Infrared light sensor having a high signal voltage and a high signal/noise ratio

摘要

An infrared light sensor for an infrared light detector (1), including a substrate membrane section (2) and at least two sensor chips (7 to 10), which are fastened next to each other on the substrate membrane section (2) and each comprise a layer element (11) which is produced from pyroelectrically sensitive material and is electrically contacted by a base electrode (12) and a head electrode (13) and is arranged in such that there is a voltage difference in each case between the head electrode (13) and the base electrode (12) of each layer element (11) when the layer elements (11) are irradiated with infrared light; and a coupling line (14 to 16) in each case for two adjacently arranged sensor chips (7 to 10), the coupling line coupling the head electrode (13) of the one sensor chip (7 to 9) and the base electrode (12) of the other sensor chip (8 to 10) to each other in an electrically conductive manner so that the layer elements (11) of the sensor chips (7 to 10) are connected in a series circuit, which has one of the base electrodes (17) at one end thereof and one of the head electrodes (18) at the other end thereof, at which a total voltage difference of the series circuit can be tapped as the sum of the individual voltage differences of the layer elements (11).

主权项

1. An infrared light detector comprising:
a substrate membrane; one or more infrared light sensors, each of the sensors comprising a respective segment of the substrate membrane and at least two sensor chips; and one or more electronic readout components, each of the components respectively associated with a given one of the sensors; wherein each of the sensor chips comprises:
(a) a layer element consisting essentially of pyroelectrically sensitive material,(b) a base electrode and a head electrode each electrically contacting the layer element and configured such that exposure of at least a part of the layer element to infrared light produces an individual voltage difference between the head electrode and the base electrode, and(c) a coupling line, wherein the at least two sensor chips are attached physically adjacent one another on the substrate membrane segment and are electrically interconnected in a series circuit by the coupling line such that the head electrode of a first of the sensor chips and the base electrode of a last of the sensor chips are electrically interconnected, wherein the series circuit is electrically connected to a respective one of the electronic readout components with one of the base electrodes and with one of the head electrodes, to provide a total voltage difference of the series circuit as a sum of the individual voltage differences of the respective layer elements of the sensor chips for a respective one of the infrared light sensors, and wherein a total capacitance value of the series circuit is at least three times an input capacitance value of a respective one of the electronic readout components.