Photoacoustic gas sensor device and a method for analyzing gas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9513261-B2
Application number	US-201314052959-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2013
Priority date	Oct 14, 2013
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A photoacoustic gas sensor device for analyzing gas includes an emitter module and a pressure-sensitive module. The emitter module is arranged on a carrier substrate and emits light pulses. The pressure-sensitive module is arranged on the carrier substrate within a reference gas volume. The reference gas volume is separated from a volume intended to be filled with a gas to be analyzed. Further, the pressure-sensitive module generates a sensor signal indicating information on an acoustic wave caused by light pulses emitted by the emitter module interacting with a reference gas within the reference gas volume. Additionally, the emitter module is arranged so that light pulses emitted by the emitter module reach the reference gas volume after crossing the volume intended to be filled with the gas to be analyzed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photoacoustic gas sensor device for analyzing gas comprising:
an emitter module arranged on a carrier substrate and configured to emit light pulses; and
a pressure sensitive module arranged on the carrier substrate within a reference gas volume, wherein the reference gas volume is separated from a volume intended to be filled with a gas to be analyzed, wherein the pressure sensitive module is configured to generate a sensor signal indicating information on an acoustic wave caused by light pulses emitted by the emitter module interacting with a reference gas within the reference gas volume,
wherein the emitter module is arranged so that light pulses emitted by the emitter module reach the reference gas volume after crossing the volume intended to be filled with the gas to be analyzed,
wherein the pressure sensitive module comprises at least a membrane configured to be moved by the acoustic wave caused by light pulses emitted by the emitter module interacting with a reference gas within the reference gas volume,
wherein the membrane is arranged so that a reference gas within the reference gas volume surrounds the membrane during analyzing gas, wherein the emitter module and the pressure sensitive module are arranged so that at least a volume located at one side of the membrane cannot be reached by light pulses emitted by the emitter module or less than 1% of the light pulses emitted by the emitter module is able to reach die volume located at the one side of the membrane.

2. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 1 , comprising an analyzing module configured to determine information on the gas to be analyzed based on the sensor signal.

3. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 2 , wherein the analyzing module is arranged on the carrier substrate and implemented on a semiconductor die different from a semiconductor die comprising the pressure sensitive module.

4. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure sensitive module and the emitter module are implemented on different semiconductor dies.

5. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the emitter module is arranged so that light emitted by the emitter module reaches the reference gas volume after only crossing the volume intended to be filled with the gas to be analyzed.

6. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 1 , comprising a second reference gas volume separated from the first reference gas volume and the volume intended to be filled with a gas to be analyzed.

7. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 6 , wherein the emitter module is arranged so that light pulses emitted by the emitter module reach the second reference gas volume after crossing the volume intended to be filled with the gas to be analyzed and after crossing the first reference gas volume.

8. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 6 , comprising a second pressure sensitive module arranged on the carrier substrate within the second reference gas volume.

9. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 6 , comprising a second emitter module arranged on the carrier substrate and configured to emit light pulses, wherein the second emitter module is arranged so that light pulses emitted by the second emitter module reach the second reference gas volume after crossing the volume intended to be filled with the gas to be analyzed.

10. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the emitter module is configured to emit infrared light pulses.

11. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier substrate comprises a basically flat geometry or comprises at least a part with a cross section comprising a U-shaped geometry or an L-shaped geometry.

12. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 11 , wherein the emitter module and the pressure sensitive module are arranged on the same side or at opposite sides of the carrier substrate comprising a basically flat geometry.

13. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 11 , wherein the emitter module is arranged at a first leg of the L-shaped or U-shaped geometry of the carrier substrate and the pressure sensitive module is arranged at a second leg of the L-shaped or U-shaped geometry of the carrier substrate.

14. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 11 , wherein the emitter module is arranged within the volume intended to be filled with the gas to be analyzed.

15. The photoacoustic gas sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the emitter module is configured to emit first light pulses within a first frequency range and with a first temporal occurrence characteristic and second light pulses within a second frequency range and with a second temporal occurrence characteristic, wherein the pressure sensitive module is configured to generate the sensor signal indicating information on first acoustic waves caused by the first light pulses emitted by the emitter module interacting with a reference gas and second acoustic waves caused by the second light pulses emitted by the emitter module interacting with a reference gas.

16. A photoacoustic gas sensor device for analyzing gas comprising:
an emitter module arranged on a carrier substrate and configured to emit light pulses; and
a pressure sensitive module arranged on the carrier substrate within a reference gas volume, wherein the reference gas volume is separated from a volume intended to be filled with a gas to be analyzed, wherein the pressure sensitive module is configured to generate a sensor signal indicating information on an acoustic wave caused by light pulses emitted by the emitter module interacting with a reference gas within the reference gas volume,
wherein the emitter module is arranged so that light pulses emitted by the emitter module reach the reference gas volume after crossing the volume intended to be filled with the gas to be analyzed,
wherein the pressure sensitive module and the emitter module are implemented on different semiconductor dies.

17. A photoacoustic gas sensor device for analyzing gas comprising:
an emitter module arranged on a carrier substrate and configured to emit light pulses; and
a pressure sensitive module arranged on the carrier substrate within a reference gas volume, wherein the reference gas volume is separated from a volume intended to be filled with a gas to be analyzed, wherein the pressure sensitive module is configured to generate a sensor signal indicating information on an acoustic wave caused by light pulses emitted by the emitter module interacting with a reference gas within the reference gas volume,
wherein the emitter module is arranged so that light pulses emitted by the emitter module reach the reference gas volume after crossing the volume intended to be filled with the gas to be analyzed,
wherein the emitter module and the pressure sensitive module are arranged on the same side or at opposite sides of the carrier substrate comprising a basically flat geometry.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Dehe Alfons
• Kolb Stefan
• Theuss Horst

Classifications

• G01N29/30

  Arrangements for calibrating or comparing, e.g. with standard objects · CPC title

• G01N29/2425 Primary

  optoacoustic fluid cells therefor · CPC title

• G01N2291/021

  Gases · CPC title

• G01N21/1702

  with opto-acoustic detection, e.g. for gases or analysing solids · CPC title

• G01N29/2418 Primary

  using optoacoustic interaction with the material, e.g. laser radiation, photoacoustics (photoacoustic cells G01N21/1702; measuring characteristics of vibrations by using radiation-sensitive means G01H9/00; acousto-optical conversion techniques for short-range imaging G01S15/8965; sound-producing devices using laser bundle G10K15/046) · CPC title