Integrated thermopile sensor for automotive, spectroscopic and imaging applications, and methods of fabricating same

A thermal energy sensor responsive to incident electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths of interest, comprising:

• a substrate comprised of a layer of sapphire having a layer of semiconductor material disposed on a surface of said sapphire layer;
• a portion of said layer of semiconductor material being in an oxide form and forming supporting bridges that extend over a void in said layer of semiconductor material wherein said underlying sapphire layer is exposed;
• a structure comprised of a dielectric material that is supported by said bridges;
• and
• a plurality of thermally-responsive junctions between dissimilar materials, at least one of said thermally-responsive junctions being a hot junction that is disposed upon said structure for thermally isolating said at least one hot junction.

A thermal energy sensor responsive to incident electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths of interest, comprising:

• a substrate comprised of semiconductor material, said substrate having an opening that extends through a first surface towards an opposite surface;
• a layer of dielectric material covering inside surfaces of said opening and extending at least partially over a surrounding portion of said first substrate surface;
• a dielectric structure disposed within said opening and defining a plurality of dielectric sub-structures individual ones of which extend from a bottom of said opening towards said first surface of said substrate, said dielectric structure being comprised of a polymer;
• and
• a plurality of thermally-responsive junctions between dissimilar materials, at least one of said thermally-responsive junctions being a hot junction that is disposed upon a top surface of one of said dielectric sub-structures and being thermally isolated by said dielectric sub-structure from said substrate, at least one other one of said thermally-responsive junctions being a cold junction that is disposed upon a portion of said layer of dielectric material that extends over said surrounding portion of said first substrate surface.

A sensor for detecting electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths of interest, comprising:

• a substrate comprised of silicon and a buried layer of oxide disposed within said silicon, said buried oxide layer being parallel to a first surface of said substrate, said substrate including at least one void within said first surface of said substrate wherein a portion of said silicon is removed down to said buried oxide layer;
• bridge structures comprised of a dielectric material, said bridge structures disposed over said void;
• a plurality of thermally-responsive junctions between dissimilar materials, at least one of said thermally-responsive junctions being a hot junction that is supported by said bridge structures, said at least one hot junction being disposed beneath a layer of radiation absorbing material;
• and
• support circuitry fabricated within said silicon adjacent to said first surface, said support circuitry being coupled to said plurality of thermally-responsive junctions.