a degree of absorption, also referred to as "absorbance," of the incident light beam by the absorbing layer of 50% to 100%, preferably 80% to 100%, more preferably 95% to 100%, and in particular 99% to 100%. Alternatively, instead of using absorbance a, the transmittance t of the incident light beam can be considered, which can be defined as t = 1 - a. Therefore, the transmittance of the absorbing layer used in the present invention can be 0% to 50%, preferably 0% to 20%, more preferably 0% to 5%, and particularly preferably 0% to 1%.

[0026] As commonly used, the term "light beam" refers to a quantity of light emitted in a particular direction. Thus, a light beam may be a bundle of light rays having a predetermined extent in a direction perpendicular to the propagation direction of the light beam. Preferably, the light beam may be or include one or more Gaussian light beams, which may be characterized by one or more Gaussian beam parameters, such as one or more of a beam waist, a Rayleigh length, or any other beam parameter or combination of beam parameters suitable for characterizing the extent of the beam diameter and / or the beam propagation in space.

[0027] According to the present invention, the absorbing layer can be designed to exhibit this absorption grade over at least one band in the infrared spectral range from 760 nm to 1000 μm wavelengths, preferably over the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range from 760 nm to 1.4 μm, or the far-infrared (FIR) spectral range from 15 μm to 1000 μm, but more preferably over at least the mid-infrared (MIR) range from 1.5 μm to 15 μm. In particular, the absorbing layer can be designed to exhibit this absorption grade over at least one band, preferably over at least 50%, more preferably at least 90%, and most preferably at least 99% of the sensitivity range of at least one sensor region, as described in more detail below. This configuration can therefore avoid or at least reduce the possibility that a back-reflected light beam will be absorbed by one of the sensor regions. As a result, there is no or at least a reduction in back-reflected light rays that could corrupt the measurement results by reaching a sensor region different from the assigned sensor region and thus contributing to a different sensor signal during measurements with this type of detector.

[0028] The absorber layer can have a thickness selected to provide a tight and stable connection between adjacently arranged layers, particularly between the substrate layer and the circuit carrier. In particular, depending on the material selected for the absorber layer, the thickness of the absorber layer can be 100 nm to 350 μm, more preferably 250 nm to 120 μm, and most preferably 1 μm to 65 μm. Herein, the absorber layer can preferably be exactly one continuous layer that can be arranged adjacent to both the substrate layer and the circuit carrier.

[0029] In addition to providing a fixed structure between the substrate layer and the circuit carrier, the absorbent layer can be an adhesive layer and thus can include at least one adhesive substance designed to assemble two adjacent layers, specifically the substrate layer and the circuit carrier, in a manner that makes them resistant to separation, such that they can only be separated by the application of increased force compared to bonding the adjacent layers with an adhesive. Here, the adhesive layer can be applied in particular so that no gaps form between the substrate layer and the absorbent layer on the one hand and the absorbent layer and the circuit carrier on the other. For this purpose, the absorbent layer can particularly include an organic adhesive or glue, preferably selected from one or more of epoxy, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyurethane, polysulfide, silyl-modified polymer, polyester, silicone, polyol, polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene vinyl acetate, cyanoacrylate, polyacrylate, polyethylene, polyvinylpyrrolidone, acrylonitrile, rubber cement, resorcinol adhesive, and polyamide.

[0030] Alternatively or additionally, the at least one absorbent layer can be a resin layer and thus can include at least one curable resin that can be designed to be applied to the surface of a circuit carrier, in particular a printed circuit board. Here, the resin can be selected from one or more of epoxy, lacquer, acrylic resin, polyurethane, polysiloxane, or alkyd resin, in particular. As already indicated above, the resin layer can preferably be applied to the surface of the circuit carrier using a silk screen method. For this purpose, a large amount of solder mask oil can be drawn across a screen mesh placed on the underlying circuit carrier.

[0031] It can be emphasized that the photodetector according to the present invention can therefore comprise a single individual absorbing layer, or alternatively, an arrangement of at least two individual absorbing layers, which can preferably be arranged in a stacked configuration. Generally, at least one absorbing layer can be selected from a resin layer, an adhesive layer, or a composite layer that can include a cured resin that can simultaneously exhibit adhesive properties. For example, a resin layer can be arranged directly on the circuit carrier, an adhesive layer can be arranged directly on the resin layer, and a substrate layer can be arranged directly on the adhesive layer. However, other types of layer arrangements are also possible, which can include not only the above-mentioned layers but also further layers.

[0032] Thus, the absorber layer can include at least one of a resin layer or an adhesive layer, each of which incorporates an infrared-absorbing pigment exhibiting the absorption grade described in more detail above. As commonly used, the term "pigment" refers to a substance capable of changing the color of incident light. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the color of an incident light beam can be changed by absorbing a band of the incident light beam within a specific spectral range, or alternatively or additionally by luminescence, specifically fluorescence or phosphorescence, affecting the incident light beam. Furthermore, the term "pigment" typically refers to a substance that is particularly stable against external influences, i.e., that stably maintains its pigment properties with respect to changing the color of incident light over long periods, such as months, years, decades, hundreds, centuries, or even millennia. Depending on the at least one pigment selected, the concentration of the pigment in the absorber layer, specifically in each of the phases containing the cured resin or cured organic adhesive, can be selected from 0.1% to 10% by weight, preferably 0.3% to 5% by weight, and in particular 0.5% to 2% by weight.

[0033] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the infrared-absorbing pigment can be selected from the group consisting of carbon black, graphite, carbon, Vantablack, LaB6, copper bronze, copper chromite black, cobalt chromite black, and manganese ferrite black. As commonly used, Vantablack is an acronym based on vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays. Carbon black is particularly preferred as a readily available and low-cost material. For further types of infrared-absorbing pigments, see C.E. Kennedy, "Review of Selective Solar Absorbers for Medium to High Temperatures," Technical Report, NREL / TP-520-31267, July 2002, and Gerhard Pfaff, "Inorganic Pigments," p. 126, De Gruyter, Berlin, 2017, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. However, additional types of infrared-absorbing pigments are also feasible.

[0034] In further embodiments, the absorbing layer may alternatively or additionally exhibit one or more chemical or physical properties that may prove advantageous for the optical sensor. Thus, in preferred embodiments, the absorbing layer may have a refractive index that may be adapted to limit back reflection at the interface between the substrate layer and the absorbing layer, in particular. As a result, less of the light beam may be reflected back into the sensor area, which may corrupt the measurement results. Further properties of the absorbing layer may also be considered.

[0035] As a result, the present application seeks to avoid back reflection as much as possible, particularly in contrast to WO 2018 / 193045 A1, which disclosed a reflective layer, in particular a reflective gold coating, in the same position as the absorbing layer according to the present invention in order to increase back reflection in an economical way. Increasing back reflection, particularly in WO 2018 / 193045 A1, can be advantageous in particular for single-pixel applications, i.e., photodetectors comprising a single sensor layer, since it redirects the light beam towards the sensor layer, thereby increasing the signal-to-noise ratio, whereas reducing back reflection according to the present invention can be advantageous in particular for multi-pixel applications, i.e., photodetectors comprising multiple sensor areas, since it avoids or at least reduces cross-detection, in particular between sensor areas, in particular between adjacent sensor areas, and therefore avoids or at least reduces deterioration of the measurement based on at least one sensor signal.

[0036] Further according to the present invention, the detector comprises at least one sensor area including at least one photosensitive material, each of which can function as a sensor area of ​​the detector. As used herein, a "sensor area" is considered to be a section of the detector designed to receive irradiation of the detector by a light beam, the irradiation as received by the sensor area causing the generation of at least one sensor signal, the generation of which can be governed by a defined relationship between the sensor signal and the manner of irradiation of the sensor area.

[0037] Preferably, the photodetector may include at least two individual sensor areas, preferably an array of individual sensor areas, the upper surface of which is configured, in particular, in the form of a sensor layer, and adjacent sensor areas may be separated from each other by a gap. As a result, multi-pixel applications are possible, according to which an incident light beam may only be incident on a portion of the individual sensor areas, each of which subsequently generates a corresponding sensor signal. In this way, various incident light beams can be distinguished with respect to at least one characteristic of the incident light beam, in particular with respect to the incident position of the light beam, or with respect to physical characteristics, including, but not limited to, color or polarization.

[0038] Generally, crossover detection can easily occur between sensor regions, especially between adjacent sensor regions, in a photodetector having multiple sensor regions, thus enabling multi-pixel applications. However, the present invention can avoid or at least reduce crossover detection between sensor regions, especially between adjacent sensor regions, in a photodetector having at least two single sensor regions. However, a person skilled in the art starting from the disclosure of US2007 / 145420A1 cannot find therein any motivation for achieving this advantage. Although US2007 / 145420A1 discloses an anti-reflection layer, it shows the following completely different motivation for replacing the reflective layer with the anti-reflection layer of FIG. 5: The anti-reflection layer has a function of absorbing infrared rays incident from the light-transmitting substrate through the semiconductor substrate toward the wiring layer, thereby preventing the transmission of the infrared rays; - Furthermore, this effectively prevents infrared rays from being reflected by the wiring layer toward the light receiving element; Therefore, the wiring layer pattern and conductive terminals formed on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate are effectively prevented from being reflected in the output image, or by the anti-reflection layer of FIG. 8, where the anti-reflection layer covers the entire side surface of the semiconductor substrate: - Such a configuration prevents infrared rays transmitted through the light-transmitting substrate from being reflected to the light-receiving element by the wiring layer formed along the side surface of the semiconductor substrate, which prevents the pattern of the wiring layer formed along the side surface of the semiconductor substrate from being reflected in the output image; The light receiving element accurately receives only the light from the light-transmitting substrate, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the light receiving element.

[0039] As a result, US2007 / 145420A1 is silent about crosstalk between sensor areas, especially between adjacent sensor areas, and therefore fails to provide those skilled in the art with any motivation to use the present disclosure for the above-mentioned purpose. Rather, it fails to provide those skilled in the art with any hints for using a photodetector including at least two separate sensor areas.

[0040] Furthermore, the combination of US2007 / 145420A1 and WO2018 / 193045A1 also provides no motivation to those skilled in the art. Rather, WO2018 / 193045A1 proposes a reflective layer to enhance the detection intensity in a single sensor layer (single-pixel application). Clearly, those skilled in the art cannot derive any motivation therefrom to modify the detector of US2007 / 145420A1 to arrive at a photodetector that includes at least two separate sensor areas.

[0041] The sensor signal may generally be any signal indicative of a desired optical property to be measured, particularly the transmittance, absorptance, emissivity, and reflectance of an incident light beam, or the position of an object. By way of example, the sensor signal may be or include a digital signal and / or an analog signal. By way of example, the sensor signal may be or include a voltage signal and / or a current signal. Additionally or alternatively, the sensor signal may be or include digital data. The sensor signal may include a single signal value and / or a series of signal values. The sensor signal may also include any signal derived by combining two or more individual signals, for example, by averaging two or more signals and / or forming a quotient of two or more signals.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the at least one photosensitive material included in the at least one sensor region may be selected from the group consisting of dye solar cells, photoconductive materials, and quantum dots, with photoconductive materials being particularly preferred. For further details regarding dye solar cells, reference may be made to WO2012 / 110924A1 and WO2014 / 097181A1.

[0043] Based particularly on WO 2016 / 120392 A1, the term "photoconductive material," as used herein, refers to a material capable of supporting an electric current and thus exhibiting a specific electrical conductivity, the electrical conductivity of which is particularly dependent on the material's illumination. Since electrical resistivity is defined as the reciprocal value of electrical conductivity, the term "photoresistive material" may alternatively be used to refer to the same type of material. Photoconductive materials may preferably include inorganic photoconductive materials, particularly thin-film semiconductor or nanoparticle photoconductive materials; organic photoconductive materials, particularly organic semiconductors; combinations thereof, solid solutions thereof, and / or doped variants thereof. As used herein, the term "solid solution" refers to a state of a photoconductive material in which at least one solute is contained in a solvent, thereby forming a homogeneous phase, in which the crystalline structure of the solvent is generally unchanged by the presence of the solute. For example, binary lead selenide (PbSe) is dissolved in lead sulfide (PbS), resulting in a PbS 1-x Se x where the value of x can range from 0 to 1. As further used herein, the term "doped variant" may refer to a state of a photoconductive material in which a single atom, separate from the constituents of the material itself, is introduced into a site within the crystal that would be occupied by an indigenous atom in the undoped state.

[0044] In this regard, inorganic photoconductive materials are, in particular, selenium, tellurium, selenium-tellurium alloys, metal oxides, group 4 elements or compounds, i.e., elements belonging to group 4 or compounds containing at least one group 4 element, group 3-5 compounds, i.e., compounds containing at least one group 3 element and at least one group 5 element, group 2-6 compounds, i.e., compounds containing, on the one hand, at least one group 2 element or at least one group 12 element and, on the other hand, at least one group 6 element, and / or chalcogenides. However, other inorganic photoconductive materials are also suitable.

[0045] As mentioned above, the chalcogenide is preferably selected from the group including sulfide chalcogenides, selenide chalcogenides, telluride chalcogenides, ternary chalcogenides, and quaternary or higher chalcogenides, and may be suitable for use in the sensor region. Generally, the term "chalcogenide" refers to compounds that may contain, in addition to oxides, elements from Group 16 of the periodic table, namely, sulfides, selenides, and tellurides. In particular, the photoconductive material may be or include a sulfide chalcogenide, preferably lead sulfide (PbS), a selenide chalcogenide, preferably lead selenide (PbSe), a telluride chalcogenide, preferably cadmium telluride (CdTe), or a ternary chalcogenide, preferably mercury zinc telluride (HgZnTe; MZT). Since at least the preferred photoconductive materials mentioned are generally known to exhibit unique absorption characteristics within the infrared spectral range, a sensor region comprising one of the mentioned photoconductive materials may preferably be used as an infrared sensor, although other embodiments and / or other photoconductive materials may also be feasible, particularly those described below.

[0046] In particular, the sulfide chalcogenide may be selected from the group including lead sulfide (PbS), cadmium sulfide (CdS), zinc sulfide (ZnS), mercury sulfide (HgS), silver sulfide (AgS), manganese sulfide (MnS), bismuth trisulfide (BiS), antimony trisulfide (SbS), arsenic trisulfide (AsS), tin(II) sulfide (SnS), tin(IV) disulfide (SnS), indium sulfide (InS), copper sulfide (CuS or CuS), cobalt sulfide (CoS), nickel sulfide (NiS), molybdenum disulfide (MoS), iron disulfide (FeS), and chromium trisulfide (CrS).

[0047] In particular, the selenide chalcogenide may be selected from the group comprising lead selenide (PbSe), cadmium selenide (CdSe), zinc selenide (ZnSe), bismuth triselenide (BiSe), mercury selenide (HgSe), antimony triselenide (SbSe), arsenic triselenide (AsSe), nickel selenide (NiSe), thallium selenide (TlSe), copper selenide (CuSe or CuSe), molybdenum diselenide (MoSe), tin selenide (SnSe), and cobalt selenide (CoSe), and indium selenide (InSe). Furthermore, solid solutions of the mentioned compounds or other compounds of this type and / or doped versions thereof may also be feasible.

[0048] In particular, the telluride chalcogenide may be selected from the group comprising lead telluride (PbTe), cadmium telluride (CdTe), zinc telluride (ZnTe), mercury telluride (HgTe), bismuth tritelluride (Bi2Te3), arsenic tritelluride (As2Te3), antimony tritelluride (Sb2Te3), nickel telluride (NiTe), thallium telluride (TlTe), copper telluride (CuTe), molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2), tin telluride (SnTe), and cobalt telluride (CoTe), silver telluride (Ag2Te), and indium telluride (In2Te3). Furthermore, solid solutions and / or doped versions of the mentioned compounds or other such compounds may also be feasible.

[0049] In particular, the ternary chalcogenides are mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe; MCT), mercury zinc telluride (HgZnTe), mercury cadmium sulfide (HgCdS), lead cadmium sulfide (PbCdS), lead mercury sulfide (PbHgS), copper indium disulfide (CuInS2; CIS), cadmium sulfoselenide (CdSSe), zinc sulfoselenide (ZnSSe), thallium sulfoselenide (TlSSe), cadmium zinc sulfide (CdZnS), cadmium chromium sulfide (CdCr2S4), mercury chromium sulfide (HgCr2S4), copper chromium sulfide (CuCr2S4), cadmium selenide The binary chalcogenides may be selected from the group comprising lead arsenide (CdPbSe), copper indium diselenide (CuInSe), indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs), lead monoxide sulfide (PbOS), lead monoxide selenide (PbOSe), lead sulfoselenide (PbSSe), arsenic selenide telluride (AsSeTe), cadmium selenite (CdSeO), cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) and cadmium zinc selenide (CdZnSe), further combinations by application of the above binary chalcogenides and / or compounds belonging to the group 3-5 binary compounds listed below. Furthermore, solid solutions and / or doped versions of the mentioned compounds or other such compounds may also be feasible.

[0050] With respect to quaternary or higher chalcogenides, such materials may be selected from quaternary or higher chalcogenides that may be known to exhibit suitable photoconductive properties. In particular, compounds having the compositions Cu(In,Ga)S / Se or CuZnSn(S / Se) are suitable for this purpose.

[0051] With regard to group 3-5 compounds, such semiconductor materials may be selected from the group comprising indium antimonide (InSb), boron nitride (BN), boron phosphide (BP), boron arsenide (BA), aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum phosphide (AlP), aluminum arsenide (AlAs), aluminum antimonide (AlSb), indium nitride (InN), indium phosphide (InP), indium arsenide (InAs), indium antimonide (InSb), gallium nitride (GaN), gallium phosphide (GaP), gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium antimonide (GaSb). Furthermore, solid solutions of the mentioned compounds or other such compounds and / or doped versions thereof may also be feasible.

[0052] Regarding Group 2-6 compounds, such semiconductor materials may be selected from the group including cadmium sulfide (CdS), cadmium selenide (CdSe), cadmium telluride (CdTe), zinc sulfide (ZnS), zinc selenide (ZnSe), zinc telluride (ZnTe), mercury sulfide (HgS), mercury selenide (HgSe), mercury telluride (HgTe), cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe), mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe), mercury zinc telluride (HgZnTe), and mercury zinc selenide (CdZnSe). However, other Group 2-6 compounds may also be used. Furthermore, solid solutions of the mentioned compounds or other such compounds may also be feasible.

[0053] With regard to metal oxides, such semiconducting materials may be selected from the group consisting of known metal oxides capable of exhibiting photoconductivity, in particular copper(II) oxide (CuO), copper(I) oxide (CuO), nickel oxide (NiO), zinc oxide (ZnO), silver oxide (AgO), manganese oxide (MnO), titanium dioxide (TiO), barium oxide (BaO), lead oxide (PbO), cerium oxide (CeO), bismuth oxide (BiO), cadmium oxide (CdO), ferrite (FeO), and perovskite oxides (ABO, where A is a divalent cation and B is a tetravalent cation). Furthermore, ternary or higher order metal oxides may also be used. Furthermore, solid solutions and / or doped versions of the aforementioned compounds or other compounds of this type, which may be stoichiometric or non-stoichiometric, may also be suitable. As will be explained in more detail below, it may be preferable to select a metal oxide that can also exhibit transparency or translucency.

[0054] With respect to group 4 elements or compounds, such semiconductor materials are selected from the group including doped diamond (C), doped silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon germanium (SiGe), where the semiconductor material may be selected from a crystalline material, a microcrystalline material, or preferably an amorphous material.

[0055] The term "amorphous" as generally used refers to the non-crystalline, allotropic phase of a semiconductor material. In particular, the photoconductive material can include at least one hydrogenated amorphous semiconductor material, where the amorphous material is further passivated by applying hydrogen to the material, which, without wishing to be bound by theory, appears to reduce the number of dangling bonds in the material by several orders of magnitude. In particular, the hydrogenated amorphous semiconductor material can be selected from the group consisting of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), hydrogenated amorphous silicon-carbon alloy (a-SiC:H), or hydrogenated amorphous germanium-silicon alloy (a-GeSi:H). However, other types of materials, such as hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H), can also be used for this purpose.

[0056] Alternatively or additionally, the organic photoconductive material may be or comprise an organic compound, in particular an organic compound known to have suitable photoconductive properties, preferably polyvinylcarbazole, a compound commonly used in xerography, although many other organic molecules, as described in more detail in WO 2016 / 120392 A1, may also be feasible.

[0057] In a further preferred embodiment, the photoconductive material may be provided in the form of a colloidal film that may contain quantum dots. This particular state of photoconductive material, which may exhibit slightly or significantly altered chemical and / or physical properties relative to a uniform layer of the same material, may therefore be referred to as a colloidal quantum dot (CQD). As used herein, the term "quantum dot" refers to a state of photoconductive material that may contain conductive particles, such as electrons or holes, confined in all three spatial dimensions to small volumes, commonly referred to as "dots."

[0058] Here, quantum dots can be simply considered to have a size that can be considered as the diameter of a sphere, which can be approximated to the volume of the mentioned particle. In this preferred embodiment, the quantum dots of the photoconductive material can have a size in the range of 1 nm to 100 nm, preferably 2 nm to 100 nm, and more preferably 2 nm to 15 nm, although the quantum dots actually contained in a specific thin film can have a size smaller than the thickness of the specific thin film. In fact, quantum dots can comprise nanometer-scale semiconductor crystals capped with surfactant molecules and dispersed in a solution to form a colloidal film. Here, the surfactant molecules can be selected so as to allow for the determination of the average distance between individual quantum dots within the colloidal film as a result of the approximate spatial expansion of the specifically selected surfactant molecules. Furthermore, depending on the synthesis of the ligand, quantum dots can exhibit hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties. CQDs can be produced by applying gas-phase, liquid-phase, or solid-phase approaches. This allows for various methods for synthesizing CQDs, particularly by employing known methods such as thermal spraying, colloidal synthesis, or plasma synthesis. However, other production methods are also feasible.

[0059] Further, in this preferred embodiment, the photoconductive material used for the quantum dots may preferably be selected from one of the photoconductive materials mentioned above, more specifically from the group comprising lead sulfide (PbS), lead selenide (PbSe), lead telluride (PbTe), cadmium telluride (CdTe), indium phosphide (InP), cadmium sulfide (CdS), cadmium selenide (CdSe), indium antimonide (InSb), mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe; MCT), copper indium sulfide (CIS), copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), zinc sulfide (ZnS), zinc selenide (ZnSe), perovskite structure material ABC3 (wherein A represents an alkali metal or an organic cation, B represents Pb, Sn or Cu, and C represents a halide and copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS)). Furthermore, solid solutions and / or doped versions of the mentioned compounds or other such compounds may also be feasible. Core-shell structures of such materials may also be feasible. However, other photoconductive materials may also be feasible.

[0060] In the present specification, it is particularly intended that each sensor region comprising at least one photosensitive material can be manufactured by applying at least one deposition method to deposit at least one sensor region on the surface of a substrate layer in the form of a sensor layer, said deposition method being preferably selected from the group consisting of chemical bath deposition, vacuum evaporation, sputtering, atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, spray pyrolysis, electrodeposition, anodic oxidation, electroconversion, electroless immersion growth, sequential ion adsorption and reaction, molecular beam epitaxy, molecular vapor phase epitaxy, liquid phase epitaxy, inkjet printing, gravure printing, flexography, screen printing, stencil printing, slot die coating, doctor blade, and solution-gas interface techniques. As a result, each sensor region may exhibit a thickness in the range of 10 nm, preferably 100 nm, in particular 300 nm to 100 μm, preferably to 10 μm, in particular to 5 μm, but may still exhibit a thickness below the wavelength of the incident beam or part thereof, such as ½ or ¼ of the wavelength in the IR spectral range, i.e. from 760 nm to 1000 μm, in particular in the MidIR spectral range, i.e. from 1.5 μm to 15 μm.

[0061] In a particularly preferred embodiment, each sensor region may be applied directly or indirectly to the substrate layer, particularly so that no gaps remain or are generated between each sensor region and the substrate layer. To enable high transmission of the incident light beams to the absorption layer, the substrate layer may be at least partially transparent to both incident light beams. To this end, the substrate layer may preferably comprise a substrate material selected from glass, quartz, silicon (Si), a transparent conductive oxide (TCO), or a transparent organic polymer. In particular, the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) may be selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), titanium oxide (TiO2), indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO2:F; FTO), aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), magnesium oxide (MgO), or perovskite transparent conductive oxides. However, other types of substrate materials may also be employed as the substrate layer depending on the desired wavelength range.

[0062] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the detector may further include at least two individual electrical contacts for each sensor, designed to transmit at least one sensor signal to an evaluation device via the circuit carrier. As used herein, the term "contacting a sensor area" refers to a conductive connection between each contact and the corresponding sensor area, where each electrical contact is configured to be located at a position on the surface of the corresponding sensor area. For this purpose, the at least two individual electrical contacts may be applied to different positions on the photoconductive material included in each sensor area, in particular, such that at least two of the individual electrical contacts are electrically isolated from each other. Here, each of the at least two electrical contacts may preferably be configured to achieve direct electrical contact between each electrode and each sensor area, in particular to obtain the sensor signal with as few losses as possible, e.g., due to additional resistance in the transport path between each sensor area and the evaluation device. In an alternative embodiment, at least one of the sensor areas may be arranged in a configuration that allows for contactless transmission of the sensor signal to the evaluation device.

[0063] As a result, upon incidence of the sensor area by a light beam, the at least two electrical contacts can provide the evaluation device with a sensor signal that depends on the illumination of at least one sensor area. Herein, the electrical contacts can comprise a vapor-deposited metal layer, which can be easily provided by known vapor deposition techniques. In particular, the vapor-deposited metal layer can comprise one or more of gold, silver, aluminum, platinum, magnesium, chromium, or titanium. Alternatively, the electrical contacts can comprise a highly conductive graphene layer.

[0064] In this type of material, an electric current is conducted through the material via at least one first electrical contact to at least one second electrical contact, the first electrical contact being insulated from the second electrical contact, while both the first and second electrical contacts are directly connected to the material. To this end, the direct connection can be provided by any known means known from the state of the art, such as wire bonding, plating, welding, soldering, thermosonic bonding, stitch bonding, ball bonding, wedge bonding, compliant bonding, thermocompression bonding, anodic bonding, direct bonding, plasma activated bonding, eutectic bonding, glass frit bonding, adhesive bonding, transient liquid phase diffusion bonding, surface activated bonding, tape automated bonding, or by depositing a highly conductive material, in particular a metal such as gold, beryllium-doped gold, copper, aluminum, silver, platinum, or palladium, as well as alloys containing at least one of the above-mentioned metals, in the contact area.

[0065] In a particularly preferred embodiment, wire bonds may be used to provide a direct connection between each electrical contact that contacts a sensor area and a corresponding receiving contact, such as a contact pad, which may preferably be further arranged on the circuit carrier, in particular on a printed circuit board (PCB). This type of configuration may allow easy contact of at least one sensor area with an evaluation device, and the electrical contact may be designed to transmit the sensor signal to the circuit carrier and then to the evaluation device.

[0066] In a further, particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the detector may further include a cover layer. Here, the cover layer may be deposited on at least one sensor region, preferably in direct contact with the sensor region. In a preferred embodiment, the cover layer may be deposited so as to completely cover the accessible surface of the sensor region. Preferably, the cover layer may be an amorphous layer containing at least one metal-containing compound. However, other types of cover layers are also possible. Preferably, at least one deposition method may be used to deposit the cover layer.

[0067] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the cover layer can completely cover the accessible surface of each sensor area so as to encapsulate at least one sensor area. As used herein, the term "encapsulation" can refer to a package, preferably an airtight package, that prevents partial or complete deterioration of the sensor area or its sections, particularly due to external influences such as humidity and / or oxygen contained in the ambient atmosphere, as much as possible. It may be considered that the package is preferably adapted to cover all accessible surfaces of each sensor area, and that each sensor area may be deposited on a substrate layer already adapted to protect the surface partitions of the sensor area. In other words, the substrate layer and the cover layer can be adapted to cooperate to complete an improved packaging, preferably an improved airtight packaging, of the sensor area.

[0068] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the cover layer may exhibit a thickness of 10 nm to 600 nm, preferably 20 nm to 200 nm, more preferably 40 nm to 100 nm, and most preferably 50 to 75 nm. This thickness may reflect, in particular, the amount of metal-containing compounds in the cover layer, which may be advantageous for achieving the function of providing encapsulation of each sensor region. Herein, the cover layer may be conformal with respect to the adjacent surface of each sensor region. As commonly used, the thickness of a conformal cover may therefore follow the corresponding surface of at least one sensor region within a deviation of ±50 nm, preferably ±20 nm, and most preferably ±10 nm, where the deviation occurs over at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, and most preferably at least 99% of the surface of the cover layer, thereby excluding any contamination or imperfections that may be present on the surface of the cover layer.

[0069] Furthermore, the cover layer may be adapted to exhibit at least one further function in addition to the function of providing encapsulation, in particular the functions of a high refractive index, a second light filter, a scratch-resistant layer, a hydrophilic layer, a hydrophobic layer, a self-cleaning layer, an anti-fogging layer, and a conductive layer. Other functions may also be possible.

[0070] In certain embodiments, particularly when it is not appropriate to provide the desired additional functionality in the cover layer or when the degree of the additional functionality provided by the selected cover layer is insufficient, the cover layer may be at least partially covered by at least one additional layer at least partially deposited on the cover layer. Preferably, the additional layer is or can exhibit the additional functionality and may therefore include at least one of an anti-reflection layer, a second light filter, a scratch-resistant layer, a hydrophilic layer, a hydrophobic layer, a self-cleaning layer, an anti-fogging layer, or a conductive layer. Those skilled in the art can easily select and provide at least one additional layer. However, other embodiments may also be possible.

[0071] In a preferred embodiment, the cover layer can partially or completely cover the electrical contacts and can be configured to be bondable, in particular, to one or more lead wires to an external circuit. Here, the electrical contacts can be bondable using wires, such as gold or aluminum wires, and the electrical contacts can preferably be bondable through the cover layer. In a specific embodiment, an additional adhesive layer can be provided on the electrical contacts, and the additional adhesive layer can be particularly adapted for bonding. For this purpose, the additional adhesive layer can include at least one of nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), or palladium (Pd).

[0072] According to the invention, the detector includes at least one of the optical sensors described elsewhere in this document. The detector may therefore be designed to detect electromagnetic radiation in a fairly wide spectral range, preferably in the infrared (IR) spectral range, whereby the following may be particularly selected to achieve high sensitivity within the sensor range: indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) for wavelengths up to 2.6 μm, indium arsenide (InAs) for wavelengths up to 3.1 μm, lead sulfide (PbS) for wavelengths up to 3.5 μm, lead selenide (PbSe) for wavelengths up to 5 μm, indium antimonide (InSb) for wavelengths up to 5.5 μm, and mercury cadmium telluride (MCT, HgCdTe) for wavelengths up to 16 μm.

[0073] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the detector includes an evaluation device designed to generate at least one information item provided by the incident light beam by evaluating the sensor signal. As used herein, the term "evaluation device" generally refers to any device designed to generate an information item. By way of example, the evaluation device may be or comprise one or more integrated circuits, such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or one or more data processing devices, such as one or more computers, preferably one or more microcomputers and / or microcontrollers. Additional components may include one or more preprocessing devices, such as one or more devices for receiving and / or preprocessing the sensor signal, e.g., one or more analog-to-digital converters and / or one or more filters, and / or data acquisition devices. Furthermore, the evaluation device may include one or more data storage devices. Furthermore, as outlined above, the evaluation device may include one or more interfaces, such as one or more wireless interfaces and / or one or more wired interfaces.

[0074] As already mentioned, a detector is a device adapted to provide at least one item of information about an incident light beam, such as the transmittance, absorptance, emissivity, reflectance, and / or the position of at least one object emitting or reflecting the light beam. The detector may be a fixed device or a mobile device. Furthermore, the detector may be a stand-alone device or may form part of another device, such as a computer, a vehicle, or any other device. Furthermore, the detector may be a portable device. Other embodiments of the detector are also possible.

[0075] For further information regarding detectors for optical detection or any components thereof, reference may be made to WO2014 / 097181A1 and WO2018 / 019921A1.

[0076] In a further aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a photodetector for optical detection of an incident light beam is disclosed, which method can preferably be used to manufacture or produce at least one detector according to the invention, such as at least one detector according to one or more of the embodiments disclosed in other parts of this document as described in more detail below. Accordingly, for any embodiment of the method, reference can be made to the description of the various embodiments of the detector.

[0077] The method includes the following steps, which may be performed in the given order or in a different order. Furthermore, additional method steps not listed may be provided. Unless otherwise specified, two or more, or even all, of the method steps may be performed at least partially simultaneously. Furthermore, two or more, or even all, of the method steps may be performed repeatedly two or more times.

[0078] The method for manufacturing a photodetector according to the present invention comprises the following steps: a) depositing at least one absorbing layer on a partition of a circuit carrier, said absorbing layer being designed to at least partially absorb an incident light beam, said absorbing layer incorporating an infrared absorbing pigment; b) creating at least one sensor area by depositing a photosensitive material on an at least partially transparent substrate layer, each sensor area being designed to generate at least one sensor signal in a manner dependent on illumination of the sensor area by an incident light beam; c) disposing the substrate layer carrying the sensor region on the absorption layer; d) providing an evaluation device, said evaluation device being designed to generate at least one item of information by evaluating said at least one sensor signal; Includes:

[0079] Thus, according to step a), one or more absorbent layers incorporating infrared-absorbing pigments can first be deposited on a circuit carrier partition, in particular a printed circuit board (PCB). As a result, the absorbent layer can preferably be or include at least one of a resin layer or an adhesive layer, as described in more detail elsewhere in this document. Separately, at least one sensor area is generated according to step b) by depositing a photosensitive material on a substrate layer. Subsequently, the substrate layer carrying the at least one sensor area is placed on the one or more absorbent layers according to step b), thereby allowing the absorbent layer to be positioned at a desired location where it can at least partially absorb the incident light beam. Thus, the back-reflected light beam can be at least partially absorbed by one of the sensor areas. As a result, there is no or at least a small back-reflected light beam that would otherwise impair the measurement results, as explained in detail above.

[0080] Thereafter, at least two individual electrical contacts may be provided to contact the sensor layer, which electrical contacts are designed to transmit the sensor signal via the circuit carrier to the evaluation device. Thus, at least two individual electrical contacts may be applied to provide an electrical connection between each sensor area and the evaluation device, which electrical connection is preferably obtained by applying wire bonds between the individual electrical contacts and corresponding receiving contacts, such as contact pads, which may preferably be further arranged on a circuit carrier, such as a PCB.

[0081] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the absorbing layer may be obtained by adding, before step a), an infrared-absorbing pigment to at least one of the resin layer or the adhesive layer, such as by stirring or mixing, wherein the infrared-absorbing pigment may preferably be selected from at least one of the pigments mentioned elsewhere in this document.

[0082] In a further preferred embodiment, each sensor area may be applied directly or indirectly to the substrate layer, preferably without leaving or creating gaps between the substrate layer and each sensor area. To this end, at least one sensor area may be applied by using a deposition method, preferably selected from the group consisting of vacuum evaporation, sputtering, atomic layer deposition, chemical bath deposition, chemical vapor deposition, spray pyrolysis, electrodeposition, anodic oxidation, electroconversion, electroless immersion growth, sequential ion adsorption and reaction, molecular beam epitaxy, molecular vapor phase epitaxy, liquid phase epitaxy, inkjet printing, gravure printing, flexography, screen printing, stencil printing, slot die coating, doctor blading, and solution-gas interface techniques.

[0083] As described above, the desired detector is generally designed to generate at least one sensor signal in response to illumination of at least one sensor region by an incident light beam. To this end, at least two electrical contacts adapted to electrically contact at least one sensor region may be further provided. Generally, the electrical contacts can be provided before or during either method step a) or b). In a particularly preferred embodiment, the electrical contacts can be provided by using a vapor-deposited metal layer, such as by known vapor deposition techniques, where the metal layer can include one or more of silver, aluminum, platinum, magnesium, chromium, titanium, gold, or highly conductive graphene. Alternatively, the electrical contacts can be provided by a galvanic or chemical deposition process, such as electroless Ni, electroless Au, galvanic Ni, or galvanic Au.

[0084] Furthermore, the cover layer may be deposited on at least one sensor area in such a way as to completely or partially cover the electrical contacts. In this particular embodiment, the electrical contacts are at least partially, preferably completely, covered by the cover layer and can therefore be connected to at least one external connection by using a conductive lead, preferably in the form of a wire, in particular a gold (Au), aluminum (Al) or copper (Cu) wire, which can in particular be connected to the electrical contacts through the cover layer. As an example, gold (Au) contacts covered by the cover layer can subsequently be connected by wire bonding.

[0085] As already mentioned above, at least one additional layer can further be deposited on the cover layer or a section thereof. Herein, the additional layer can be selected to be or include at least one of an additional optical filter layer, an anti-reflection layer, an adhesive layer, an encapsulating layer, a scratch-resistant layer, a hydrophilic layer, a hydrophobic layer, a self-cleaning layer, an anti-fogging layer, or a conductive layer.

[0086] Additionally, further details regarding the fabrication process of the photodetector are provided elsewhere in this document.

[0087] Devices according to the present invention can be used in combination with surface mount technology packages such as bump chip carriers, ceramic leadless chip carriers, leadless chip carriers, leaded chip carriers, leaded ceramic chip carriers, dual leadless chip carriers, plastic leaded chip carriers, package-on-package chip carriers, etc. Furthermore, the device according to the invention can be mounted on semiconductor packages with standard through-hole or source mount technology, such as DO-204, DO-213, metal electrode leafless surface, DO-214, SMA, SMB, SMC, GF1, SOD, SOT, TSOT, TO-3, TO-5, TO-8, TO-18, TO-39, TO-46, TO-66, TO-92, TO-99, TO-100, TO-126, TO-220, TO-226, TO-247, TO252, TO-263, THIN, SIP, SIPP, DFN, DIP, DIL, Flat Pack, SO, SOIC, SOP, SSOP, TSOP, TSSOP, ZIP, LCC, PLCC, QFN, QFP, QUIP, QUIL, BGA, eWLB, LGA, PGA, COB, COF, COG, CSP, Flip The device according to the present invention can be used in combination with chips, PoPs, QPs, UICCs, WL-CSPs, WLPs, MDIPs, PDIPs, SDIPs, CCGAs, CGAs, CERPACKs, CQGPs, LLPs, LGAs, LTCCs, MCMs, MICRO SMDXTs, etc. Furthermore, the device according to the present invention can be used in combination with pin grid arrays (PGAs) such as OPGAs, FCPGAs, PACs, PGAs, and CPGAs. Furthermore, the device according to the present invention can be used in combination with flat packages such as CFPs, CQFPs, BQFPs, DFNs, ETQFPs, PQFNs, PQFPs, LQFPs, QFNs, QFPs, MQFPs, HVQFPs, SIDEBRAZEs, TQFPs, TQFNs, VQFPs, and ODFNs. Furthermore, devices according to the present invention can be used in combination with small outline packages such as SOP, CSOP MSOP, PSOP, PSON, PSON, QSOP, SOIC, SSOP, TSOP, TSSOP, TVSOP, μMAX, WSON, etc.Furthermore, the device according to the present invention can be used in combination with chip scale packages such as CSP, TCSP, TDSP, micro SMD, COB, COF, and COG. Furthermore, the device according to the present invention can be used in combination with ball grid arrays such as FBGA, LBGA, TEPBGA, CBGA, OBGA, TFBGA, PBGA, MAP-BGA, UCSP, μBGA, LFBGA, TBGA, SBGA, and UFBGA. Furthermore, the device according to the present invention can be used in combination with further electronic devices such as chip-in-multi-chip packages such as SiP, PoP, 3D-SiC, WSI, and near-field communications. For more information on integrated circuit packaging, the following sources can be referenced: - https: / / en.wikipedia.org / wiki / List_of_integrated_circuit_packaging_types or - https: / / en.wikipedia.org / wiki / List_of_integrated_circuit_package_dimensions In a further aspect of the present invention, the use of the detector according to the present invention is disclosed. In general, the detector may be used in detector systems, human-machine interfaces, entertainment devices, tracking systems, and cameras. For further details, reference may be made to WO2018 / 193045A1.

[0088] In particular, the detector may be used for a gas detection application, a fire detection application, a flame detection application, a heat detection application, a smoke detection application, a combustion monitoring application, a spectroscopy application, a temperature sensing application, a motion sensing application, an industrial monitoring application, a chemical sensing application, an exhaust gas monitoring application, or a security application. In particular, the detector may be used for an infrared detection application, a heat detection application, a thermometer application, a heat seeking application, a flame detection application, a fire detection application, a smoke detection application, a temperature sensing application, a spectroscopy application, or the like. Furthermore, the detector may be used for exhaust gas monitoring, combustion process monitoring, industrial process monitoring, chemical process monitoring, food processing process monitoring, or the like. Furthermore, the detector may be used for temperature control, motion control, exhaust control, gas sensing, gas analysis, motion sensing, chemical sensing, or the like. For further uses of the optical sensors and detectors disclosed herein, reference may be made to WO2016 / 120392A1 and WO2018 / 019921A1, which are incorporated herein by reference. However, further application fields may still be envisioned.

[0089] The above-described photodetector, method, and proposed use have significant advantages over the prior art. Thus, in general, a simple yet efficient detector for sensing at least one of transmission, absorption, emission, and reflection of at least one object can be provided. Furthermore, the detector according to the present invention can be particularly sensitive across at least one band in the IR spectral range, and in particular in the mid-infrared (MidIR) spectral range, i.e., the spectral range from 1.5 μm to 15 μm, thus providing an efficient and reliable large-area position sensing device for infrared light.

[0090] Compared to known devices in the art, the detector proposed herein is preferably arranged to effectively avoid or reduce cross-detection between sensor regions, particularly between adjacent sensor regions, thereby avoiding or at least reducing degradation of measurements based on at least one sensor signal, particularly in the infrared spectral range, as much as possible, and the photodetector can be manufactured using a simple manufacturing process. The detector can be easily integrated into a package. Furthermore, the detector proposed herein can preferably be supplied in a compact, hermetically sealed package that, despite its low bulk, provides a high degree of protection against degradation due to external influences such as humidity and / or oxygen, even at high temperatures and / or humidity. Furthermore, the adhesiveness of the electrical contacts allows for easy integration into a circuit carrier, such as a printed circuit board (PCB), even through a cover layer and a compact, hermetic package of the at least one sensor region. The material used in the detector, including the infrared-absorbing pigment, can be selected to ensure that the at least one sensor region exhibits suitable absorption characteristics over a desired spectral range, particularly within a band in the IR spectral range, particularly the mid-infrared (Mid-IR) spectral range.

[0091] In summary, in the context of the present invention, the following embodiments are considered particularly preferred: Embodiment 1: A detector for optical detection of an incident light beam, comprising: - a circuit carrier designed to carry at least one layer; - at least one absorbing layer arranged on a partition of the circuit carrier, the absorbing layer being designed to at least partially absorb the incident light beam and incorporating an infrared absorbing pigment; - a substrate layer directly or indirectly adjacent to the absorbing layer, the substrate layer being at least partially transparent to the incident light beam; - at least one sensor area arranged on the substrate layer, the sensor area being designed to generate at least one sensor signal depending on illumination of the sensor area by the incident light beam; an evaluation device designed to generate at least one item of information by evaluating said at least one sensor signal; a detector.

[0092] Embodiment 2: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the absorption layer is designed to absorb at least one wavelength in at least one band of the infrared spectral range, the infrared spectral range being between 760 nm and 1000 μm.

[0093] Embodiment 3: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the absorption layer is designed to absorb at least one wavelength in at least one band of a mid-infrared spectral range, the mid-infrared spectral range being in the range of 1.5 μm to 15 μm.

[0094] Embodiment 4: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the circuit carrier is designed to mechanically support and electrically connect the detector.

[0095] Embodiment 5: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the circuit carrier is or includes a printed circuit board (PCB), preferably a single-sided PCB.

[0096] Embodiment 6: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the printed circuit board is a non-conductive planar substrate and has at least one sheet of conductive material laminated onto the substrate such that conductive structures are etched into the sheet.

[0097] Embodiment 7: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the absorption layer is disposed on a partition on the surface of the circuit carrier.

[0098] Embodiment 8: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the absorption layer is disposed on a partition on the surface of the printed circuit board (PCB), preferably a single-sided PCB.

[0099] Embodiment 9: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the absorption layer is designed to at least partially absorb light after the light has at least partially transmitted through at least one of the sensor regions.

[0100] Embodiment 10: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the absorbing layer is designed to absorb at least 50% to 100%, preferably 80% to 100%, more preferably 95% to 100%, especially 99% to 100% of the incident light beam.

[0101] Embodiment 11: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the absorption layer is designed to absorb the incident light beam over at least 50%, more preferably at least 90%, and most preferably at least 99% of the sensitivity range of the at least one sensor region.

[0102] Embodiment 12: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the absorbing layer is designed to transmit no more than 50% of the incident light beam, preferably no more than 20%, more preferably no more than 5%, in particular no more than 1%.

[0103] Embodiment 13: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the absorption layer is designed to transmit no more than 50% of the incident light beam over at least 50%, more preferably at least 90%, and most preferably at least 99% of the sensitivity range of the at least one sensor region.

[0104] Embodiment 14: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the absorbing layer exhibits a thickness of between 100 nm and 350 μm, more preferably between 250 nm and 120 μm, and most preferably between 1 μm and 65 μm.

[0105] Embodiment 15: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the absorption layer is or includes at least one of a resin layer or an adhesive layer.

[0106] Embodiment 16: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the adhesive layer is designed to assemble the substrate layer and the circuit carrier.

[0107] Embodiment 17: A detector according to any one of the preceding two embodiments, wherein the adhesive layer comprises an adhesive material selected from organic adhesives.

[0108] Embodiment 18: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the organic adhesive is selected from epoxy, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyurethane, polysulfide, silyl-modified polymer, polyester, silicone, polyol, polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene vinyl acetate, cyanoacrylate, polyacrylate, polyethylene, polyvinylpyrrolidone, acrylonitrile, rubber cement, recorcinol adhesive, or polyamide.

[0109] Embodiment 19: A detector according to any one of the preceding three embodiments, wherein the resin layer is selected from at least one of an epoxy, a lacquer, an acrylic resin, a polyurethane, a polysiloxane, or an alkyd resin.

[0110] Embodiment 20: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the infrared absorbing pigment is selected from the group consisting of carbon black, graphite, carbon, Vantablack, LaB6, copper powder, copper chromite black, cobalt chromite black, and manganese ferrite black.

[0111] Embodiment 21: A detector according to any one of the two preceding embodiments, wherein the concentration of the pigment in the absorbent layer is between 0.1% and 10% by weight, preferably between 0.3% and 5% by weight, in particular between 0.5% and 2% by weight.

[0112] Embodiment 22: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the absorbing layer exhibits a refractive index designed to limit back reflections at an interface between the absorbing layer and the substrate layer.

[0113] Embodiment 23: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, comprising at least two individual absorbing layers, the at least two absorbing layers being arranged in a stack.

[0114] Embodiment 24: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least two absorbent layers arranged in a stack are selected from at least one of a resin layer or an adhesive layer.

[0115] Embodiment 25: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the material of the substrate layer is selected from glass, quartz, silicon (Si), transparent conductive oxide (TCO), or a transparent organic polymer.

[0116] Embodiment 26: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) is selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), titanium oxide (TiO2), indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO2:F;FTO), aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), magnesium oxide (MgO), or perovskite transparent conductive oxides.

[0117] Embodiment 27: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, comprising an array of individual sensor regions.

[0118] Embodiment 28: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein adjacent sensor regions are separated by a gap.

[0119] Embodiment 29: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one sensor region is applied directly or indirectly to the substrate layer.

[0120] Embodiment 30: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein no gaps are left or created between the substrate layer and each of the sensor regions.

[0121] Embodiment 31: A detector according to any one of the preceding two embodiments, wherein the at least one sensor region is applied using a deposition method.

[0122] Embodiment 32: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the deposition method is selected from the group consisting of chemical bath deposition, vacuum evaporation, sputtering, atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, spray pyrolysis, anodization, electrodeposition, electroconversion, electroless immersion growth, sequential ion adsorption and reaction, molecular beam epitaxy, molecular vapor phase epitaxy, liquid phase epitaxy, inkjet printing, gravure printing, flexography, screen printing, stencil printing, slot die coating, doctor blade, and solution-gas interface techniques.

[0123] Embodiment 33: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one sensor region comprises a photosensitive material selected from the group consisting of dye solar cells, photoconductive materials, and quantum dots, with the photoconductive materials being particularly preferred.

[0124] Embodiment 34: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the photoconductive material comprises an inorganic photoconductive material, an organic photoconductive material, or a combination thereof.

[0125] Embodiment 35: A detector according to the preceding embodiments, wherein the inorganic photoconductive material comprises one or more of selenium, tellurium, selenium-tellurium alloys, metal oxides, Group 4 elements or compounds, Group 3-Group 5 compounds, Group 2-Group 6 compounds, chalcogenides, pnictogenides, halides, and solid solutions thereof and / or doped variants thereof.

[0126] Embodiment 36: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the chalcogenide is selected from the group comprising sulfide chalcogenides, selenide chalcogenides, telluride chalcogenides, ternary chalcogenides, quaternary chalcogenides, and higher order chalcogenides.

[0127] Embodiment 37: The sulfide chalcogenide is lead sulfide (PbS), cadmium sulfide (CdS), zinc sulfide (ZnS), mercury sulfide (HgS), silver sulfide (AgS), manganese sulfide (MnS), bismuth trisulfide (BiS), antimony trisulfide (SbS), arsenic trisulfide (AsS), tin(II) sulfide (SnS), tin(IV) disulfide (SnS), indium sulfide (InS), sulfur. 3. A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the metal is selected from the group comprising copper disulfide (CuS), cobalt sulfide (CoS), nickel sulfide (NiS), molybdenum disulfide (MoS), iron disulfide (FeS), chromium trisulfide (CrS), copper indium sulfide (CIS), copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS), and solid solutions and / or doped variants thereof.

[0128] Embodiment 38: A detector according to any one of the preceding two embodiments, wherein the selenide chalcogenide is selected from the group comprising lead selenide (PbSe), cadmium selenide (CdSe), zinc selenide (ZnSe), bismuth triselenide (BiSe), mercury selenide (HgSe), antimony triselenide (SbSe), arsenic triselenide (AsSe), nickel selenide (NiSe), thallium selenide (TlSe), copper selenide (CuSe), molybdenum diselenide (MoSe), tin selenide (SnSe), cobalt selenide (CoSe), indium selenide (InSe), copper zinc tin selenide (CZTSe), and solid solutions thereof and / or doped variants thereof.

[0129] Embodiment 39: A detector according to any one of the preceding three embodiments, wherein the telluride chalcogenide is selected from the group comprising lead telluride (PbTe), cadmium telluride (CdTe), zinc telluride (ZnTe), mercury telluride (HgTe), bismuth tritelluride (BiTe), arsenic tritelluride (AsTe), antimony tritelluride (SbTe), nickel telluride (NiTe), thallium telluride (TlTe), copper telluride (CuTe), molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe), tin telluride (SnTe), and cobalt telluride (CoTe), silver telluride (AgTe), indium telluride (InTe), and solid solutions thereof and / or doped variants thereof.

[0130] Embodiment 40: The ternary chalcogenide is selected from the group consisting of mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe), mercury zinc telluride (HgZnTe), mercury cadmium sulfide (HgCdS), lead cadmium sulfide (PbCdS), lead mercury sulfide (PbHgS), copper indium disulfide (CuInS2), cadmium sulfoselenide (CdSSe), zinc sulfoselenide (ZnSSe), thallium sulfoselenide (TlSSe), cadmium zinc sulfide (CdZnS), cadmium chromium sulfide (CdCr2S4), mercury chromium sulfide (HgCr2S4), copper chromium sulfide (CuCr2S4), cadmium lead selenide (CdPbSe), copper indium diselenide (CuInSe2), indium gallium arsenide (CdPbSe), 10. A detector according to any one of the preceding four embodiments, wherein the metal ion is selected from the group comprising lead monoxide sulfide (InGaAs), lead monoxide selenide (PbOS), lead monoxide selenide (PbOSe), lead sulfoselenide (PbSSe), arsenic selenide telluride (AsSeTe), indium gallium phosphide (InGaP), gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP), aluminum gallium phosphide (AlGaP), cadmium selenite (CdSeO), cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe), cadmium zinc selenide (CdZnSe), copper-zinc-tin-sulfide-selenium chalcogenide (CZTSSe), and solid solutions thereof and / or doped variants thereof.

[0131] Embodiment 41: A detector according to any one of the preceding six embodiments, wherein the Group 2-6 compound is selected from the group comprising cadmium sulfide (CdS), cadmium selenide (CdSe), cadmium telluride (CdTe), zinc sulfide (ZnS), zinc selenide (ZnSe), zinc telluride (ZnTe), mercury sulfide (HgS), mercury selenide (HgSe), mercury telluride (HgTe), cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe), mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe), mercury zinc telluride (HgZnTe), and mercury zinc selenide (CdZnSe), and solid solutions thereof and / or doped variants thereof.

[0132] Embodiment 42: A detector according to any one of the preceding seven embodiments, wherein the Group III-V compound is selected from the group comprising indium antimonide (InSb), boron nitride (BN), boron phosphide (BP), boron arsenide (BAs), aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum phosphide (AlP), aluminum arsenide (AlAs), aluminum antimonide (AlSb), indium nitride (InN), indium phosphide (InP), indium arsenide (InAs), indium antimonide (InSb), gallium nitride (GaN), gallium phosphide (GaP), gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium antimonide (GaSb), and solid solutions thereof and / or doped variants thereof.

[0133] Embodiment 43: A detector according to any one of the preceding eight embodiments, wherein the metal oxide is selected from the group comprising copper (II) oxide (CuO), copper (I) oxide (CuO), nickel oxide (NiO), zinc oxide (ZnO), silver oxide (AgO), manganese oxide (MnO), titanium dioxide (TiO), barium oxide (BaO), lead oxide (PbO), cerium oxide (CeO), bismuth oxide (BiO), cadmium oxide (CdO), and solid solutions thereof and / or doped variants thereof.

[0134] Embodiment 44: A detector according to any one of the preceding nine embodiments, wherein the Group 4 element or compound is selected from the group comprising doped diamond (C), doped silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon germanium (SiGe), and solid solutions thereof and / or doped variants thereof.

[0135] Embodiment 45: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the at least one sensor region exhibits a thickness of between 10 nm and 100 μm, preferably between 100 nm and 10 μm, more preferably between 100 nm and 5 μm.

[0136] Embodiment 46: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, further comprising at least two individual electrical contacts in contact with the at least one sensor area, the electrical contacts being designed to transmit the sensor signal via the circuit carrier to the evaluation device.

[0137] Embodiment 47: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein a wire bond provides a direct connection between each electrical contact contacting the at least one sensor region and a corresponding receiving contact.

[0138] Embodiment 48: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the receiving contacts are further arranged on the circuit carrier, particularly preferably on the printed circuit board (PCB).

[0139] Embodiment 49: A detector according to any one of the preceding two embodiments, wherein the receiving contact is a contact pad.

[0140] Embodiment 50: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, further comprising a cover layer deposited on the at least one sensor region.

[0141] Embodiment 51: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the cover layer is an amorphous layer comprising at least one metal-containing compound.

[0142] Embodiment 52: The at least one metal-containing compound comprises a metal or a metalloid, the metal being lithium (Li), beryllium (Be), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), scandium (Sc), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), gallium (Ga), rubidium (Rb), strontium (Sr), yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), indium (In), tin (Sn), cesium (Cs), barium (Ba). ), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu), hafnium (Hf), tantalum ( 10. A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the metalloid is selected from the group consisting of: Ta, tungsten (W), rhenium (Re), osmium (Os), iridium (Ir), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), mercury (Hg), thallium (Tl), and bismuth (Bi), and said metalloid is selected from the group consisting of boron (B), germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), and tellurium (Te).

[0143] Embodiment 53: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the at least one metal-containing compound comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), and tungsten (W).

[0144] Embodiment 54: A detector according to any one of the preceding three embodiments, wherein the at least one metal-containing compound is selected from the group comprising an oxide, a hydroxide, a chalcogenide, a pnictogenide, a carbide, or a combination thereof.

[0145] Embodiment 55: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the at least one metal-containing compound comprises at least one oxide, at least one hydroxide, or combinations thereof of aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), or hafnium (Hf).

[0146] Embodiment 56: A detector according to any one of the preceding six embodiments, wherein the cover layer has a thickness of 10 nm to 600 nm, preferably 20 nm to 200 nm, more preferably 40 nm to 100 nm, and most preferably 50 to 75 nm.

[0147] Embodiment 57: A detector according to any one of the preceding seven embodiments, wherein the cover layer is or includes chemical bath deposition, vacuum evaporation, sputtering, atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, spray pyrolysis, anodization, electrodeposition, electroconversion, electroless immersion growth, sequential ion adsorption and reaction, molecular beam epitaxy, molecular vapor phase epitaxy, liquid phase epitaxy, inkjet printing, gravure printing, flexography, screen printing, stencil printing, slot die coating, doctor blade, dip coating, and solution-gas interface techniques.

[0148] Embodiment 58: A detector according to any one of the preceding eight embodiments, wherein the cover layer further comprises at least one property of an optical filter, an anti-reflection layer, an encapsulation layer, an adhesive layer, a scratch-resistant layer, a hydrophilic layer, a hydrophobic layer, a self-cleaning layer, an anti-fogging layer, or a conductive layer.

[0149] Embodiment 59: A detector according to any one of the preceding nine embodiments, wherein the cover layer is in direct contact with the at least one sensor region.

[0150] Embodiment 60: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the cover layer completely covers the accessible surface of the at least one sensor area.

[0151] Embodiment 61: A detector according to any one of the preceding two embodiments, wherein the cover layer at least partially covers the electrical contacts.

[0152] Embodiment 62: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the electrical contacts are bondable through the cover layer.

[0153] Embodiment 63: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the electrical contacts are preferably bondable by using wire bonds, in particular gold (Au), aluminum (Al), or copper (Cu) wires.

[0154] Embodiment 64: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least two individual electrical contacts are provided at different positions in each of the sensor regions.

[0155] Embodiment 65: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the electrical contacts comprise at least one electrode material selected from the group consisting of silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), gold (Au), and highly conductive graphene.

[0156] Embodiment 66: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein a further adhesive layer is provided on the electrical contact, the further adhesive layer being adapted for bonding.

[0157] Embodiment 67: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the further adhesion layer comprises at least one of nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), or palladium (Pd).

[0158] Embodiment 68: A detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the detector is adapted to generate the sensor signal by measuring one or more of the electrical resistance or conductivity of the at least one sensor region.

[0159] Embodiment 69: A detector according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the detector is adapted to generate the sensor signal by performing at least one current-voltage measurement and / or at least one voltage-current measurement.

[0160] Embodiment 70: A method for manufacturing a photodetector for optical detection of an incident light beam, said method comprising the steps of: a) depositing at least one absorbing layer on a partition of the circuit carrier, the absorbing layer being designed to at least partially absorb the incident light beam, the absorbing layer incorporating an infrared absorbing pigment; b) creating at least one sensor area by depositing a photosensitive material on an at least partially transparent substrate layer, each sensor area being designed to generate at least one sensor signal in a manner dependent on illumination of the sensor area by the incident light beam; c) disposing the substrate layer carrying the at least one sensor region on the absorber layer; d) providing an evaluation device designed to generate at least one item of information by evaluating said at least one sensor signal; A method comprising:

[0161] Embodiment 71: A method according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the absorbing layer is deposited on a partition of the circuit carrier, in particular on a printed circuit board (PCB).

[0162] Embodiment 72: A method according to any one of the preceding embodiments referring to a method, wherein the substrate layer carrying the at least one sensor area is disposed on the absorbent layer by applying the substrate layer directly or indirectly to the absorbent layer.

[0163] Embodiment 73: A method according to any one of the preceding embodiments referring to a method, wherein the absorbing layer is obtained by adding the infrared absorbing pigment to at least one of a resin layer or an adhesive layer before step a).

[0164] Embodiment 74: The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments referring to methods, wherein the infrared absorbing pigment is selected from the group consisting of carbon black, graphite, carbon, Vantablack, LaB6, copper powder, copper chromite black, cobalt chromite black, and manganese ferrite black.

[0165] Embodiment 75: The method according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the absorbent layer is obtained by adding 0.1% to 10% by weight, preferably 0.3% to 5% by weight, in particular 0.5% to 2% by weight, of an infrared-absorbing pigment to at least one of the resin layer or the adhesive layer.

[0166] Embodiment 76: A method according to any one of the preceding embodiments referring to a method, further comprising applying the at least one sensor area directly or indirectly to the substrate layer.

[0167] Embodiment 77: A method according to the preceding embodiment, wherein no gap is left or created between the substrate layer and the at least one sensor area.

[0168] Embodiment 78: The method according to any one of the preceding two embodiments, wherein the at least one sensor region is applied using a deposition method selected from the group consisting of chemical bath deposition, vacuum evaporation, sputtering, atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, spray pyrolysis, electrodeposition, anodization, electroconversion, electroless immersion growth, sequential ion adsorption and reaction, molecular beam epitaxy, molecular vapor phase epitaxy, liquid phase epitaxy, inkjet printing, gravure printing, flexography, screen printing, stencil printing, slot die coating, doctor blade, and solution-gas interface techniques.

[0169] Embodiment 79: The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the photosensitive material is selected from the group consisting of a dye solar cell, a photoconductive material, and a quantum dot, with the photoconductive material being particularly preferred.

[0170] Embodiment 80: A method according to any one of the preceding embodiments referring to a method, wherein at least two individual electrical contacts are provided for contacting the at least one sensor area, the electrical contacts being designed to transmit the sensor signal to the evaluation device via the circuit carrier.

[0171] Embodiment 81: A method according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the electrical contacts are bonded to at least one external connection by using conductive leads, preferably in the form of wire bonds, in particular gold (Au), aluminum (Al), or copper (Cu) wires.

[0172] Embodiment 82: The method according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the electrical connection is obtained by applying the wire bond between the individual electrical contact and the corresponding receiving contact.

[0173] Embodiment 83: The method according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the receiving contact is preferably a contact pad further arranged on the circuit carrier, in particular on the printed circuit board (PCB).

[0174] Embodiment 84: A method according to any one of the preceding embodiments referring to a method, wherein a cover layer is generated, said cover layer at least partially, preferably completely, covering said at least one sensor area.

[0175] Embodiment 85: The method according to the preceding embodiment, wherein the conductive leads are bonded to the electrical contacts through the cover layer.

[0176] Embodiment 86: Use of a detector according to any one of the preceding embodiments referring to a detector, wherein the detector is used for a purpose selected from the group consisting of: gas detection, fire detection, flame detection, heat detection, smoke detection, combustion monitoring, spectroscopy, temperature sensing, motion sensing, industrial monitoring, chemical sensing, exhaust gas monitoring, security applications. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0177] Further optional details and features of the invention are apparent from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the dependent claims. In this context, certain features may be implemented alone or in combination with other features. The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. The exemplary embodiments are shown diagrammatically in the figures. The same reference numerals in the individual figures refer to identical elements or elements with the same function or elements that correspond to each other in terms of their function.

[0178] Specifically, in the diagram below: [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a photodetector according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 shows the results of a transmittance measurement using an exemplary embodiment of a photodetector according to FIG. 1; [Figure 3] 2 shows the results of a responsivity measurement using an exemplary embodiment of a photodetector according to FIG. 1; [Figure 4] 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a detector system including an exemplary embodiment of a photodetector according to FIG. 1; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0179] 1 shows, in a highly schematic manner, an exemplary embodiment of a photodetector 110 according to the present invention. Herein, the detector 110 is adapted for optical detection, in particular for detecting at least one wavelength within at least one band of a spectral range, the desired band of which is preferably selected from the infrared (IR) spectral range, i.e., the spectral range from 760 nm to 1000 μm.

[0180] In particular, the detector may be designed to sense at least one optically conceivable property of at least one object 112. In particular, the optically conceivable property determinable by the detector 110 may be selected from at least one of optical and / or geometric properties of the object 112. By way of example, the optical property may preferably be selected from transmission, absorption, emission and / or reflection of the object 112, while the geometric property may in particular refer to the position of the object 112 relative to the detector 110. For simplicity, the object 112 is only shown schematically in Figure 4, although it may also be assumed that the object 112 is present in the embodiment according to Figure 1.

[0181] The detector 110 includes at least one substrate layer 114 having at least a first surface 116 and a second surface 118, the second surface 118 being located opposite the first surface 116. Herein, the first surface 116 and / or the second surface 118 of the substrate layer 114 may preferably be a flat surface, as shown in FIG. 1 . However, in an alternative embodiment (not shown here), at least one of the first surface 116 or the second surface 118 of the substrate layer 114 may exhibit a curved surface, where a curved surface refers to an area that may deviate from a flat surface. Herein, the curved surface may be designed in particular to correct aberrations that may occur in the incident light beam 120 on its path through the detector 110. In particular, the curved surface may be selected from a convex surface or a concave surface. However, other types of curved surfaces are also contemplated.

[0182] For the purposes of the present invention, the incident light beam 120 may be incident on a sensor layer that may be applied indirectly or preferably directly to the second surface 118 of the substrate layer 114, preferentially without leaving any gap between the substrate layer 114 and the sensor layer. Here, the sensor layer may be precisely a single continuous sensor layer (not shown here). Preferably, however, the photodetector may include at least two individual sensor areas 122, 122', preferably an array of individual sensor areas, whose upper surfaces 124, 124' may be arranged in particular in the form of a sensor layer, with adjacent sensor areas 124, 124' separated from each other by a gap 126. As a result, multi-pixel applications are possible, according to which the incident light beam 120 is incident only on a single individual sensor area 122, which generates a corresponding sensor signal solely depending on its illumination by the incident light beam 120. In this way, various incident light beams 120 can be distinguished with respect to at least one characteristic of the incident light beam, specifically with respect to the incident position of the light beam 120 or with respect to a physical characteristic including, but not limited to, color or polarization.

[0183] According to the present invention, each of the sensor regions 122, 122′ includes at least one photosensitive material 128. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the photosensitive material 128 may include a photoconductive material, preferably at least one chalcogenide material selected from the group consisting of lead sulfide (PbS), lead selenide (PbSe), lead telluride (PbTe), cadmium telluride (CdTe), or indium phosphide (InP), cadmium sulfide (CdS), cadmium selenide (CdSe), indium antimonide (InSb), mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe; MCT), copper indium sulfide (CIS), copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), zinc sulfide (ZnS), zinc selenide (ZnSe), and copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS). However, other chalcogenides or other types of photoconductive materials can also be employed, where indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) can be particularly selected for wavelengths up to 2.6 μm, indium arsenide (InAs) for wavelengths up to 3.1 μm, lead sulfide (PbS) for wavelengths up to 3.5 μm, lead selenide (PbSe) for wavelengths up to 5 μm, indium antimonide (InSb) for wavelengths up to 5.5 μm, and mercury cadmium telluride (MCT, HgCdTe) for wavelengths up to 16 μm to achieve high sensitivity within the sensor area.

[0184] Preferably, the sensor regions 122, 122' may be deposited on the substrate layer 114 using a deposition method that can easily produce thicknesses between 1 nm and 100 μm, preferably between 10 nm and 10 μm, more preferably between 100 nm and 1 μm, advantageously using chemical bath deposition. However, alternative configurations of the sensor regions 122, 122' or other deposition methods for producing the sensor regions 122, 122' are also feasible.

[0185] Furthermore, the detector 110 includes a circuit carrier 130. As commonly used, the circuit carrier 130 refers to a platform designed to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic, electrical, and / or optical elements, such as the detector 110 or its partitions. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the circuit carrier 130 may be or include a printed circuit board (PCB) 132. As shown schematically in FIG. 1 , the printed circuit board 132 includes only a single sheet and is therefore sometimes referred to as a single-sided PCB 134. However, printed circuit boards including more than one sheet, such as double-sided PCBs and multi-layer PCBs, in which different sheets are connected to each other using so-called "vias," may also be applicable. However, other types of circuit carriers 130 may also be applicable. In general, electronic, electrical, and / or optical elements may be disposed on surface 136 of printed circuit board 132 by soldering, welding, deposition, etc., or additionally or alternatively by embedding in circuit carrier 130, such as by placing in designated seats within circuit carrier 130 for this purpose and / or by removing a partition of circuit carrier 130.

[0186] Furthermore, the detector 110 according to the present invention comprises an absorbing layer 138, which is arranged on a partition of the circuit carrier 130, in particular on a partition of the surface 136 of the printed circuit board 132. In this specification, the absorbing layer 138 is particularly designed to at least partially, preferably completely, absorb the incident light beam 120 so that the incident light beam 120 is not reflected back by the sensor area 122, 122' after at least partially, preferably completely, transmitting through the sensor area 122, 122'. As indicated above, the term "at least partially absorbing" may be expressed by a low degree of transmission of the absorbing layer 138 of 0% to 50%, preferably 0% to 20%, more preferably 0% to 5%, in particular 0% to 1%, as illustrated in more detail in FIG. 2. According to the present invention, the absorbing layer 138 can be designed to exhibit this low degree of transmission over at least one band in the infrared spectral range of wavelengths from 760 nm to 1000 μm, preferably at least over the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range of 760 nm to 1.4 μm, or the far-infrared (FIR) spectral range of 15 μm to 1000 μm, but more preferably over at least the mid-infrared (MIR) spectral range of 1.5 μm to 15 μm. In particular, the absorbing layer 138 can be designed to exhibit this low degree of transmission over at least one band in the sensitivity range of at least one sensor region, as described in more detail below, preferably over a range of at least 50%, more preferably at least 90%, and most preferably at least 99%. As a result, the absorbing layer 138 can reduce, or preferably avoid, absorption of a back-reflected light beam by one of the sensor regions 122, 122′. As a result, there is less, or preferably no, back-reflected light beams that may corrupt the measurement results by reaching a sensor area 122′ different from the sensor area 122 previously impinged by the incident light beam 120. As a result, each incident light beam 120 is therefore correctly assigned to a corresponding sensor area 122 and can therefore only contribute to the correct sensor signal as desired.

[0187] Depending on the material selected, the absorbing layer 138 may exhibit a thickness of 100 nm to 350 μm, more preferably 250 nm to 120 μm, and most preferably 1 μm to 65 μm, in order to provide an intimate and stable connection between both the substrate layer 114 and the circuit carrier 130. In particular, the absorbing layer 138 may comprise an adhesive layer 142 comprising at least one organic adhesive, in particular selected from epoxy, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyurethane, polysulfide, silyl-modified polymer, polyester, silicone, polyol, polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene vinyl acetate, cyanoacrylate, polyacrylate, polyethylene, polyvinylpyrrolidone, acrylonitrile, rubber cement, resorcinol adhesive, polyamide, or preferably a resin layer (not shown here) which may comprise epoxy, lacquer, acrylic resin, polyurethane, polysiloxane, alkyd resin, or the like.

[0188] According to the present invention, the absorbing layer 138 incorporates an infrared-absorbing pigment 144 designed to contribute to the desired absorption grade, as described above. Particularly preferably, the infrared-absorbing pigment 144 can be selected from the group consisting of carbon black 146, graphite, carbon, Vantablack, LaB6, copper powder, copper chromite black, cobalt chromite black, and manganese ferrite black. Carbon black 146 is particularly preferred because it is a readily available, low-cost material. However, additional types of infrared-absorbing pigments can also be used. Depending on the infrared-absorbing pigment 144 selected for the absorbing layer 138, the concentration of the pigment within the absorbing layer 138, i.e., in the organic adhesive and / or resin contained therein, can be preferably selected from the range of 0.1% to 10% by weight, preferably 0.3% to 5% by weight, and particularly 0.5% to 2% by weight.

[0189] In further embodiments, the absorbing layer 138 may alternatively or additionally exhibit one or more chemical or physical properties that may prove advantageous for the optical sensor 110. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the absorbing layer 138 may have a refractive index that may be adapted to limit back reflections, in particular at the surface 140 of the absorbing layer 138, which surface 140 constitutes the interface with the substrate layer 114. As a result, there is little or preferably no back reflection of the light beam 120 towards the sensor area 122, 122', which may corrupt the measurement results. Further properties of the absorbing layer 138 may also be envisaged.

[0190] Therefore, as already indicated above, the present application seeks to avoid back reflection as much as possible, in particular in contrast to WO 2018 / 193045 A1, which disclosed a reflective layer, in particular a reflective gold coating, in the same position as the absorbing layer according to the invention in order to increase back reflection in an economical way. While the embodiment disclosed in WO 2018 / 193045 A1 which increases back reflection may be advantageous in particular for photodetectors with a single sensor layer (single-pixel applications) since it increases the signal-to-noise ratio by redirecting the light beam 120 to the sensor layer, reducing back reflection according to the invention may be advantageous in particular for photodetectors 110 with at least two separate sensor areas 122, 122' (multi-pixel applications) since it reduces or preferably avoids cross-detection between the sensor areas 122, 122'.

[0191] Preferably, the substrate layer 114 is at least partially transparent with respect to the incident light beam 120. To this end, the substrate layer 114 preferably comprises a material selected from glass, quartz, silicon (Si), a transparent organic polymer, or a transparent conductive oxide (TCO), in particular selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), titanium oxide (TiO2), indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO2:F;FTO), aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), magnesium oxide (MgO), or perovskite transparent conductive oxides. However, depending on the desired wavelength range of the detector 110, other types of materials may also be feasible.

[0192] Additionally, each of the sensor regions 122, 122′ may preferably include electrical contacts 148, 148′ designed to directly or indirectly transmit at least one sensor signal generated in the corresponding sensor region 122, 122′ to an evaluation device 150 (not shown here). Preferably, the electrical contacts 148, 148′ may comprise at least one electrode material selected from the group consisting of silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), gold (Au), and highly conductive graphene. As shown in FIG. 1 , the electrical contacts 148, 148′ may further be bonded using bond wires or bonding wires 152, 152′, where the bonding wires 152, 152′ may be or include gold (Au), aluminum (Al), or copper (Cu) wires, among others. In particular, an additional adhesive layer (not shown here) may be provided on the electrical contacts 148, 148′ to support the bond between the bonding wires 152, 152′ and the electrode material of the electrical contacts 148, 148′, and the additional adhesive layer may include at least one of nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), or palladium (Pd). However, other types of bonding wires and / or additional adhesive layers are also possible. As further shown in FIG. 1 , the bonding wires 152, 152′ carrying the sensor signal may be led to contact pads 154, 154′ comprising a conductive material and disposed on the surface 136 of the circuit carrier 130, from which the sensor signal may be further led in a direct or indirect manner to the evaluation device 150. This arrangement may preferably allow for easy handling and contact of the detector 110 by automatically picking up and placing the substrate layer 114 carrying the sensor layers 122, 122' and electrical contacts 148, 148' at a selected location on the circuit carrier 130, followed by the provision of bonding wires 152, 152'.

[0193] The electrical contacts 148, 148' may therefore be designed to transmit a sensor signal generated by at least one of the sensor areas 122, 122' to the evaluation device 150. Alternatively, the sensor signal may be transmitted wirelessly from at least one of the sensor areas 122, 122' to the evaluation device 150. As a result, the resulting sensor signal provided by at least one of the sensor areas 122, 122' upon incidence by the incident light beam 120 depends on the properties of the photosensitive material 128 contained by the sensor area 122, 122'. The evaluation device 150 is generally designed to generate at least one item of information provided by both of the incident light beams 120 about one or more optically conceivable properties of the at least one object 112 by evaluating the sensor signal. For this purpose, the evaluation device 150 may comprise one or more electronic devices and / or one or more software components for evaluating the sensor signal. Thus, the evaluation device 150 may be adapted to determine at least one item of information by comparing two or more sensor signals acquired by at least one of the sensor areas 122, 122'.

[0194] In general, the evaluation device 150 may be part of a data processing device and / or may include one or more data processing devices. The evaluation device 150 may be fully or partially integrated into the circuit carrier 130 and / or may be fully or partially embodied as a separate device electrically connected to the sensor areas 122, 122′ in a wireless or wired manner. The evaluation device 150 may further include one or more further additional components, such as one or more electronic hardware components and / or one or more software components, such as one or more measurement units and / or one or more evaluation units and / or one or more control units (not shown here).

[0195] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the detector 110 (not shown here), the detector 110 may further include an optional cover layer, which may preferably be deposited directly on the sensor region 122, 122′. Here, the cover layer may be, in particular, an amorphous layer containing at least one metal-containing compound, which may advantageously be selected from oxides, hydroxides, chalcogenides, pnictogenides, or carbides of aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), or tungsten (W), or a combination thereof. Here, the cover layer, particularly exhibiting a thickness of 10 nm to 600 nm, preferably 20 nm to 200 nm, may be or include an atomic deposition layer. Alternatively, the cover layer may be produced by employing a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Furthermore, other deposition methods, such as spin coating or inkjet printing, may also be applied. The cover layer may be used to prevent as much as possible deterioration of the sensor area 122, 122' due to external influences, in particular humidity and / or oxygen contained in the ambient atmosphere. Therefore, the cover layer can provide a hermetic package by encapsulating the sensor area 122, 122', preferably by completely covering any accessible surfaces of the sensor area 122, 122'. Here, the cover layer may also cover the electrical contacts 148, 148'. Furthermore, the electrical contacts 148, 148' can be bonded via the cover layer, whereby preferably, bonding wires 152, 152' can be used.

[0196] FIG. 2 shows experimental results for the transmittance of a light beam 120 incident on a photodetector. Here, a first curve 160 shows the dependence of transmittance on the wavelength of the incident light beam 120 for a photodetector including only a glass layer serving as the substrate layer 114. Similarly, a second curve 162 shows the wavelength dependence of transmittance for a photodetector including an adhesive layer containing only an organic adhesive and no infrared-absorbing pigment. Furthermore, a third curve 164 shows the wavelength dependence of transmittance for a photodetector 110 having a first type of carbon black 146 added as the infrared-absorbing pigment 144 to the organic adhesive of the absorber layer 138 by specifically mixing a selected infrared-absorbing pigment 144 into the organic adhesive and then stirring the mixture. Similarly, a fourth curve 166 shows the wavelength dependence of transmittance for a photodetector 110 having a different type of carbon black 146 added as the infrared-absorbing pigment 144 to the organic adhesive of the absorber layer 138 instead. Compared to the first and second curves 160, 162, the third and fourth curves 164, 166 show significantly lower transmittance in the photodetector 110 according to the present invention, which includes carbon black 146 as the infrared absorbing pigment 144 in the organic adhesive of the absorbing layer 138.

[0197] FIG. 3 further illustrates experimental results regarding the responsivity of a photodetector to an incident light beam 120 having a specific wavelength. Here, a first curve 170 shows the responsivity dependence of a single sensor region 122 containing PbS as the photosensitive material 128. A second curve 172 shows the wavelength dependence of the responsivity of a photodetector in which the single sensor region 122 is disposed on a glass layer as the substrate layer 114. A third curve 174 shows the wavelength dependence of the responsivity of a photodetector that further includes an adhesive layer containing only an organic adhesive and no infrared-absorbing pigment 144. A fourth curve 176 shows the wavelength dependence of the responsivity of a photodetector 110 that includes a first type of carbon black 146 as the infrared-absorbing pigment 144 added to the organic adhesive of the absorption layer 138. Similarly, a fifth curve 178 shows the wavelength dependence of the responsivity of a photodetector 110 that instead includes a different type of carbon black 146 added to the organic adhesive of the absorption layer 138 as the infrared-absorbing pigment 144. Compared to the first, second and third curves 170, 172, 174, the fourth and fifth curves 176, 178 show significantly lower responsivity in the photodetector 110 according to the present invention, which includes carbon black 146 as the infrared absorbing pigment 144 in the organic adhesive of the absorbing layer 138.

[0198] As a further example, FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of a detector system 200 including at least one detector 110 arranged on a circuit carrier 130, in particular on a printed circuit board (PCB) 132, more particularly on a single-sided PCB 134, as described above. In particular, a detector 110 such as that shown in FIG. 1 may be feasible for this purpose. The detector 110 thus comprises a substrate layer 114 having at least a first surface 116 and a second surface 118, the second surface 118 being arranged opposite the first surface 116. In contrast to the embodiment of FIG. 1, the substrate layer 114 carries only a single sensor area 122 comprising a photosensitive material 128 deposited on the second surface 118 of the substrate layer 114. For purposes of the present invention, the sensor area 122 is designed to generate at least one sensor signal in a manner dependent on illumination of the sensor area 122 by an incident light beam 120.

[0199] Furthermore, the detector 110 comprises at least one absorbing layer 138, as described above, disposed between the circuit carrier 130, in particular the printed circuit board 132, more particularly the single-sided PCB 134, and incorporating an infrared absorbing pigment 144, for at least partially absorbing the incident light beam 120. In particular, the detector 110 may be employed to determine at least one optical property of the object 112, such as selected from the transmittance, absorptance, emissivity, and / or reflectance of the object 112. Furthermore, the sensor area 122 may be protected by a cover layer (not shown here), as described above.

[0200] The detector 110 may be employed as a camera 202, in particular a camera 202 for 3D imaging, which may be made to acquire images and / or image sequences such as digital video clips. Furthermore, Figure 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of a human-machine interface 204 comprising at least one detector 110 and / or at least one detector system 200, and also an exemplary embodiment of an entertainment device 206 comprising the human-machine interface 204. Figure 4 also shows an embodiment of a tracking system 208 adapted to track the position of at least one object 112, comprising the detector 110 and / or the detector system 200.

[0201] Furthermore, the sensor signal generated by the sensor area 122 is provided to an evaluation device 150 for generating at least one item of information about the object 112 provided by both incident light beams 120 by evaluating the sensor signal. For this purpose, the sensor signal is guided to the evaluation device 150 via the electrodes 148, 148′, the wire bonds 152, 152′, the contact pads 154, 154′ on the circuit carrier 130, and the signal leads 210, 210′. Here, the signal leads 210, 210′ ​​can be wireless and / or wired interfaces. Furthermore, the signal leads 210, 210′ ​​can comprise one or more drivers and / or one or more measuring devices for modifying the sensor signal. The evaluation device 150 can be fully or partially integrated into one or more components of the detector 110. The evaluation device 150 can be integrated into the housing containing the detector 110 and / or into a separate housing. The evaluation device 150 may include one or more electronic devices and / or one or more software components for evaluating the sensor signals, such as a longitudinal evaluation unit 212 (denoted "z") and / or a lateral evaluation unit 212' (denoted "xy"). By combining the results derived from these evaluation units 212, 212', position information 214, preferably three-dimensional position information, may be generated (denoted "x, y, z"). However, as mentioned above, at least one optical property of the object 112, for example an optical property selected from transmission, absorption, emission and / or reflection of the object 112, may preferably be determined using the evaluation device 150.

[0202] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the detected object 112 may be designed as, for example, a sporting item and / or form a control element 216, the position and / or orientation of which may be manipulated by a user 218. Thus, in general, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 or any other embodiment of the detector system 200, the human-machine interface 204, the entertainment device 206, or the tracking system 208, the object 112 itself may be part of a designated device, and in particular may include at least one control element 216, and in particular, the at least one control element 216 may have one or more beacon devices 220, the position and / or orientation of which may preferably be manipulated by a user 218. By way of example, the object 112 may be or include one or more of a bat, a racket, a club, or any other sporting item and / or simulated sporting item. Other types of object 112 are possible. Furthermore, the user 218 may be considered the object 112 whose position is detected. As an example, a user 218 may carry one or more beacon devices 220 attached directly or indirectly to their body.

[0203] Determining the position of the object 112 and / or parts thereof by using the detector 110 and / or the detector system 200 may be used to provide a human-machine interface 204 for providing at least one item of information to a machine 222. In the embodiment shown schematically in FIG. 4, the machine 222 may be or include a computer system including at least one computer and / or data processing device. Other embodiments are possible. The evaluation device 150 may be a computer and / or include a computer and / or may be embodied as a fully or partially separate device and / or may be fully or partially integrated in the machine 222, in particular a computer. The same applies to the tracking controller 224 of the tracking system 208, which may fully or partially form part of the evaluation device 150 and / or the machine 222.

[0204] Likewise, as outlined above, the human-machine interface 204 may form part of the entertainment device 206. Thus, by means of a user 218 acting as the object 112 and / or by means of the user 218 manipulating the object 112 and / or by means of a control element 216 acting as the object 112, the user 218 may input at least one item of information, such as for example at least one control command, into the machine 222, in particular a computer, thereby altering an entertainment function, such as controlling the course of a computer game.

[0205] As outlined above, the detector 110 may have a straight beam path or a tilted beam path, an angled beam path, a diverging beam path, a deflected or split beam path, or other types of beam paths. Furthermore, the incident light beam 120 may propagate unidirectionally or bidirectionally, once or repeatedly along each beam path or partial beam path. [Explanation of symbols]

[0206] 110 Detector 112 Object 114 substrate layers 116 1st surface 118 Second surface 120 incident light beam 122, 122' sensor area 124 Surface 126 Gap 128 Photosensitive materials 130 Circuit Carrier 132 Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 134 Single-sided PCB 136 Surface 138 Absorbing Layer 140 Surface 142 Adhesive layer 144 Infrared absorbing pigment 146 Carbon Black 148, 148' electrical contacts 150 Evaluation Device 152, 152' Bonding Wire 154, 154' contact pads 160 1st curve 162 Second curve 164 Third curve 166 4th curve 170 1st curve 172 Second curve 174 Third curve 176 4th curve 178 5th curve 200 detector system 202 Camera 204 Human-Machine Interface 206 Entertainment Devices 208 Tracking System 210, 210' signal leads 212, 212' longitudinal evaluation unit, transverse evaluation unit 214 Location information 216 Control Elements 218 users 220 Beacon Device 222 Machine 224 Tracking Controller

Claims

1. A detector (110) for optical detection of an incident light beam (120), comprising: a circuit carrier (130) designed to carry at least one layer; at least one absorbent layer (138) arranged on a partition of said circuit carrier (130), said absorbent layer (138) being designed to at least partially absorb said incident light beam (120) and incorporating an infrared absorbing pigment (144); a substrate layer (114) directly or indirectly adjacent to said absorbing layer (138), said substrate layer (114) being at least partially transparent to said incident light beam (120); at least one sensor area (122, 122') respectively arranged on said substrate layer (114), said sensor area (122, 122') being designed to generate at least one sensor signal in a manner dependent on illumination of said sensor area (122, 122') by said incident light beam (120); an evaluation device (150) designed to generate at least one item of information by evaluating said at least one sensor signal; a detector.

2. 2. The detector of claim 1, wherein the absorbing layer is designed to absorb at least one wavelength in at least one band in the infrared spectral range, the infrared spectral range being between 760 nm and 1000 μm.

3. The infrared absorbing pigment (144) is carbon black (146), graphite, carbon, Vantablack, LaB ６ 3. The detector (110) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the material is selected from the group consisting of copper powder, copper chromite black, cobalt chromite black, and manganese ferrite black.

4. 4. The detector (110) of claim 2 or 3, wherein the concentration of the pigment in the absorption layer (138) is between 0.1% and 10% by weight.

5. The detector (110) of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the absorption layer (138) is or includes at least one of a resin layer or an adhesive layer (142).

6. The detector (110) of any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising at least two individual absorbing layers (138), said at least two absorbing layers (138) being arranged in a stack.

7. 7. The detector (110) of claim 1, wherein the absorbing layer (138) exhibits a refractive index designed to limit back reflections at an interface between the absorbing layer (138) and the substrate layer (114).

8. The detector (110) of any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising at least two distinct sensor areas (122), adjacent sensor areas (122) being separated from each other by a gap (126).

9. 9. The detector (110) of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the at least one sensor region (122, 122') comprises a photosensitive material (128), the photosensitive material (128) being an inorganic photoconductive material comprising one or more of selenium, tellurium, selenium-tellurium alloys, metal oxides, Group 4 elements or compounds, Group 3-5 compounds, Group 2-6 compounds, chalcogenides, pnictogenides, halides, and solid solutions and / or doped variants thereof.

10. 10. The detector (110) of claim 9, wherein the photosensitive material (128) chalcogenide is selected from the group consisting of lead sulfide (PbS), lead selenide (PbSe), indium antimonide (InSb), mercury cadmium telluride (MCT, HgCdTe), indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs), indium arsenide (InAs), and solid solutions and / or doped variants thereof.

11. 11. The detector (110) of claim 1, further comprising at least two individual electrical contacts (148, 148') in contact with the sensor area (122, 122'), the electrical contacts (148, 148') being designed to transmit the sensor signal to the evaluation device (150) via the circuit carrier (130).

12. A method for manufacturing a photodetector (110) for optical detection of an incident light beam (120), comprising the steps of: a) depositing on a partition of the circuit carrier (130) at least one absorbing layer (138) designed to at least partially absorb the incident light beam (120), the absorbing layer (138) incorporating an infrared absorbing pigment (144); b) creating at least one sensor area (122, 122') by depositing a photosensitive material (128) on an at least partially transparent substrate layer (114), each sensor area (122, 122') being designed to generate at least one sensor signal in a manner dependent on illumination of said sensor area (122, 122') by said incident light beam (120); c) disposing the substrate layer (114) carrying the at least one sensor area (122, 122') on the absorption layer (138); d) providing an evaluation device (150) designed to generate at least one item of information by evaluating said at least one sensor signal; A method comprising:

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the absorbing layer (138) is obtained by adding the infrared absorbing pigment (144) to at least one of the resin layer or the adhesive layer (142) before step a).

14. The infrared absorbing pigment (144) is carbon black (146), graphite, carbon, Vantablack, LaB ６ 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the powder is selected from the group consisting of copper powder, copper chromite black, cobalt chromite black, and manganese ferrite black.

15. Use of the optical detector (110) according to any one of claims 1 to 11 referring to the detector (110), for a purpose selected from the group consisting of: gas detection, fire detection, flame detection, heat detection, smoke detection, combustion monitoring, spectroscopy, temperature sensing, motion sensing, industrial monitoring, chemical sensing, exhaust gas monitoring, security applications.

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