US 11,725,990 B2
Thermographic sensor with thermo-couples on a suspended grid and processing circuits in frames thereof
Maria Eloisa Castagna, Catania (IT); and Giuseppe Bruno, Paterno' (IT)
Assigned to STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., Agrate Brianza (IT)
Filed by STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., Agrate Brianza (IT)
Filed on Nov. 29, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/537,086.
Claims priority of application No. 102020000029138 (IT), filed on Nov. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0170794 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
Int. Cl. G01J 5/16 (2006.01); G01J 5/20 (2006.01); H01L 27/146 (2006.01); H04N 5/33 (2023.01); G01J 5/00 (2022.01)
CPC G01J 5/16 (2013.01) [G01J 5/20 (2013.01); H01L 27/14669 (2013.01); H04N 5/33 (2013.01); G01J 2005/0077 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A thermographic sensor for sensing a thermal radiation, the thermographic sensor including a plurality of sensing elements each comprising:
a semiconductor on insulator body including a substrate;
a functional layer and an insulating layer interposed between the substrate and the functional layer, the functional layer and the insulating layer including one or more grids, a grid of the functional layer and the insulating layer suspended from the substrate, the grid including:
a frame, a plate and one or more arms sustaining the plate from the frame, the frame including one or more conductive layers of a thermally conductive material; and
a thermo-couple having a hot joint and a cold joint in the grid, the thermo-couple configured to provide a sensing voltage based on a difference between a temperature of the hot joint and a temperature of the cold joint, the cold joint including a first sensing terminal and a second sensing terminal, the thermo-couple having a first conductor of a first electrically conductive material extending from the first sensing terminal of the cold joint in the frame to the plate through one of the arms and a second conductor of a second electrically conductive material, different from the first electrically conductive material, extending from the second sensing terminal of the cold joint in the frame to the plate through one of the arms, the first conductor and the second conductor being short-circuited at the plate into the hot joint.