Henrik Jakobsen

MEMS-Based Uncooled Infrared Bolometer Arrays : A Review

Uncooled infrared bolometer arrays have become the technology of choice for low-cost infrared imaging systems used in applications such as thermography, firefighting, driver night vision, security and surveillance. Uncooled infrared bolometer arrays are reaching performance levels which previously only were possible with cooled infrared photon detectors. With a continuously increasing market volume (> 100 000 units per year to date), the cost for uncooled infrared imaging chips are decreasing accordingly. In this paper we give an overview of the historical development of uncooled infrared bolometer technology and present the most important bolometer performance parameters. The different technology concepts, bolometer design approaches and bolometer materials (including vanadium oxide, amorphous silicon, silicon diodes, silicon-germanium and metals) are discussed in detail. This is followed by an analysis of the current state-of-the-art infrared bolometer technologies, the status of the infrared industry and the latest technology trends.

Strong, high-yield and low-temperature thermocompression silicon wafer-level bonding with gold

A systematic variation of process parameters for wafer-level thermocompression bonding with gold is presented for the first time. The process was optimized for high bond strength and high bond yield. In addition, the impact of the process temperature was investigated. A bond strength of 10.7 ± 4.5 MPa and a bond yield of 89% was achieved when bonding a wafer pair at 298 °C applying 4 MPa pressure for 45 min. A total of ten wafer pairs were bonded in a custom-built bonding tool and tested to establish the optimal process parameters. The bonded interface was found to be strong and dense enough for MEMS applications. The bonds were characterized using pull tests, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The TEM inspections indicated that it is possible to form hermetic seals by using the presented bonding method.

A smart fully integrated micromachined separator with soft magnetic micro-pillar arrays for cell isolation

A smart fully integrated micromachined separator with soft magnetic micro-pillar arrays has been developed and demonstrated, which can merely employ one independent lab-on-chip to realize cell isolation. The simulation, design, microfabrication and test for the new electromagnetic micro separator were executed. The simulation results of the electromagnetic field in the separator show that special soft magnetic micro-pillar arrays can amplify and redistribute the electromagnetic field generated by the micro-coils. The separator can be equipped with a strong magnetic field to isolate the target cells with a considerably low input current. The micro separator was fabricated by micro-processing technology. An electroplating bath was hired to deposit NiCo/NiFe to fabricate the micro-pillar arrays. An experimental system was set up to verify the function of the micro separator by isolating the lymphocytes, in which the human whole blood mixed with Dynabeads® FlowComp Flexi and monoclonal antibody MHCD2704 was used as the sample. The results show that the electromagnetic micro separator with an extremely low input current can recognize and capture the target lymphocytes with a high efficiency, the separation ratio reaching more than 90% at a lower flow rate. For the electromagnetic micro separator, there is no external magnetizing field required, and there is no extra cooling system because there is less Joule heat generated due to the lower current. The magnetic separator is totally reusable, and it can be used to separate cells or proteins with common antigens.

Silicon-to-thin film anodic bonding

A process for silicon-to-thin film anodic bonding with polysilicon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride or aluminium as the thin film materials has been developed. Silicon wafers covered with these thin films have been sealed together by anodic bonding using thin sputter-deposited glass layers as sealing material. The bond strengths of the samples have been tested by pull tests. Some samples were exposed to water for 300 h to test the media compatibility. IR microscopy has been shown to be a good method to uncover bonding voids. Bond strength tests of three-inch silicon-to-silicon anodic bonded wafers are shown to be in excellent agreement with the bonding yield expected from IR-microscope inspection.

Design and optimization of non-clogging counter-flow microconcentrator for enriching epidermoid cervical carcinoma cells

Clogging failure is common for microfilters in living cells concentration; for instance, the CaSki Cell-lines (Epidermoid cervical carcinoma cells) utilizing the flat membrane structure. In order to avoid the clogging, counter-flow concentration units with turbine blade-like micropillar are proposed in microconcentrator design. Due to the unusual geometrical-profiles and extraordinary microfluidic performance, the cells blocking does not occur even at permeate entrances. A counter-flow microconcentrator was designed, with both processing layer and collecting layer arranged in terms of the fractal based honeycomb structure. The device was optimized by coupling Artificial Neuron Network (ANN) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The excellent concentration ratio of a final microconcentrator was presented in numerical results.

Low-cost far infrared bolometer camera for automotive use

A new low-cost long-wavelength infrared bolometer camera system is under development. It is designed for use with an automatic vision algorithm system as a sensor to detect vulnerable road users in traffic. Looking 15 m in front of the vehicle it can in case of an unavoidable impact activate a brake assist system or other deployable protection system. To achieve our cost target below €100 for the sensor system we evaluate the required performance and can reduce the sensitivity to 150 mK and pixel resolution to 80 x 30. We address all the main cost drivers as sensor size and production yield along with vacuum packaging, optical components and large volume manufacturing technologies. The detector array is based on a new type of high performance thermistor material. Very thin Si/SiGe single crystal multi-layers are grown epitaxially. Due to the resulting valence barriers a high temperature coefficient of resistance is achieved (3.3%/K). Simultaneously, the high quality crystalline material provides very low 1/f-noise characteristics and uniform material properties. The thermistor material is transferred from the original substrate wafer to the read-out circuit using adhesive wafer bonding and subsequent thinning. Bolometer arrays can then be fabricated using industry standard MEMS process and materials. The inherently good detector performance allows us to reduce the vacuum requirement and we can implement wafer level vacuum packaging technology used in established automotive sensor fabrication. The optical design is reduced to a single lens camera. We develop a low cost molding process using a novel chalcogenide glass (GASIR®3) and integrate anti-reflective and anti-erosion properties using diamond like carbon coating.

Toward an Injectable Continuous Osmotic Glucose Sensor

Background: The growing pandemic of diabetes mellitus places a stringent social and economic burden on the society. A tight glycemic control circumvents the detrimental effects, but the prerogative is the development of new more effective tools capable of longterm tracking of blood glucose (BG) in vivo. Such discontinuous sensor technologies will benefit from an unprecedented marked potential as well as reducing the current life expectancy gap of eight years as part of a therapeutic regime. Method: A sensor technology based on osmotic pressure incorporates a reversible competitive affinity assay performing glucose-specific recognition. An absolute change in particles generates a pressure that is proportional to the glucose concentration. An integrated pressure transducer and components developed from the silicon micro- and nanofabrication industry translate this pressure into BG data. Results: An in vitro model based on a 3.6 × 8.7 mm large pill-shaped implant is equipped with a nanoporous membrane holding 4–6 nm large pores. The affinity assay offers a dynamic range of 36–720 mg/dl with a resolution of ±16 mg/dl. An integrated 1 × 1 mm2 large control chip samples the sensor signals for data processing and transmission back to the reader at a total power consumption of 76 μW. Conclusions: Current studies have demonstrated the design, layout, and performance of a prototype osmotic sensor in vitro using an affinity assay solution for up to four weeks. The small physical size conforms to an injectable device, forming the basis of a conceptual monitor that offers a tight glycemic control of BG.

A new concept for a self-testable pressure sensor based on the bimetal effect

Abstract This paper presents a ‘double-membrane pressure sensor’, with integrated self-test. One membrane is used as the pressure sensitive element, combining the capacitive and the piezoresistive sensing principles. The other one is a bimetallic actuator, involving a silicon/aluminium pair, which is used to check the operation of the pressure sensor. The two functions, pressure sensing and actuation, are separated in order to improve the device efficiency and to reduce the negative thermal effects. A diffused meander situated under the thick metal layer serves as a heating resistor. Applying current to this resistor determines the movement of the composite membrane, and consequently, a pressure change in the reference cavity. The output of the pressure sensor changes according to the new differential pressure applied on its membrane. The comparison between the magnitude of this change and the expected value provides information about the correctness of the sensor behaviour. The design of the new structure, the main issues of the fabrication process and experimental results on the self-test function are presented.

A model for the etch-stop location on reverse-biased pn junctions

Abstract This paper reports a model to predict where the silicon anisotropic electrochemical etching terminates on reverse-biased pn junctions. The model explains why the etching process terminates well before the metallurgical junction. The effects of the substrate doping, the type of junction (step or graded), the etching temperature and voltage bias, as well as the technique used (three and four electrodes) are analysed and compared with the experimental data. Some limitations and deviations from this theory are also pointed out.

Sodium contamination of SiO2 caused by anodic bonding

In this paper we present an investigation of sodium contamination of SiO2 (oxide) during anodic bonding. Sodium contamination can be deleterious to the electrical properties of silicon structures. Silicon wafers with metal–oxide semiconductor (MOS) capacitors were bonded to Corning 7740 (Pyrex) glass wafers. The concentration of mobile ions was measured on capacitors outside and within glass cavities using the triangular voltage sweep method. Using secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis, it was confirmed that the ions were sodium. We found an increase in sodium concentration Nm between 1010 and 1013 cm−2, depending on the oxide location and the geometry of the glass cavity. The gate aluminium of the MOS capacitor was found to partly shield the oxide from contamination, causing a two to five times smaller increase in Nm. Reducing the bonding voltage from 800 to 500 V did not affect the increase in Nm significantly. In contrast, changing the ambient in the bonding chamber from vacuum to 1020 mbar air, reduced the contamination of capacitors situated outside the glass. A plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposited Si3N4 film was found to be very beneficial in protecting the capacitors. The Si3N4 prevented sodium contamination of the capacitors situated within the glass cavities, and radically reduced the contamination of the capacitors situated outside the glass. The results suggest that the contaminating sodium originated from the bulk glass.