An image sensor includes on a support a plurality of first pixels and a plurality of second pixels intended to detect an infrared radiation emitted by an element of a scene. Each of the pixels includes a bolometric membrane suspended above a reflector covering the support, wherein the reflector of each of the first pixels is covered with a first dielectric layer, and the reflector of each of the second pixels is covered with a second dielectric layer differing from the first dielectric layer by its optical properties.

An image sensor includes on a support a plurality of first pixels and a plurality of second pixels intended to detect an infrared radiation emitted by an element of a scene. Each of the pixels includes a bolometric membrane suspended above a reflector covering the support, wherein the reflector of each of the first pixels is covered with a first dielectric layer, and the reflector of each of the second pixels is covered with a second dielectric layer differing from the first dielectric layer by its optical properties.

An infrared sensor includes: a base substrate; a bolometer infrared receiver; a first beam; and a second beam. Each of the first and second beams has a connection portion connected to the base substrate and/or a member on the base substrate and a separated portion away from the base substrate, and is physically joined to the infrared receiver at the separated portion. The infrared receiver is supported by the first and second beams to be away from the base substrate. The infrared receiver includes a resistance change portion including a resistance change material the electrical resistance of which changes with temperature. The resistance change portion includes an amorphous semiconductor, and the first and second beams include a crystalline semiconductor made of the same base material as the resistance change material, and is electrically connected to the resistance change portion at the separated portion.

An irradiating device for irradiating a machining field with a machining beam, in particular with a laser beam, for carrying out a welding process, is provided. The irradiating device includes a beam scanner for aligning the machining beam to a machining position in the machining field. The irradiating device has an imaging device for imaging a part-region of the machining field on a pyrometer which has at least two pyrometer segments. The imaging device images thermal radiation which emanates from the machining position in the machining field on a first pyrometer segment, and images thermal radiation which emanates from a position in the machining field being situated ahead of or behind the machining position along an advancing direction of the machining beam in the machining field on at least one second pyrometer segment. A machine tool having such an irradiating device is also provided.

Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs) or methods to produce FPAs may be provided for a microbolometer based thermal imaging sensor utilizing wafer level processing (WLP) techniques for manufacture. Batch processing techniques for sealing a cap wafer to an FPA wafer to produce vacuum sealed FPAs may be accomplished with suitable FPA design features in conjunction with a glass frit seal methodology utilizing appropriate frit glass compositions.

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a photodetector that includes a semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor annulus on a planar face the semiconductor substrate, and a metal layer on the semiconductor substrate, wherein the metal layer comprises a first region surrounding the semiconductor annulus and comprises a second region filling an interior region to the semiconductor annulus, and the metal layer in the first region forms a Schottky junction with the semiconductor ring.

A device of integration of an electric current received on an integration node, includes an operational amplifier, an integration capacitor, and a circuit for modifying an output voltage of the operational amplifier formed by a charge transfer circuit configured to be connected on the integration node and to transfer charges into the integration capacitor. The device also includes a comparison circuit configured to trigger the modification circuit at least once during the integration duration, and a storage circuit configured to store the number of triggerings which have occurred during the integration duration. The received electric current is calculated according to the output voltage as well as to the number of triggerings multiplied by the modification of the output voltage induced by the modification circuit.

Device and method of forming a device are disclosed. The device includes a substrate with a transistor component disposed in a transistor region and a micro-electrical mechanical system (MEMS) component disposed on a membrane over a lower sensor cavity in a hybrid region. The MEMS component serves as thermoelectric-based infrared sensor, a thermopile line structure which includes an absorber layer disposed over a portion of oppositely doped first and second line segments. A back-end-of-line (BEOL) dielectric is disposed on the substrate having a plurality of inter layer dielectric (ILD) layers with metal and via levels. The ILD layers include metal lines and via contacts for interconnecting the components of the device. The metal lines in the metal levels are configured to define a BEOL or an upper sensor cavity over the lower sensor cavity, and metal lines of a first metal level of the BEOL dielectric are configured to define a geometry of the MEMS component.

A method of preparation of focal plane arrays of infrared bolometers includes processing carbon nanotubes to increase a temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), followed by patterning to form focal plane arrays for infrared imaging.

A method for manufacturing a thermal sensor, the method may include forming, using ion etching, one or more first holes that pass through (a) an initial layer, (a) a first oxide layer, (c) a first semiconductor substrate; filling the one or more first holes with oxide to form supporting elements; fabricating one or more thermal semiconductor sensing elements; forming one or more second holes in the one or more upper layers and the first oxide layer; applying an isotropic etching process to remove the first semiconductor substrate and expose the supporting elements to provide a suspended first oxide layer.