KR101865889B1 - 3d structure of uncooled type infrared sensor pixel and thermography equipment with the infrared sensor pixel array - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a three-dimensional structure of an uncooled infrared sensor pixel, the structure of a pixel constituting an uncooled infrared sensor, comprising: a substrate; A supporting column provided on the substrate; A connecting leg whose one end is connected to the supporting column; And an infrared sensing unit connected to the other end of the connection leg and spaced apart from the substrate in the air, wherein two connection legs are connected to both sides of the infrared sensing unit, And at least one of the two support pillars to which the connection leg is connected is connected to the other end of the connection leg connected to the infrared sensing unit of another adjacent pixel.
The present invention has the effect of reducing the area occupied by the support pillars in each pixel while maintaining the mechanical stability of the support pillars by not sharing the area of the support pillars by using the support pillars shared by adjacent pixels.
Further, by increasing the area of the infrared ray sensing unit by reducing the area occupied by the support pillars in each pixel, the resolution and performance of the infrared ray sensor are improved, and furthermore, the number of chips per wafer is increased, It is effective.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a three-dimensional structure of an uncooled infrared sensor pixel and an infrared imaging device including the same. BACKGROUND ART [0002]

The present invention relates to a pixel of an uncooled infrared sensor used in a thermal imaging apparatus, and more particularly to a three-dimensional structure of an uncooled infrared sensor pixel capable of improving the resolution and performance of an uncooled infrared sensor, And more particularly to a thermal imaging apparatus.

In general, infrared sensors can be divided into two types, photon and thermal, depending on the operating principle. The quantum type is mainly a semiconductor material, but its drawback is that it operates at liquid nitrogen temperature (-193 ° C.) , Thermal materials have the advantage of operating at room temperature although the performance is somewhat lower than that of semiconductors. Therefore, an infrared sensor using a quantum type material requiring cooling is referred to as a cooling type infrared sensor. The infrared sensor using thermal materials is called an uncooled infrared sensor and is mainly used for civil purposes. Among them, the uncooled infrared sensor can be classified into three types of bolometer type, thermocouple type and pyroelectric type according to the sensing method.

In the uncooled infrared sensor, the sensing part for detecting infrared rays on the substrate is formed in a three-dimensional structure located in the air, and in particular, a three-dimensional structure is mainly applied in the case of a bolometer type infrared sensor.

5 is a schematic diagram showing a three-dimensional structure of a conventional uncooled infrared sensor pixel.

The figure shows a three-dimensional structure constituting one pixel among the arrays constituting the uncooled infrared sensor. The supporting column 200 is connected to the support column 200 and the support column 200 is mounted on the semiconductor substrate 100, And an infrared ray sensing unit 400 connected to the leg 300 and the connection leg 300 and floating on the substrate 100. The uncooled infrared sensor is configured by arranging the pixels according to the structure of FIG. 3, and the resolution and performance can be improved by reducing the size of the pixels. However, the uncooled infrared sensor has a limitation in reducing the size of the pixel because the infrared sensor 400 needs to have a predetermined area or more in order to detect the infrared ray. There is a problem that the area of the infrared ray sensing unit 400 is restricted by the support pillars 200 constituting the pixels.

6 is a schematic diagram showing a pixel region according to a three-dimensional structure of a conventional uncooled infrared sensor pixel.

When the two support pillars 200 are provided in one pixel region P indicated by a dotted line, the resolution and performance are limited because the additional support pillars 200 and the connection legs 300 need to be additionally provided have.

In this case, when the area of the support column 200 is reduced, there is a problem that the mechanical stability of the support column 200 is lowered and a process cost in the process of forming the support column 200 is increased.

In order to solve such a problem, a three-layer infrared sensor has been developed, but has a disadvantage in that the manufacturing cost is increased due to the complicated structure.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2000-0046517 Korean Patent No. 10-0299642

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a three-dimensional structure of an uncooled infrared sensor pixel with improved resolution and performance by reducing the area occupied by the support pillars.

In order to achieve the above object, a three-dimensional structure of a uncooled infrared sensor pixel according to the present invention is a structure of a pixel constituting an uncooled infrared sensor, comprising: a substrate; A supporting column provided on the substrate; A connecting leg whose one end is connected to the supporting column; And an infrared sensing unit connected to the other end of the connection leg and spaced apart from the substrate in the air, wherein two connection legs are connected to both sides of the infrared sensing unit, And at least one of the two support pillars to which the connection leg is connected is connected to the other end of the connection leg connected to the infrared sensing unit of another adjacent pixel.

The present invention can reduce the total number of support pillars that are set up to form a pixel array in the substrate while maintaining the mechanical stability of the support pillars by not sharing the area of the support pillars by using the support pillars shared by adjacent pixels .

As a result, by reducing the area occupied by the support pillars in each pixel and increasing the area of the infrared sensing unit, the resolution and performance of the infrared sensor are improved.

Furthermore, since the number of chips per wafer is increased, the price competitiveness of the product can be increased.

At this time, four support pillars are positioned in the periphery of the infrared sensing part, respectively, at the corners of the square, and the two connection legs are connected to two diagonally positioned ones of the four support pillars. The supporting pillars may be connected to the connecting legs of adjacent pixels.

Alternatively, the supporting columns may have a structure in which two corner positions of a square are located in the diagonal direction with respect to the periphery of the infrared ray sensing unit.

The uncooled infrared sensor to which the three-dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel is applied may be a microbolometer type infrared sensor. The three-dimensional structure of the present invention is particularly suitable for a microbolometer type infrared sensor. In the case of the microbolometer type infrared sensor, the structure of the circuit and the structure of the infrared sensor may differ. However, the present invention can be applied to various types of microbolometer infrared sensors Therefore, the description of the structure is omitted.

In the three-dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel according to the present invention, the distance between the substrate and the infrared ray sensing unit should be at least 1 mu m so as to be suitable for infrared ray detection. In particular, an infrared ray sensor It is preferable that the distance between the substrate and the infrared sensing unit is 2 mu m or more. Since the area of the support column itself is not reduced, even when the height of the support column is increased in order to maintain the distance between the substrate and the infrared ray sensing unit, the support column has excellent mechanical stability.

An infrared ray thermal imaging apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes an infrared ray detector configured by an array of pixels having one structure among the three-dimensional structures of the uncooled infrared ray sensor pixels.

The structure of the infrared ray sensor using the infrared sensor pixel array formed by applying the three-dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel of the present invention and the structure of the infrared ray imaging apparatus including the infrared ray detector can be applied without limitation. It is omitted.

Furthermore, the infrared camera device including the infrared sensor using the infrared sensor pixel array formed by applying the three-dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel of the present invention is an infrared camera device which is small, precise, and has high sensitivity and high resolution, And becomes an image device.

The present invention configured as described above can reduce the area occupied by the support pillars in each pixel while maintaining the mechanical stability of the support pillars without narrowing the area of the support pillars by using the support pillars shared by adjacent pixels .

Further, by increasing the area of the infrared ray sensing unit by reducing the area occupied by the support pillars in each pixel, the resolution and performance of the infrared ray sensor are improved, and furthermore, the number of chips per wafer is increased, It is effective.

Furthermore, since the infrared camera device of the present invention includes the infrared ray sensor using the infrared sensor pixel array made by applying the three-dimensional structure of the new uncooled infrared sensor pixel which reduces the area occupied by the support pillars in each pixel, There is an effect that it is possible to provide an infrared ray imaging apparatus which realizes an image with high sensitivity and high image quality.

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a form in which a three-dimensional structure of a non-cooled infrared sensor pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention shares support pillars. FIG.
2 is a view for explaining a three-dimensional structure of an uncooled infrared sensor pixel according to another embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view for explaining a layout of pixels having a three-dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining another arrangement of pixels having a three-dimensional structure of an uncooled infrared sensor pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a schematic diagram showing a three-dimensional structure of a conventional uncooled infrared sensor pixel.
6 is a schematic diagram showing a pixel region according to a three-dimensional structure of a conventional uncooled infrared sensor pixel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a form in which a three-dimensional structure of a non-cooled infrared sensor pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention shares support pillars. FIG.

In order to explain the basic form in which the three-dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel according to this embodiment shares the supporting pillars, two pixels P1 and P2 arranged in the vertical direction above and below will be described. Hereinafter, the directions of the top, bottom, left and right will be described with reference to the drawings, and they are expressed as rows arranged in the horizontal direction and columns arranged in the vertical direction. However, when the illustrated pixels are rotated and used, Can be expressed and changed.

1 shows one vertical column composed of the upper P1 pixel and the lower P2 pixels, but additional pixels are further arranged in the left and right directions of the P1 pixel and the P2 pixel, or in the left direction or the right direction, Configure the rows.

The P1 pixel includes four supporting pillars 210, 230, 240 and 250 located at four corners of the center of the infrared sensing part 410 positioned at the center, Dimensional structure of a two-layered structure in which the infrared ray sensing part 410 is floated in the air by two connection legs 311 and 312 connected to the columns 210 and 230, respectively. The P2 pixel positioned at the lower side is the same as the P1 pixel in that the infrared sensing unit 420 is located at the center and is connected to the two connection legs 321 and 322 and floated in the air, The upper connection legs 321 of the P2 pixels are connected together to the lower left support pillars 230 to which the lower connection legs 312 of the pixels are connected. And the lower connecting leg 322 of the P2 pixel is connected to the lower right column 220 at a diagonal position with the supporting column 230 to which the upper connecting leg 321 is connected.

Uncooled infrared sensors may require circuitry to be formed through circuitry on the board and through the connection legs of the infrared sensing part. Even when two adjacent pixels share one support column as in the above embodiment, the flow direction of the circuit formed on the substrate can be adjusted so that both of the pixels are operated.

On the other hand, the three support pillars 240, 250, and 260, which are not used by the P1 pixel and the P2 pixel, are used in the pixels constituting another vertical column arranged on the left side and the right side of the P1 pixel and the P2 pixel, respectively. Specifically, the support column 250 located at the upper left of the P1 pixel is connected to the upper connection leg of the pixel located at the left of the P1 pixel, and the support column 260 located at the lower left of the P2 pixel is connected to the left side of the P2 pixel The support pillars 240 located at the lower right of the P1 pixel and the upper right of the P2 pixel are connected to the lower connection leg of the pixel located at the right side of the P1 pixel and the lower connection leg of the lower pixel The upper connecting legs of the positioned pixels are connected at the same time.

As described above, the three-dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel of the present embodiment uses two vertically arranged pixels P1 and P2 sharing the support column 230, and each pixel supports two separate support columns The area occupied by the supporting pillars is reduced as compared with the conventional structure provided with the supporting pillars. Specifically, the P1 pixel has a half of the area of the supporting column 210 to which the upper connecting leg 311 is connected and a half of the area of the supporting column 250 used by the other pixel located on the left side of the P1 pixel, One quarter of the area of the support column 230 to which the connection leg 312 is connected and one fourth of the area of the support column 240 used by the other pixel located to the right of the P1 pixel are included in the pixel. As a result, the area occupied by the column is smaller than that of the conventional structure in which 1.5 columns are included in the range of P1 pixels and two columns are included in one pixel, and accordingly, the relative area of the infrared sensor 410 can be widened . This is the same for P2 pixels.

At this time, the support pillars 210 and 230 to which the P1 connection legs 311 and 312 are connected are not included in the left and right pixel ranges, and the support pillars 240 and 250, to which the P1 connection legs are not connected, The area of the supporting column 210 to which the upper connecting leg 311 is connected and the area of the supporting column 210 to which the lower connecting leg 312 is connected are not included in the range of the right pixel and the left pixel, 230) is included in the P1 pixel, and 1.5 columns are included in the range of the P1 pixel.

FIG. 2 shows a form in which the three-dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel of this type shares a support column.

Unlike the case shown in FIG. 1, the P1 'pixel shown in FIG. 2 includes only two supporting pillars 210 and 230 in the diagonal direction, and includes only two supporting pillars 230 and 220 in the diagonal direction do. In FIG. 1, the two support pillars 250 and 260, to which the connection leg included in the P1 pixel and the P2 pixel are not connected, are included only in the pixels arranged to the left of the P1 'pixel and the P2' pixel.

3 is a view for explaining a layout of pixels having a three-dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, FIG. 3 shows a configuration in which a pixel array having a three-dimensional structure of a non-cooled infrared sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention is formed in two rows and four columns, followed by two consecutive arrangements.

The one-row pixels P1-1 to P1-4 and the two-row pixels P2-1 to P2-4 share support columns located between the pixels. In addition, the three-row pixels P3-1 to P3-4 and the four-row pixels P4-1 to P4-4 share the supporting columns located between the pixels.

On the other hand, in the array of pixels shown in Fig. 3, two rows of pixel arrays having rows corresponding to the number of rows necessary for the infrared sensor configuration can be manufactured and then arranged in the horizontal direction. Alternatively, the basic arrays may be fabricated with a certain number of columns normalized to a specific number, and then arranged such that the basic arrays are arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions to match the number of pixels required for the infrared detector.

In the case of manufacturing a row of pixels necessary for an infrared ray detector at a time, the damage to the area by the supporting column is minimized, and the resolution and performance are excellent. However, since the manufacturing facilities must be individually configured according to the number of pixels required There may be a problem that the cost increases. On the other hand, when the standardized arrays are assembled after being fabricated, there is a possibility that the supporting arrays located in the side adjacent portions of the basic arrays are not shared and there is some damage due to the area of the supporting columns. However, In comparison, the damage caused by the support of the supporting columns is greatly reduced, and the cost can be relatively reduced because only a few standard manufacturing facilities are constituted.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining another arrangement of pixels having a three-dimensional structure of an uncooled infrared sensor pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, FIG. 4 shows an arrangement of pixels having a three-dimensional structure of an uncooled infrared sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention in three rows and three columns.

The pixels P1, P2, and P3 arranged in the first row are arranged such that the two support columns disposed on the upper side are included in the pixel by 1/2 of the area, and the two support pillars disposed on the lower side are 1 / 4 are included in the pixel, and the area of the supporting column included in one pixel is 1.5. And the pixels P7, P8 and P9 arranged in the bottom row are arranged such that the upper two supporting columns are included in the pixel by a quarter of the area and the two supporting pillars arranged on the lower side have the area 1/2 are included in the pixel, and the area of the support column included in one pixel is 1.5. As a result, the pixels P1, P2, and P3 arranged in the first row and the pixels P7, P8, and P9 arranged in the bottom row are the same as the pixels shown in FIG. 1, It becomes the form contained in the pixel.

On the other hand, the pixels P4, P5, and P6 arranged in the middle row include only two of the upper support pillars and the two lower support pillars, which are included in the pixels by a quarter of the area, The area of the support column included in the pixel is one.

As described above, in the case where the pixels of the uncooled infrared sensor having the three-dimensional structure according to the present invention are arranged in a plurality of rows and columns, compared with the pixels located at the outermost side where the area occupied by the supporting columns is relatively large, The number of pixels located inside is relatively small. Therefore, the area used by the support pillars as a whole is reduced, and the area of the infrared sensing part can be sufficiently secured in the same size, so that the resolution and performance of the infrared sensor are greatly improved.

As described above, the pixels of the uncooled infrared sensor having the three-dimensional structure according to the present invention can be variously combined with X X Y (X = number of rows, Y = number of columns) or X X X.

The three-dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel according to the present invention described above is not applied only to the uncooled infrared sensor of the specified type but to the three-dimensional structure itself, so that the infrared sensor unit It can be applied to all kinds of infrared sensors applied. Particularly, since it can be applied to various types of microbolometer-type infrared sensors having different specific structures, the detailed description of the structure of the substrate and the infrared sensor is omitted.

When the three-dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel according to the present invention is applied, the area of the wafer used as the substrate can be utilized most efficiently, the number of chips per wafer is further increased, . In addition, since the area of the technologically widened pixel can be increased, the performance of the sensor is enhanced and a high-performance infrared sensor can be manufactured.

Furthermore, the infrared camera device including the infrared sensor using the infrared sensor pixel array formed by applying the three-dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel of the present invention is an infrared camera device which is small, precise, and has high sensitivity and high resolution, And becomes an image device. The configuration of the infrared ray sensor using the infrared sensor pixel array and the structure of the infrared ray imaging device including the infrared ray detector can be applied without limitations, so a detailed description will be omitted.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art will understand. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be construed not only in the specific embodiments but also in the scope of claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of the same shall be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

100: substrate
200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270:
300, 311, 312, 321, 322: connecting legs
400, 410, 420: Infrared detection unit

Claims (7)

In the structure of the pixel constituting the uncooled infrared sensor,
Board;
A supporting column provided on the substrate;
A connecting leg whose one end is connected to the supporting column; And
And an infrared ray sensing unit connected to the other end of the connection leg to be spaced apart from the substrate in the air,
Two connection legs are connected to both sides of the infrared sensing unit, the two connection legs are connected to different support posts,
Wherein at least one of the two support pillars to which the connection leg is connected is connected to the other end of the connection leg connected to the infrared sensing unit of another adjacent pixel.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the support posts are positioned at four corners of the square of the infrared sensing unit,
Wherein the two connecting legs are connected to two diagonally positioned posts of the four supporting posts,
Wherein the two support pillars, to which the connection legs are not connected, are connected to the connection legs of adjacent pixels.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the supporting pillars are located in the periphery of the infrared sensing unit in two diagonal directions of corner positions of a quadrangle.
The method according to claim 1,
Dimensional structure of an uncooled infrared sensor pixel characterized in that the uncooled infrared sensor is a microbolometer type infrared sensor.
The method according to claim 1,
Dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel, wherein the interval between the substrate and the infrared sensing unit is 1 mu m or more.
The method of claim 5,
Dimensional structure of the uncooled infrared sensor pixel, wherein the distance between the substrate and the infrared sensing unit is 2 mu m or more.
An infrared ray imaging apparatus comprising an infrared ray detector comprising an array of pixels having a three-dimensional structure of any one of claims 1 to 6.

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