Method for producing a thermal infrared sensor array in a vacuum-filled wafer-level housing

US11988561B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Heimann Sensor GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Jörg Schieferdecker · Dresden, DE
• Frank Herrmann · Barmstedt, DE
• Christian Schmidt · Heidelberg, DE
• Wilhelm Leneke · Taunusstein, DE
• Bodo Forg · Mainz, DE
• Marion Simon · Schlangenbad, DE
• Michael Schnorr · Idstein, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 9, 2020
• Grant date: May 21, 2024
• Expiry date: Mar 10, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01J2005/106
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method for producing a thermal infrared sensor array in a vacuum-filled wafer-level housing with particularly small dimensions, consisting of at least two wafers, a cover wafer and a central wafer comprising multiple infrared-sensitive sensor pixels on a respective thin slotted membrane over a heat-insulating cavity is disclosed. A method for producing a high-resolution monolithic silicon micromechanical thermopile array sensor using wafer level packaging technology, wherein the sensor achieves a particularly high spatial resolution capability and a very high filling degree with very small housing dimensions, in particular a very low overall thickness, and can be inexpensively produced using standard CMOS processes. This is achieved in that the cover wafer is first rigidly mechanically connected to the provided central wafer comprising the sensor pixels with the infrared-sensitive pixels by means of wafer bonding, and the central wafer is then thinned out from the wafer rear face to a specified thickness.