Sensing device having a BiCMOS transistor and a method for sensing electromagnetic radiation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10444078-B2
Application number	US-201515118895-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2015
Priority date	Feb 15, 2014
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

A method and a sensing device are provided. The sensing device may include a readout circuit, a bulk, a holding element and a heterojunction bipolar transistor; wherein heterojunction bipolar transistor is configured to generate detection signals responsive to a temperature of at least a portion of the heterojunction bipolar transistor; wherein the holding element is configured to support the heterojunction bipolar transistor; wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor is thermally isolated from the bulk; wherein the readout circuit is electrically coupled to the heterojunction bipolar transistor; and wherein the readout circuit is configured to receive the detection signals and to process the detection signals to provide information about electromagnetic radiation that affected the temperature of the at least portion of the heterojunction bipolar transistor.

First claim

I claim:

1. A sensing device, comprising a readout circuit, a bulk, a holding element and a heterojunction bipolar transistor; wherein heterojunction bipolar transistor is configured to generate detection signals responsive to a temperature of at least a portion of the heterojunction bipolar transistor; wherein the holding element is configured to support the heterojunction bipolar transistor; wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor is thermally isolated from the bulk; wherein the readout circuit is electrically coupled to the heterojunction bipolar transistor; and wherein the readout circuit is configured to receive the detection signals and to process the detection signals to provide information about electromagnetic radiation that affected the temperature of the at least portion of the heterojunction bipolar transistor; and wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor comprises a base terminal, an emitter terminal and a collector terminal, and wherein at least two terminals out of the base terminal, the emitter terminal and the collector terminal are positioned at different heights.

2. The sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor comprises a base and wherein the base comprises Silicon Germanium.

3. The sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor comprises a base and wherein the base comprises Silicon Germanium.

4. The sensing device according to claim 1 wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor comprises a buried collector region, and a buried oxide region; and wherein at least a majority of the base, the base terminal, the emitter terminal, the buried collector region and the buried oxide region are exposed to an environment of the heterojunction bipolar transistor.

5. The sensing device according to claim 1 wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor is suspended.

6. The sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor is configured to convert infrared radiation to heat.

7. The sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein a spatial separation between the bulk and the heterojunction bipolar transistor is obtained by utilizing a Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) micro-machined process.

8. The sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein a spatial separation between the bulk and the heterojunction bipolar transistor is obtained by utilizing a Nano Electro Mechanical System (NEMS) nano-machined process.

9. The sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein the bulk is formed on an oxide layer.

10. The sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein the bulk is formed on an oxide layer and the readout circuit is a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) readout circuit.

11. The sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein the bulk comprises an oxide layer.

12. The sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein the bulk comprises a silicon germanium layer.

13. The sensing device according to claim 1 comprising one or more insulator layers.

14. The sensing device according to claim 1 wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistors is manufactured using a bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) technology.

15. The sensing device according to claim 1 comprising multiple pixels.

16. A method for sensing electromagnetic radiation, the method comprises:
receiving the electromagnetic radiation by at least a portion of a heterojunction bipolar transistor thereby changing a temperature of the at least portion of the heterojunction bipolar transistor;
generating, by the heterojunction bipolar transistor, detection signals responsive to the temperature of at least portion of the heterojunction bipolar transistor;
conveying the detection signals to a readout circuit; wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor is thermally isolated from a bulk;
receiving the detection signals by the readout circuit; and
processing the detection signals, by the readout circuit, to provide information about the electromagnetic radiation;
wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor comprises a base terminal, an emitter terminal and a collector terminal, and wherein at least two terminals out of the base terminal, the emitter terminal and the collector terminal are positioned at different heights.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor comprises a base and wherein the base comprises Silicon Germanium.

18. The method according to claim 16 comprising receiving the electromagnetic radiation by at least a portion of each one out of multiple heterojunction bipolar transistors thereby changing temperatures of the at least portion of each one of the heterojunction bipolar transistor; generating, by each one of the multiple heterojunction bipolar transistors detection signals responsive to the temperature of at least portion of the heterojunction bipolar transistor; conveying the detection signals to the readout circuit; wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor is thermally isolated from the support element; receiving and processing the detection signals by the readout circuit.

19. The method according to claim 16 comprising receiving the electromagnetic radiation by at least a portion of each one out of multiple heterojunction bipolar transistors thereby changing temperatures of the at least portion of each one of the heterojunction bipolar transistor; generating, by each one of the multiple heterojunction bipolar transistors detection signals responsive to the temperature of at least portion of the heterojunction bipolar transistor; conveying the detection signals to the readout circuit; wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor is thermally isolated from the support element; receiving and processing the detection signals by the readout circuit.

20. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor comprises a base and wherein the base comprises Silicon Germanium.

21. The method according to claim 16 wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor comprises a buried collector region and a buried oxide region; and wherein at least a majority of the base, the base terminal, the emitter terminal, the buried collector region and the buried oxide region are exposed to an environment of the heterojunction bipolar transistor.

22. The method according to claim 16 wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor is suspended.

23. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the heterojunction bipolar transistor is configured to convert infrared radiation to heat.

24. The method according to claim 16 , wherein a spatial separation between the bulk and the heterojunction bipolar transistor is obtained by utilizing a Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) micro-machined process.

25. The method according to claim 16 , wherein a spatial separation between the bulk and the heterojunction bipolar transistor is obtained by utilizing a Nano Electro Mechanical System (NEMS) nano-machined process.

26. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the bulk is formed on an oxide layer.

27. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the bulk is formed on an oxide layer and the readout circuit is a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) readout circuit.

28. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the bulk comprises an oxide layer.

29. The method according t

Assignees

• Technion Res & Development Found Ltd

Inventors

• Nemirovsky Yael

Classifications

• G01J5/24 Primary

  Use of specially adapted circuits, e.g. bridge circuits · CPC title

• G01J5/0215

  Compact construction · CPC title

• H01L31/1105

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/028

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/14681

  Electricity · mapped topic