# US 10,312,398 B2 · Sensing apparatus

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- Number: US 10,312,398 B2
- Document ID: US10312398B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/523,104
- Filed: 2015-10-20
- Published: 2018-10-04
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2014-10-31
- Assignees: Emberion Oy
- Applicants: Emberion Oy
- Inventors: Alan Colli
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10312398B2

## CPC

- H10F 30/2823: {the devices being conductor-insulator-semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes or charge-coupled devices [CCD] (Insulated-gate field-effect transistors H10F30/282)}
- G01J 5/046: {Materials; Selection of thermal materials}
- G01J 5/10: using electric radiation detectors
- G01J 5/34: using capacitors, e.g. pyroelectric capacitors
- H10D 30/47: having two-dimensional [2D] charge carrier gas channels, e.g. nanoribbon FETs or high electron mobility transistors [HEMT]
- H10D 30/481: {FETs having two-dimensional material channels, e.g. transition metal dichalcogenide [TMD] FETs}
- H10D 30/673: {characterised by the shapes, relative sizes or dispositions of the gate electrodes}
- H10D 30/6733: {Multi-gate TFTs}
- H10D 30/6741: {Group IV materials, e.g. germanium or silicon carbide (TFTs having oxide semiconductors H10D30/6755)}
- H10D 30/6757: {characterised by the structure of the channel, e.g. transverse or longitudinal shape or doping profile (TFTs having channel structures for preventing kink or snapback effects H10D30/6708; TFTs having lightly-doped source or drain extensions H10D30/6715)}
- H10D 30/6758: {characterised by the insulating substrates}
- H10D 62/882: {Graphene}
- H10D 64/519: {characterised by their top-view geometrical layouts}
- H10F 30/298: the devices being characterised by field-effect operation, e.g. MIS type detectors
- H10F 77/1433: {Quantum dots}
- H10P 95/92: {Formation of n- or p-type semiconductors, e.g. doping of graphene}
- H10D 64/112: {comprising multiple field plate segments}
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N)
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

An apparatus comprising: pyroelectric material; an electric field sensor; a first conductive electrode comprising a first area adjacent the pyroelectric material; a second conductive electrode comprising a second area adjacent the electric field sensor; and a conductive interconnection between the first conductive electrode and the second conductive electrode, wherein the first area of the first conductive electrode is larger than the second area of the second conductive electrode.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus comprising:
a pyroelectric material;
a patterned conductive material overlying a first area of the pyroelectric material to form a first conductive electrode, and
an electric field sensor which comprises:
a channel between a source and a drain,
a dielectric layer which extends over the channel,
a gate which is insulated from the channel by the dielectric layer,
wherein
the channel contacts the pyroelectric material in a second area of the pyroelectric material, and
the patterned conductive material overlies the second area of the pyroelectric material to form a second conductive electrode which forms the gate in the electric field sensor,
wherein the first area is larger than the second area.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pyroelectric material and the first conductive electrode form a first capacitor having a first electric field dependent upon a polarization of the pyroelectric material and wherein the first electric field causes, at the second conductive electrode, a second electric field that is dependent upon the first electric field amplified by a ratio of the first area to the second area.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first area is at least ten times larger than the second area.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the channel comprises a layer of graphene.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a photon absorbing layer overlies the pyroelectric layer and comprises the first conductive electrode or overlies the first conductive electrode.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the photon absorbing layer is a micro-engineered layer that operates as an antenna for absorbing electromagnetic wavelength of a particular frequency or frequencies.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 configured as a suspended structure.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A device comprising multiple apparatuses as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is configured to operate as a photodetector, a microbolometer, or an infrared camera.