Open AccessA Sensitivity Controllable Thermopile Infrared Sensor by Monolithic Integration of a N-channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor
Author(s) -
Hongbo Li,
Gaobo Xu,
Chenchen Zhang,
Haiyang Mao,
Dapeng Chen
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
ecs journal of solid state science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.488
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 2162-8777
pISSN - 2162-8769
DOI - 10.1149/2162-8777/ac26d6
Subject(s) - thermopile , nmos logic , materials science , optoelectronics , cmos , sensitivity (control systems) , fabrication , infrared , voltage , electronic engineering , electrical engineering , transistor , optics , engineering , physics , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
We report a sensitivity controllable infrared (IR) sensor composed of a thermopile and a n-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS). In the sensor, the cathode of the thermopile is connected with the gate of NMOS. Such a sensor is fabricated by using a CMOS-compatible monolithic integration process. Compared with the separate thermopile IR sensor, sensitivity of the thermopile IR sensor integrated with NMOS can be remarkably enhanced by 357%. In addition, the drain bias voltage of the NMOS can be employed as a quick-response switch. The fabrication process of this device is quite simple and compatible with CMOS processes, thus such a thermopile IR sensor integrated with NMOS is low-cost and suitable for mass production. Moreover, the integration approach can be further applied to develop thermopile arrays for high-resolution imaging.