Advanced Thermopile IR Dual Line Sensor for Smart Home

This article presents all steps between the advanced design and the production of CMOS compatible thermoelectric effect infrared sensors dedicated to smart home applications. It will start by making a comparison between thermopile, bolometer and pyroelectric technologies. Although sensitivity performances available with bolometers appear to be better at first sight, it is found that thermopiles have non-negligible advantages that make them more suitable for this application field. Then the different steps necessary for the design will be described, starting from the thermoelectric model of the sensor (temperature gradient, electrical sensitivity, etc.) and considering all steps up to technological manufacturing in a clean room. The results obtained on the structures produced on a specific computer-controlled measurement bench (temperature regulation with an onboard preamplification card) will be presented. Finally, the results prove that the square structures have better performances (S = 82 V/W and NETD = 208 mK).

Micromachined Infrared Thermopile Detector Based on a Suspended Film Structure

The micro-electromechanical system(MEMS)infrared thermopile is the core working device of modern information detection systems such as spectrometers,gas sensors,and remote temperature sensors.We presented two different structures of MEMS infrared thermopiles based on suspended film structures.They both deposited silicon nitride over the entire surface as a passivated absorber layer in place of a separate absorber zone,and the thermocouple strip was oriented in the same direction as the temperature gradient.The same MEMS preparation process was used and finally two different structures of the thermopile were characterized separately for testing to verify the impact of our design on the detector.The test results show that the circular and double-ended symmetrical thermopile detectors have responsivities of 27.932 V/W and 23.205 V/W,specific detectivities of 12.1×10^(7) cm·Hz^(1/2)·W^(-1) and 10.1×10^(7) cm·Hz^(1/2)·W^(-1),and response time of 26.2 ms and 27.06 ms,respectively.In addition,rectangular double-ended symmetric thermopile has a larger field of view than a circular thermopile detector,but is not as mechanically stable as a circular thermopile.

Sensitivity of MEMS microwave power sensor with the length of thermopile based on Fourier equivalent model

A Fourier equivalent model is introduced to research the thermal transfer behavior of a terminating-type MEMS microwave power sensor.The fabrication of this MEMS microwave power sensor is compatible with the GaAs MMIC process.Based on the Fourier equivalent model,the relationship between the sensitivity of a MEMS microwave power sensor and the length of thermopile is studied in particular.The power sensor is measured with an input power from 1 to 100 mW at 10 GHz,and the measurement results show that the power sensor has good input match characteristics and high linearity.The sensitivity calculated from a Fourier equivalent model is about 0.12,0.20 and 0.29 mV/mW with the length at 40,70 and 100μm,respectively,while the sensitivity of the measurement results is about 0.10,0.22 and 0.30 mV/mW,respectively,and the differences are below 0.02 mV/mW. The sensitivity expression based on the Fourier equivalent model is verified by the measurement results.

A 55-dB SNDR,2.2-m W double chopper-stabilized analog front-end for a thermopile sensor

A double chopper-stabilized analog front-end （DCS-AFE） circuit for a thermopile sensor is presented, which includes a closed-loop front-end amplifier and a 2nd-order 1 bit quantization sigma-delta modulator. The amplifier with a closed-loop structure ensures the gain stability against the temperature. Moreover, by adopting the chopper-stabilized technique both for the amplifier and 2nd-order 1-bit quantization sigma-delta modulator, the low-frequency 1/f noise and offset is reduced and high resolution is achieved. The AFE is implemented in the SMIC 0.18 μm 1P6M CMOS process. The measurement results show that in a 3.3 V power supply, 1 Hz input frequency and 3KHz clock frequency, the peak signal-to-noise and distortion ratio （SNDR） is 55.4 dB, the effective number of bits （ENOB） is 8.92 bit, and in the range of -20 to 85 degrees, the detection resolution is 0.2 degree.

Year-round cooling and thermal stabilization of water-saturated soils under engineering structures

We consider the problem of year-round cooling of water-saturated soil to freezing temperatures in order to convert it into a state of permafrost.A new soil-cooling apparatus is proposed.The apparatus is to be made in modular form and connected to passive-active thermal piles(thermosyphons).The estimated capacity of one apparatus allows simultaneous use of up to 1,000 thermal piles for ground freezing.The apparatus is based on natural sources of energy:solar radiation and wind;and it can be used for soil freezing.This approach can prevent thawing of soft soils under railways and roads,as well as under buildings or structures,in an area of more than tens of hectares.The apparatus has no mechanical moving parts and can operate for a long time in stand-alone mode without staff involvement.

Use of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria for the improvement of copper extraction from a low-grade ore

Bioleaching was examined for copper extraction from a low grade ore using mesophilic and moderate thermophilic bacteria. Five equal size columns were used for the leaching of the ore. Sulfuric acid solution with a flow rate of 3.12 L·m-2·h-1 and pH 1.5 passed through each column continuously for 90 d. In the first and the second column, bioleaching was performed without agglomeration of the ore and on the agglomerated ore, respectively. 28wt% of the copper was extracted in the first column after 40 d, while this figure was 38wt% in the second column. After 90 d, however, the overall extractions were almost the same for both of them. Bioleaching with mesophilic bacteria was performed in the third column without agglomeration of the ore and in the fourth column on the agglomerated ore. After 40 d, copper extractions in the third and the fourth columns were 62wt% and 70wt%, respectively. Copper extractions were 75wt% for both the columns after 90 d. For the last column, bioleaching was performed with moderate thermophilic bacteria and agglomerated ore. Copper extractions were 80wt% and 85wt% after 40 and 90 d, respectively. It was concluded that crushing and agglomeration of the ore using bacteria could enhance the copper extraction considerably.

MEMS-based thermoelectric infrared sensors： A review

In the past decade, micro-electromechanical systems （MEMS）-based thermoelectric infrared （IR） sensors have received considerable attention because of the advances in micromachining technology. This paper presents a review of MEMS-based thermoelectric IR sensors. The first part describes the physics of the device and discusses the figures of merit. The second part discusses the sensing materials, thermal isolation micro- structures, absorber designs, and packaging methods for these sensors and provides examples. Moreover, the status of sensor implementation technology is examined from a historical perspective by presenting findings from the early years to the most recent findings.