# US 11,908,956 B2 · Optical sensor and detector for an optical detection > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,908,956 B2 - Document ID: US11908956B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/434,568 - Filed: 2020-02-26 - Published: 2022-05-05 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-02-27 - Assignees: Trinamix GmbH - Applicants: trinamix GmbH - Inventors: Wilfried Hermes; Sebastian Valouch; Sebastian Mueller; Regina Hoeh; Heidi Bechtel; Timo Altenbeck; Fabian Dittmann; Bertram Feuerstein; Thomas Hupfauer; Anke Handreck; Robert Gust; Peter Paul Kaletta; Daniel Kaelblein; Robert Send - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11908956B2 ## CPC - H10F 77/933: {for devices having potential barriers} - H10F 30/10: the devices being sensitive to infrared radiation, visible or ultraviolet radiation, and having no potential barriers, e.g. photoresistors - H10F 77/127: {comprising only Group IV-VI or only Group II-IV-VI chalcogenide materials, e.g. PbSnTe} - H10F 77/20: Electrodes - H10F 77/206: {for devices having potential barriers} - H10F 77/50: Encapsulations or containers (for photovoltaic modules H10F19/80) - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION ## Abstract Described herein is an optical sensor, a detector including the optical sensor for an optical detection of at least one object, and a method for manufacturing the optical sensor. The optical sensor (110) includes a substrate (120); a photoconductive layer (112) applied to a first portion (116) of a surface (118) of the substrate (120); and at least one electrode layer (124) applied to a second portion (126) of the surface (118) of the substrate (120). The optical sensor (110) exhibits a linear current-voltage characteristic according to Ohm's law. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An optical sensor (110), comprising a substrate (120); a photoconductive layer (112) applied to a first portion (116) of a surface (118) of the substrate (120), the photoconductive layer (112) having at least one photoconductive material (124); and at least one electrode layer (124) applied to a second portion (126) of the surface (118) of the substrate (120), wherein the electrode layer (124), apart from a first edge portion (128) of the electrode layer (124), exhibits a thickness d0, wherein the first edge portion (128) of the electrode layer (124) is covered by an edge portion (130) of the photoconductive layer (112) in a manner that an electrode-photoconductor interface (132) is formed at a surface (134) of the electrode layer (124), wherein the electrode-photoconductor interface (132) comprises a first segment (138), a second segment (140), and a third segment (142); wherein a thickness d1 of the electrode layer (124) along the electrode-photoconductor interface (132) within the first segment (138) equals the thickness d0 of the electrode layer (124); wherein a thickness d2 of the electrode layer (124) along the electrode-photoconductor interface (132) within the second segment (140) is equal to or exceeds the thickness d0 of the electrode layer (124); and wherein a thickness d3 of the electrode layer (124) along the electrode-photoconductor interface (132) within the third segment (142) decreases continuously and monotonically along the electrode-photoconductor interface (132) within the third segment (142) towards an edge of the electrode layer (146). ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The optical sensor (110) according to claim 1, wherein a maximum elevation h=d2−d0 of the electrode layer (124) along the electrode-photoconductor interface (132) within the second segment (140) with respect to the thickness d0 of the electrode layer (124) exceeds the thickness do of the electrode layer (124) by 27% or less. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The optical sensor (110) according to claim 1, wherein a length l2 of the second segment (140) is 65% or less of the thickness d0 of the electrode layer (124). ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The optical sensor (110) according to claim 1, wherein a length l3 of the third segment (142) is 20% to 230% of the thickness do of the electrode layer (124). ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The optical sensor (110) according to claim 1, wherein the electrode layer (124) is an electrically conducting laminate (148) comprising a charge carrier layer (150) directly adjoining the photoconductive layer (112), wherein the charge carrier layer (150) comprises a charge carrier agent being designed for transporting charge carriers within the electrode layer (124) and to and/or from the photoconductive layer (112); a bonding layer (152) directly applied to the substrate (120), wherein the bonding layer (152) comprises a bonding agent being designed for attaching the charge carrier layer (150) to the second portion (126) of the surface (118) of the substrate (120); and a barrier layer (154) directly applied to the bonding layer (152), wherein the barrier layer (154) comprises a barrier agent being designed for preventing a direct contact of the bonding agent with the charge carrier layer (150). ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The optical sensor (110) according to claim 5, wherein the charge carrier layer (150) only comprises the charge carrier agent at the electrode-photoconductor interface (132). ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The optical sensor (110) according to claim 5, wherein the charge carrier agent is selected from the group consisting of atoms of gold, wherein the bonding agent is selected from the group consisting of atoms of titanium, and wherein the barrier agent is selected from the group consisting of atoms of nickel tin, chromium, titanium, manganese, lead, magnesium. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The optical sensor (110) according to claim 1, wherein the photoconductive material (114) is selected from the group consisting of lead sulfide (PbS), lead selenide (PbSe), lead telluride (PbTe), cadmium telluride (CdTe), indium phosphide (InP), cadmium sulfide (CdS), cadmium selenide (CdSe), indium antimonide (InSb), mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe; MCT), copper indium sulfide (CIS), copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), zinc sulfide (ZnS), zinc selenide (ZnSe), copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS), a solid solution and a doped variant thereof. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The optical sensor (110) according to claim 1, further comprising a cover (216) which covers accessible surfaces of at least one of the photoconductive layer (112), the at least one electrode layer (132), and the substrate (120), wherein the cover (216) is an amorphous cover comprising at least one metal-containing compound. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The optical sensor (110) according to claim 1, wherein the electrode layer (124) comprises a second edge portion (136) not being covered by the photoconductive layer (112), wherein the second edge portion (136) is designated for providing electrical connection to the electrode layer (124). ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The optical sensor (110) according to claim 1, wherein the substrate (120) is directly or indirectly attached to a circuit carrier device (206). ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The optical sensor (110) according to claim 11, wherein direct or indirect electrical connection is provided between the second edge portion (126) of the electrode layer (124) and the circuit carrier device (206). ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A detector (150) for optical detection, comprising: at least one optical sensor (110) according to claim 1, the optical sensor (110) comprising at least one sensor region (202), wherein the optical sensor (110) is designed to generate at least one sensor signal in a manner dependent on an illumination of the sensor region (202) by a light beam (122); and at least one evaluation device (220), wherein the evaluation device (220) is designed to generate at least one item of information with respect to optical radiation provided by the light beam (122) by evaluating the sensor signal of the optical sensor (110). ### Claim 14 A method (300) for manufacturing an optical sensor (100), the method (300) comprising the following steps: a) providing a substrate (120); b) applying at least one electrode layer (124) to a second portion (126) of the surface (118) of the substrate (120) in a manner that the electrode layer (124), apart from a first edge portion (128) of the electrode layer (124), exhibits a thickness d0; and c) further applying a photoconductive layer (112), the photoconductive layer (112) having at least one photoconductive material (114), to a first portion (116) of the surface (118) of the substrate (120) in a manner that also the first edge portion (128) of the electrode layer (124) is covered by an edge portion (130) of the photoconductive layer (112), whereby an electrode-photoconductor interface (132) is formed at a surface (134) of the electrode layer (124), wherein the electrode-photoconductor interface (132) is formed in a fashion that the electrode-photoconductor interface (132) comprises a first segment (138), a second segment (140), and a third segment (142); wherein a thickness d1 of the electrode layer (124) along the electrode-photoconductor interface (132) within the first segment (138) equals the thickness d0 of the electrode layer (124); wherein a thickness d2 of the electrode layer (124) along the electrode-photoconductor interface (132) within the second segment (140) is equal to or exceeds the thickness d0 of the electrode layer (124); and wherein a thickness d3 of the electrode layer (124) along the electrode-photoconductor interface (132) within the third segment (142) decreases continuously and monotonically along the electrode-photoconductor interface (132) within the third segment (142) towards an edge (146) of the electrode layer (124). ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method (300) according to claim 14, wherein the electrode layer (124) is formed as an electrically conducting laminate (148) by applying a bonding layer (152) directly onto the second portion (126) of the surface (118) of the substrate (120), wherein the bonding layer (152) comprises a bonding agent being designed for attaching a charge carrier layer (150) to the substrate (120); further applying a barrier layer (154) directly onto the bonding layer (152), wherein the barrier layer (154) comprises a barrier agent being designed for preventing a direct contact of the bonding agent with the charge carrier layer (150); and further applying the charge carrier layer (150) directly onto the barrier layer (154), wherein the charge carrier layer (150) comprises a charge carrier agent being designed for transporting charge carriers to and/or from the photoconductive layer (112). ### Claim 16 (depends on 5) The optical sensor (110) according to claim 5, wherein the charge carrier agent is selected from the group consisting of atoms of gold, wherein the bonding agent is selected from the group consisting of atoms of titanium, and wherein the barrier agent is selected from the group consisting of atoms of tin, nickel, chromium, and magnesium.