US 2011/0299566 A1Published application

Pyroelectric temperature sensor and a method for measuring a temperature with the pyroelectric temperature sensor

AssigneePanasonic Corporation

InventorsMichihito Ueda, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Yukihiro Kaneko, Eiji Fujii

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Abstract

A temperature sensor includes first and second lower electrodes, a ferroelectric layer having polarization, a semiconductor layer; and first to third upper electrodes. The second upper electrode is interposed between the first upper electrode and the third upper electrode in a plan view. The semiconductor layer includes a first channel disposed between the first upper electrode and the second upper electrode, and a second channel disposed between the second upper electrode and the third upper electrode. The ferroelectric layer includes a first ferroelectric part disposed below the first channel and a second ferroelectric part disposed below the second channel. A polarization direction of the first ferroelectric part is opposite to a polarization direction of the second first ferroelectric part. The temperature is calculated based on the output voltage from the second upper electrode and the voltage applied to the first upper electrode.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A method for measuring a temperature with a temperature sensor, the method comprising steps of:

a step (a) of preparing the temperature sensor, wherein:
the temperature sensor comprises a lower electrode group, a ferroelectric layer having polarization, a semiconductor layer, and an upper electrode group,
the lower electrode group, the ferroelectric layer, the semiconductor layer, and the upper electrode group are stacked in this order,
the lower electrode group comprises a first lower electrode and a second lower electrode,
the upper electrode group comprises a first upper electrode, a second upper electrode, and a third upper electrode,
the second upper electrode is interposed between the first upper electrode and the third upper electrode in a plan view,
a first ferroelectric part of the ferroelectric layer is interposed between the first lower electrode and the first upper electrode,
a second ferroelectric part of the ferroelectric layer is interposed between the second lower electrode and the third upper electrode,
the second ferroelectric part has an inverted polarization direction of the polarization direction of the first ferroelectric part,
the semiconductor layer includes a first channel disposed between the first upper electrode and the second upper electrode, and a second channel disposed between the second upper electrode and the third upper electrode,
the ferroelectric layer includes a first ferroelectric part disposed below the first channel and a second ferroelectric part disposed below the second channel, and
a polarization direction of the first ferroelectric part is opposite to a polarization direction of the second first ferroelectric part;
a step (b) of applying a voltage VDD and a voltage of 0V to the first upper electrode and the third upper electrode, respectively, to measure an output voltage VOUT from the second upper electrode, and
a step (c) of calculating the temperature from the following equation (2):
T
=
{
(
R
d


1
+
R
u


1
)

T
2
-
(
R
d


2
+
R
u


2
)

T
1
}

V
out
+
(
R
u


2

T
1
-
R
u


1

T
2
)

V
DD
(
R
d


1
-
R
d


2
+
R
u


1
-
R
u


2
)

V
out
+
(
R
u


2
-
R
u


1
)

V
DD
(
2
)
where, Rd1 represents a resistance value of the first channel when temperature T of the ferroelectric layer is T1,
Ru1 represents a resistance value of the second channel when the temperature T of the ferroelectric layer is T1,
Rd2 represents a resistance value of the first channel when the temperature T of the ferroelectric layer is T2, and
Ru2 represents a resistance value of the second channel when the temperature T of the ferroelectric layer is T2.

126 more elements

A temperature measuring device comprising a temperature sensor and an operating device, wherein:

the temperature sensor comprises a lower electrode group, a ferroelectric layer, a semiconductor layer, and an upper electrode group,
the lower electrode group, the ferroelectric layer, the semiconductor layer, and the upper electrode group are stacked in this order,
the lower electrode group comprises a first lower electrode and a second lower electrode,
the upper electrode group comprises a first upper electrode, a second upper electrode, and a third upper electrode,
the second upper electrode is interposed between the first upper electrode and the third upper electrode in a plan view,
the semiconductor layer includes a first channel disposed between the first upper electrode and the second upper electrode, and a second channel disposed between the second upper electrode and the third upper electrode,
the ferroelectric layer includes a first ferroelectric part disposed below the first channel and a second ferroelectric part disposed below the second channel, and
a polarization direction of the first ferroelectric part is opposite to a polarization direction of the second first ferroelectric part,
the operating device comprises a processing unit, a memory unit, an output unit, and an input unit,
an output voltage VOUT from the second upper electrode is input to the input unit,
the memory unit memorizes constant values T1, T2, Rd1, Ru1, Rd2, and Ru2,
the processing unit calculates temperature T from the following equation (2) with reference to the memory unit,
T
=
{
(
R
d


1
+
R
u


1
)

T
2
-
(
R
d


2
+
R
u


2
)

T
1
}

V
out
+
(
R
u


2

T
1
-
R
u


1

T
2
)

V
DD
(
R
d


1
-
R
d


2
+
R
u


1
-
R
u


2
)

V
out
+
(
R
u


2
-
R
u


1
)

V
DD
(
2
)
where VDD is a voltage applied to the first upper electrode, and
the output unit outputs the calculated temperature T.

122 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/207,940Filed 11 Aug 2011
Priority: JP 2010-05397711 Mar 2010
Published: 8 Dec 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

H10N 15/10
Thermoelectric devices without a junction of dissimilar materials; Thermomagnetic devices, e.g. using the Nernst-Ettingshausen effect:…
G01K 7/36
Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat ; Power supply therefor, e.g. using…: using…
H10N
Electric solid-state devices not otherwise provided for
G01K
Measuring temperature