Infrared Light Detector with Integrated Thin-Film Readout Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional infrared light detectors require a large amount of space due to separate components and complex assembly processes, making them costly and difficult to integrate into compact housings.
Innovation Solution
Integration of electronic components, such as a junction field effect transistor and operational amplifier, directly onto the infrared light detector during production, eliminating the need for separate readout electronics and reducing the overall size and manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If readout electronics are provided as separate components on a printed circuit board, then the infrared light detector can be assembled separately, but the overall system requires a large amount of space and complex assembly processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the readout electronics directly onto the infrared light detector chip, merging previously separate components (sensor chip, operational amplifier, resistor, capacitor) into a single integrated unit. This eliminates the need for separate printed circuit board mounting and reduces overall system space while maintaining assembly functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If readout electronics are provided as separate components, then component independence is maintained, but the assembly process becomes complex and cost-intensive due to separate work steps and cable connections
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the readout electronics directly onto the infrared light detector chip, the patent eliminates multiple separate assembly work steps and cable connections. The operational amplifier, resistor, and capacitor are fabricated as integral parts of the detector chip, reducing assembly complexity and manufacturing costs while maintaining functional independence through modular chip design.
3Area of stationary object
If electronic components are integrated directly on the infrared light detector, then the system becomes space-saving and inexpensive to manufacture, but the production process requires direct integration during detector production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the infrared light detector into functional layers (sensor chip with pyroelectric layer, electrode layers, and integrated readout electronics) that can be produced using standard thin-film deposition techniques. This segmentation allows each layer to be fabricated independently during the production process and then integrated into a single compact unit, achieving both space savings and manufacturing efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The integrated design results in a space-saving and cost-effective infrared light detector system with simplified assembly, suitable for applications like multi-gas analysis where multiple sensor chips can be efficiently arranged within a housing.
Implementation Method 1
The electrical signal results from a charge shift from one electrode layer via the pyroelectric layer to the other electrode layer
Implementation Method 2
The electrode layers consist of platinum or of a chromium-nickel alloy that absorbs thermal radiation
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to an infrared light detector having a sensor chip (4), which comprises a thin-film element (5) made from a pyroelectrically sensitive material, having an electrical insulator (27), at least one electronic component (17, 18) having a thin-film design, which forms part of a readout electronics unit, and a thin-film membrane (2), on which the sensor chip (4) and the electronic component (17, 18) are mounted side by side in an integrated manner such that the electronic component (17, 18) is electrically conductively coupled to the thin-film element (5). A signal amplifier (22), with which, in co-operation with the electronic component (17, 18), an electrical signal emitted from the sensor chip (4) can be amplified, can be connected to the electronic component (17, 18).