Optoelectronic gas sensor based on optodes

US6704470B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Robert Bosch GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Joachim Schneider · Ehringshausen, DE
• Anton Pfefferseder · Oberhaching, DE
• Andreas Hensel · Egmating, DE
• Ulrich Oppelt · Zorneding, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 22, 2000
• Grant date: Mar 9, 2004
• Expiry date: Jun 22, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2021/7753
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An optoelectronic gas sensor based on optodes, where multiple separate photosensitive elements and an opto-transmitter located centrally between them are integrated into or onto a semiconductor substrate is characterized in that the photosensitive elements lie in one plane in the substrate, and together with a lateral emission area of the opto-transmitter emitting light laterally, they are covered by sections of the optode material whose thickness and refractive index are selected so that light emitted laterally from the emission area is guided to the photosensitive elements by total reflection in the optode material in each transmission branch. Such a chip-shaped gas sensor based on optodes can be implemented in a very small design, e.g., in an area of 2×2 mm2 and a thickness of 250 &mgr;m.