WO2013137519A1

WO2013137519A1 - Integrated dual sensor

Info

Publication number: WO2013137519A1
Application number: PCT/KR2012/003858
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이병수
Original assignee: (주) 지멤스
Priority date: 2012-03-14
Filing date: 2012-05-16
Publication date: 2013-09-19
Also published as: KR20130104548A; KR101336916B1

Abstract

An integrated dual sensor according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a semiconductor substrate which blocks a first light having a first wavelength from passing therebelow, and which allows a second light having a second wavelength that is longer than the first wavelength to pass therethrough. A first sensor unit comprises the semiconductor substrate and absorbs and senses at least a portion of the first light. A second sensor unit is formed on one surface of the semiconductor substrate and senses the second light which has passed through the first sensor unit.

Description

Integrated dual sensor

The present invention relates to electronic sensors, and more particularly, to an integrated sensor in which a pair of sensors are coupled to one substrate.

In order to increase and save energy, energy-efficient electronic products such as a luminaire or a monitor that flashes automatically according to the external brightness are used. These electronic products include an illumination sensor for detecting ambient brightness and an infrared sensor for detecting human heat. The illuminance sensor detects the brightness of visible light of the external environment and controls the blinking of the lighting fixture or the brightness of the monitor accordingly, and the infrared sensor detects the infrared light emitted from an object emitting heat, such as a living body, You can control the brightness of the monitor.

However, the illuminance sensor and the infrared sensor are each composed of separate products, and thus there is a limit in miniaturization of electronic products.

The present invention has been made to solve various problems including the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an integrated sensor which can be miniaturized. However, these problems are exemplary, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby.

An integrated dual sensor according to one aspect of the present invention is provided. A semiconductor substrate is provided which blocks a first light having a first wavelength from passing below and passes a second light having a second wavelength longer than the first wavelength. The first sensor unit includes the semiconductor substrate and absorbs and detects at least a portion of the first light. The second sensor unit is formed on one surface of the semiconductor substrate and senses the second light passing through the first sensor unit.

In the integrated dual sensor, the first light includes visible light or near infrared light, and the second light includes mid infrared light or far infrared light, the semiconductor substrate functions as an infrared pass filter, and the first sensor part detects visible light. It functions as a type illuminance sensor, and the second sensor unit may function as an infrared sensor.

In the integrated dual sensor, the first sensor unit may include a photovoltaic sensor or a photoconductive sensor.

In the integrated dual sensor, the first sensor unit, the first conductive semiconductor layer on one surface of the semiconductor substrate; And a second conductivity type semiconductor layer on the other surface of the semiconductor substrate. Further, the first conductive semiconductor layer may include a p-type doping layer, and the second conductive semiconductor layer may include an n-type doping layer.

The integrated dual sensor of claim 1, wherein the first sensor unit comprises: a first electrode disposed on one surface of the semiconductor substrate to be electrically connected to the first conductive semiconductor layer; A through via extending from the second conductive semiconductor layer through the semiconductor substrate and extending onto one surface of the semiconductor substrate; And a second electrode disposed on one surface of the semiconductor substrate to be electrically connected to the through via.

In the integrated dual sensor, the semiconductor substrate may include a groove recessed inwardly from one surface of the semiconductor substrate, and at least a portion of the second sensor unit may be spaced apart from the groove and thermally insulated from the semiconductor substrate. have.

In the integrated dual sensor, the second sensor unit may include a light absorption layer disposed to face the groove.

In the integrated dual sensor, the second sensor unit may include a thermopile sensor, a bolometer sensor, or a pyrometer sensor.

The integrated dual sensor may further include a read integrated circuit (ROIC) electrically connected to the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an integrated dual sensor is provided. A semiconductor substrate is provided which blocks a first light having a first wavelength from passing below and passes a second light having a second wavelength longer than the first wavelength. The first sensor unit includes the semiconductor substrate and is provided to absorb and detect at least a portion of the first light. A sensor substrate is provided to be coupled below the semiconductor substrate. The second sensor unit is mounted on the sensor substrate and provided to sense the second light passing through the first sensor unit.

Integrated dual sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention made as described above can be configured to integrate a sensor for detecting and blocking visible light and a sensor for detecting infrared rays on the substrate, thereby miniaturizing the product have. These effects have been described by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by these effects.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an integrated dual sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an integrated dual sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an integrated dual sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an integrated dual sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an integrated dual sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but can be implemented in various forms, and the following embodiments are intended to complete the disclosure of the present invention, the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art It is provided to inform you completely. In addition, the components may be exaggerated or reduced in size in the drawings for convenience of description.

Referring to FIG. 1, the integrated dual sensor may include a first sensor unit 110 and a second sensor unit 120 integrally coupled to the semiconductor substrate 102. The first sensor unit 110 and the second sensor unit 120 may separate and detect external light according to a wavelength. For example, the first sensor unit 110 senses a first light L1 having a first wavelength, and the second sensor unit 120 has a second light L2 having a second wavelength longer than the first wavelength. ) Can be detected.

The semiconductor substrate 102 may block the first light L1 having the first wavelength so that the first light L1 does not pass to the lower portion thereof and pass the second light L2 having the second wavelength. For example, the first light L1 comprises visible light having a wavelength in the range of about 380 nm to 650 nm and / or near infrared light (NIR) in the range of about 780 nm to about 1400 nm, and the second light L2. May comprise mid-infrared (MIR) having a wavelength in the range of about 1400 nm to 3500 nm and / or far-infrared (FIR) in the range of about 1400 nm to 14 um. In this sense, the semiconductor substrate 102 can function as an infrared pass filter. For example, the semiconductor substrate 102 may include silicon, germanium or silicon-germanium.

The first sensor unit 110 may function as an illuminance sensor that absorbs at least a portion of the first light L1 and detects ambient light. For example, the first sensor unit 110 may include a solar sensor such as a photovoltaic sensor or a photoconductive sensor. The first sensor unit 110 may simultaneously perform a sensor function of blocking the first light L1 and passing the second light L2 to detect the first light L1.

The first sensor unit 110 may include a semiconductor substrate 102, a first conductivity type semiconductor layer 106, and a second conductivity type semiconductor layer 104. For example, the semiconductor substrate 102 is an intrinsic semiconductor, the first conductivity type semiconductor layer 106 is provided on one surface of the semiconductor substrate 102, and the second conductivity type semiconductor layer 104 is the semiconductor substrate 102. It may be disposed on the other side of the). For example, the first conductivity-type semiconductor layer 106 is a p-type doped layer formed by doping p-type impurities on one surface of the semiconductor substrate 102, and the second conductivity-type semiconductor layer 104 is the other surface of the semiconductor substrate 102. It may be an n-type doping layer formed by doping the n-type impurities to.

The first sensor unit 110 may generate electromotive force by moving the photoelectrons generated by absorbing the first light L1. The electromotive force may be transmitted to the outside through the first electrode 114 electrically connected to the first conductivity type semiconductor layer 106 and the second electrode 112 electrically connected to the second conductivity type semiconductor layer 104. . For example, when the first conductivity-type semiconductor layer 106 is a p-type doped layer and the second conductivity-type semiconductor layer 104 is an n-type doped layer, the first electrode 114 becomes a positive pole and the second electrode 112-can be a pole.

In this embodiment, the first electrode 114 is directly connected to the first conductivity type semiconductor layer 106 on one surface of the semiconductor substrate 102, and the second electrode 112 is formed on the other surface of the semiconductor substrate 102. The second conductive semiconductor layer 104 may be directly connected to the second conductive semiconductor layer 104. The arrangement of the first and

second electrodes

114 and 112 may be variously modified as described below.

The second sensor unit 120 is formed on one surface of the semiconductor substrate 102 to detect the second light L2 irradiated through the first sensor unit 110 from the other surface of the semiconductor substrate 102. have. For example, the second sensor unit 120 may function as an infrared sensor. The second sensor unit 120 may include various infrared sensors, such as a thermopile sensor, a bolometer sensor, or a pyrometer sensor. The thermopile sensor generates thermal energy as an electrical signal by the Seebeck effect, the bolometer sensor generates an electrical signal as a resistance change with temperature, and the pyrometer sensor radiates with temperature due to a pyroelectric phenomenon. Energy can be generated as an electrical signal.

In order to thermally insulate the second sensor unit 120, the semiconductor substrate 102 may include a groove 108 recessed inwardly from one surface thereof. At least a portion of the second sensor unit 120 may be disposed on the groove 108 to be thermally insulated from the semiconductor substrate 102. That is, infrared or heat is lost to the semiconductor substrate 102 by being disposed on the groove 108 so that the high temperature portion of the second sensor unit 120 that absorbs the second light L2 is not directly in contact with the semiconductor substrate 102. Can reduce the amount of

For example, the second sensor unit 120 may include sensing

members

124 and 126 on one surface of the semiconductor substrate 102. Optionally, the lower insulating layer 122 may be stacked on the semiconductor substrate 102, and the

sensing members

124 and 126 may be stacked on the lower insulating layer 122 to be insulated from the semiconductor substrate 102. have. The lower insulating layer 122 may include various insulators such as oxides, nitrides, and polyimides.

The light absorbing layer 130 may be disposed to face the groove 108 on the lower insulating layer 122 opposite to the

sensing members

124 and 126. The light absorption layer 130 may be formed of a black material having a high absorption rate with respect to the second light L2, for example, infrared light. For example, the light absorption layer 130 may include one or a stacked structure of a polymer, black gold, black carbon, carbon nano-tube, metal oxide film, and metal nitride film. have.

When the second sensor unit 120 is a thermopile sensor, the

sensing members

124 and 126 may include an n-type thermoelectric member and a p-type thermoelectric member coupled to each other. For signal amplification, the plurality of n-type thermoelectric members and the plurality of p-type thermoelectric members may be paired in series. For example, the p-type thermoelectric member may include antimony telluride (Sb ₂ Te ₃ ), bismuth doped antimony telluride (Bi _x2-x Sb _2-x Te ₃ , x = 0 to 1), and p-doped silicon ( p-doped Si), p-doped germanium (p-doped Ge) and p-doped silicon germanium (p-doped SiGe) may include at least one. The n-type thermoelectric member includes bismuth cellulose (Bi ₂ Te ₃ ), lead telluride (PbTe), n-doped Si, n-doped Ge, and n-doped Silicon Germanium (n-doped) SiGe) may be included.

When an infrared ray is incident on a portion of the

sensing members

124 and 126 through the light absorbing layer 130, for example, the center portion may be a relatively high temperature portion, and the end portion may be a relatively low temperature portion. Accordingly, electromotive force may be generated in the

sensing members

124 and 126 by the Seebeck effect. An end portion of the p-type thermoelectric member may be a + pole, and a central portion thereof may be a − pole, and an end portion of the n type thermoelectric member may be a − pole, and the center portion thereof may be a + pole. For example, when the sensing member 124 is a p-type thermoelectric member, the third electrode 132 connected to the end of the sensing member 124 may be a positive electrode. In this case, the sensing member 126 may be an n-type thermoelectric member, and the fourth electrode 134 connected to the end of the sensing member 126 may be a -pole.

On the other hand, when the second sensor unit 120 is a bolometer sensor or a pyrometer sensor, the material, number and arrangement of the

sensing members

124 and 126 may be appropriately modified according to the purpose.

The integrated dual sensor described above may be used in various lighting recognition human body sensing devices such as an auto flasher or a brightness control monitor by combining the first sensor unit 110 and the second sensor unit 120. Accordingly, as the first sensor unit 110 and the second sensor unit 120 are integrally combined with the semiconductor substrate 102, the volume of the dual sensor can be greatly reduced, thereby miniaturizing the electronic product equipped with the dual sensor. Becomes possible. In addition, as the first sensor unit 110 and the second sensor unit 120 are integrally coupled, the signal processing may be shortened, thereby increasing the processing speed.

Hereinafter, a case in which the integrated dual sensor is used to automatically blink a lighting device will be described.

The first sensor unit 110 may detect illuminance, and the second sensor unit 120 may detect a movement of an object that emits heat. In a bright environment, such as in the daytime, the first electrical signal generated from the first sensor unit 110 may exceed a set reference, and thus the controller (not shown) may provide an off signal to the lighting device. . In this case, since the magnitude of the second electrical signal generated from the second sensor unit 120 is not considered, the lighting device is not turned on even when the second electrical signal is provided to the controller.

In a dark environment such as at night, the first electrical signal may not reach the set reference, and in this case, the controller controls the lighting device according to the second electrical signal. For example, when no living body is present and no infrared rays are generated, the second electrical signal is not generated and thus the control unit provides an off signal to the lighting device, and thus the lighting device is not turned on. On the other hand, when there is a living body around, a second electrical signal is generated from the second sensor unit 120 by the infrared rays generated from the living body so that the controller provides an on signal to the lighting device, and thus the lighting device is turned on. .

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an integrated dual sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention. The integrated dual sensor according to this embodiment corresponds to the addition of some configuration to the integrated dual sensor of FIG. 1, and thus duplicated description is omitted in the two embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 2, a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) 150 may be coupled to one side of the semiconductor substrate 102. The read integrated circuit 150 may serve as a controller for controlling the first sensor unit 110 and the second sensor unit 120. Accordingly, the first and

second electrodes

114 and 112 of the first sensor unit 110 and the third and

fourth electrodes

132 and 134 of the second sensor unit 120 are read integrated circuit 150. It may be electrically connected to the input and output unit of the).

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an integrated dual sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention. The integrated dual sensor according to this embodiment corresponds to a modification or addition of some components in the integrated dual sensor of FIG. 1, and thus, redundant descriptions in the two embodiments are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3, unlike the second electrode 112 of FIG. 1, the second electrode 112a may be disposed on one surface of the semiconductor substrate 102. For example, the through via 111 may extend from the second semiconductor layer 104 through the semiconductor substrate 102, and the second electrode 112a may be disposed on the through via 111. Accordingly, the second electrode 112a may be electrically connected to the second semiconductor layer 104 through the through via 111.

The through via 111 may be electrically insulated from the semiconductor substrate 102 by an insulating spacer (not shown). In this embodiment, the first conductivity-type semiconductor layer 106 is shown so as not to extend onto the semiconductor substrate 102 where the through vias 111 are disposed, but may be electrically insulated from each other by an insulating spacer, so that the first conductive semiconductor layer 106 is not shown in FIG. It may be stretched entirely onto the semiconductor substrate 102 as shown. According to this structure, all of the first to

fourth electrodes

114, 112a, 132, and 134 may be disposed in one direction, thereby facilitating connection with an external device.

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an integrated dual sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention. The integrated dual sensor according to this embodiment corresponds to the addition of some configuration to the integrated dual sensor of FIG. 3, and thus redundant descriptions are omitted in the embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 4, a read integrated circuit (ROIC) 150 may be coupled to a lower portion of the semiconductor substrate 102. The read integrated circuit 150 may serve as a controller for controlling the first sensor unit 110 and the second sensor unit 120. Since all of the first to

fourth electrodes

114, 112a, 132, and 134 are disposed on one surface of the semiconductor substrate 102, the first and

fourth electrodes

114, 112a, 132, and 134 may be easily electrically connected to the input / output unit of the read integrated circuit 150. . Alternatively, the semiconductor substrate 102 and the read integrated circuit 150 may be integrally bonded to each other via an insulating adhesive.

5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an integrated dual sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention. The dual sensor according to this embodiment is a modification or addition of some structure in the dual sensor according to the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 4 described above, and duplicated description is omitted in these embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 5, the sensor substrate 121 may be coupled to the lower portion of the semiconductor substrate 102. The semiconductor substrate 102 and the sensor substrate 121 may be combined in various ways, for example, may be bonded through an adsorbent therebetween. For example, the sensor substrate 121 may include various materials such as a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate, and a flexible substrate.

The second sensor unit 120 may be mounted on the sensor substrate 121. For example, a groove corresponding to the groove 108 of the semiconductor substrate 102 may be dug in the surface of the sensor substrate 121, and the second sensor unit 120 may be mounted on the groove. Accordingly, at least a part of the second sensor unit 120 may be disposed in an inner space formed by the groove 108 of the semiconductor substrate 102 and the groove of the sensor substrate 121.

In the second sensor unit 120 of this embodiment, the lower insulating layer 122 may be formed on the sensor substrate 121, and the

sensing members

124 and 126 may be formed on the lower insulating layer 122. have. In addition, the light absorption layer 130 may be formed on the lower insulating layer 122 to cover a part of the

sensing members

124 and 126, for example, a central portion.

According to this embodiment, the capping semiconductor layer 102 is disposed on the sensor substrate 121 on which the second sensor unit 120 is mounted, and the first sensor unit 110 is formed on the semiconductor layer 102. By doing this, a dual sensor can be formed.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

A semiconductor substrate which blocks the first light having the first wavelength from passing below and passes the second light having the second wavelength longer than the first wavelength;

A first sensor unit including the semiconductor substrate and absorbing and detecting at least a portion of the first light; And

And a second sensor unit formed on one surface of the semiconductor substrate and configured to sense the second light passing through the first sensor unit.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first light comprises visible light or near infrared light and the second light comprises mid-infrared light or far infrared light,

And the semiconductor substrate functions as an infrared pass filter, the first sensor part functions as a visible light sensing type illumination sensor, and the second sensor part functions as an infrared sensing type human body sensor.
The integrated dual sensor of claim 1, wherein the first sensor unit comprises a photovoltaic sensor or a photoconductive sensor.
The method of claim 3, wherein the first sensor unit,

A first conductivity type semiconductor layer on one surface of the semiconductor substrate; And

And a second conductivity type semiconductor layer on the other surface of the semiconductor substrate.
The integrated dual sensor of claim 4, wherein the first conductive semiconductor layer comprises a p-type doped layer and the second conductive semiconductor layer comprises an n-type doped layer.
The method of claim 4, wherein the first sensor unit,

A first electrode disposed on one surface of the semiconductor substrate to be electrically connected to the first conductive semiconductor layer;

A through via extending from the second conductive semiconductor layer through the semiconductor substrate and extending onto one surface of the semiconductor substrate; And

And a second electrode disposed on one surface of the semiconductor substrate to be electrically connected to the through via.
The semiconductor substrate of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor substrate includes grooves recessed inwardly from one surface of the semiconductor substrate.

At least a portion of the second sensor unit is spaced apart on the groove and thermally insulated from the semiconductor substrate.
The integrated dual sensor of claim 7, wherein the second sensor unit comprises a light absorption layer disposed to face the groove.
The integrated dual sensor of claim 1, wherein the second sensor unit comprises a thermopile sensor, a bolometer sensor, or a pyrometer sensor.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

The integrated dual sensor further comprises a read integrated circuit (ROIC) electrically connected to the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit.
A semiconductor substrate which blocks the first light having the first wavelength from passing below and passes the second light having the second wavelength longer than the first wavelength;

A first sensor unit including the semiconductor substrate to absorb and detect at least a portion of the first light;

A sensor substrate coupled under the semiconductor substrate; And

And a second sensor unit mounted on the sensor substrate and sensing the second light passing through the first sensor unit.