US 2009/0152467 A1 · MULTILAYER-STRUCTURED BOLOMETER AND METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAME

Abstract

Provided are a multilayer-structured bolometer and a method of fabricating the same. In the multilayer-structured bolometer, the number of support arms supporting the body of a sensor structure is reduced to one, and two electrodes are formed on the one support arm. Thus, the sensor structure is electrically connected with a substrate through the only one support arm. According to the multilayer-structured bolometer and method of fabricating the bolometer, the thermal conductivity of the sensor structure is considerably reduced to remarkably improve sensitivity to temperature, and also the pixel size of the bolometer is reduced to obtain high-resolution thermal images. In addition, the multilayer-structured bolometer can have a high fill-factor due to a sufficiently large infrared-absorbing layer, and thus can improve infrared absorbance.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A multilayer-structured bolometer which comprises a semiconductor substrate including a detection circuit therein, first and second metal pads formed on the semiconductor substrate, and a sensor structure disposed apart from the first and second metal pads by a quarter of an infrared wavelength above the semiconductor substrate, the sensor structure comprising:

a body disposed above the first and second metal pads, and including a resistive layer having a resistance varying according to a change in temperature caused when infrared rays are absorbed;
and
one support arm constituted to have a two-layer structure of an upper stage and a lower stage, and electrically connected with the body and the first and second metal pads.

A method of fabricating a multilayer-structured bolometer, comprising:

forming first and second metal pads on a substrate including a detection circuit;
forming a first sacrificial layer on the substrate to expose the first and second metal pads, and then forming first and second electrodes electrically connected with the first and second metal pads and first to third insulating layers for insulating the first and second electrodes on the first sacrificial layer;
forming a second sacrificial layer on the third insulating layer to expose a region to be connected with a body of a sensor structure, and then forming on the second sacrificial layer a resistive layer having a resistance varying according to a change in temperature caused when infrared rays are absorbed, fourth and fifth insulating layers for insulating the resistive layer, and third and fourth electrodes for respectively transferring a change in the resistance of the resistive layer to the first and second electrodes;
and
etching the first sacrificial layer and the second sacrificial layer.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Multilayer-structured bolometer and method of fabricating the same

Life of this patent

Multilayer-structured bolometer and method of fabricating the same

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16