Electronic device including thermal sensor and peltier cooler and related methods
View Patent ↗An electronic device may include a temperature sensing semiconductor substrate, that may include a thermal sensor at an upper surface thereof, and a cooling semiconductor substrate having an upper surface coupled to a lower surface of the temperature sensing semiconductor substrate. The cooling semiconductor substrate may include a Peltier cooler. At least one of the temperature sensing semiconductor substrate and the cooling semiconductor substrate may have a cavity therein beneath the thermopile and aligned therewith.
1. An electronic device comprising:
a temperature sensing semiconductor substrate comprising a thermal sensor at an upper surface thereof;
a cooling semiconductor substrate having an upper surface coupled to a lower surface of said temperature sensing semiconductor substrate and comprising a Peltier cooler;
said cooling semiconductor substrate having a cavity therein extending from the upper surface and beneath said thermal sensor and aligned therewith; and
a dielectric layer between the temperature sensing semiconductor substrate and the cooling semiconductor substrate.
2. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein said temperature sensing semiconductor substrate also has a cavity therein.
3. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein said Peltier cooler comprises a plurality of cold semiconductor junctions and a plurality of hot semiconductor junctions at the upper surface of said cooling semiconductor substrate.
4. The electronic device according to claim 3 , wherein said temperature sensing substrate is carried over said plurality of cold semiconductor junctions.
5. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein said Peltier cooler comprises a plurality of cold semiconductor junctions and a plurality of hot semiconductor junctions at a lower surface of said cooling semiconductor substrate.
6. The electronic device according to claim 5 , further comprising another semiconductor substrate adjacent the lower surface of said cooling semiconductor substrate.
7. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein said Peltier cooler comprises upper and lower sets of Peltier cooling elements on respective upper and lower surfaces of said cooling semiconductor substrate, and a plurality of vias extending through said cooling semiconductor substrate and coupling respective ones of said upper and lower sets of Peltier cooling elements.
8. The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat sink thermally coupled to said cooling semiconductor substrate.
9. An electronic device comprising:
a temperature sensing semiconductor substrate comprising a thermopile at an upper surface thereof;
an infrared (IR) filter aligned with said thermopile;
a cooling semiconductor substrate having an upper surface coupled to a lower surface of said temperature sensing semiconductor substrate and comprising a Peltier cooler;
a dielectric layer between said temperature sensing semiconductor substrate and said cooling semiconductor substrate; and
said cooling semiconductor substrate having a cavity therein extending from the upper surface and beneath said thermopile and aligned therewith.
10. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein said temperature sensing semiconductor substrate also has a cavity therein.
11. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein said Peltier cooler comprises a plurality of cold semiconductor junctions and a plurality of hot semiconductor junctions at the upper surface of said cooling semiconductor substrate.
12. The electronic device according to claim 11 , wherein said temperature sensing substrate is carried over said plurality of cold semiconductor junctions.
13. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein said Peltier cooler comprises a plurality of cold semiconductor junctions and a plurality of hot semiconductor junctions at a lower surface of said cooling semiconductor substrate.
14. The electronic device according to claim 13 , further comprising another semiconductor substrate adjacent the lower surface of said cooling semiconductor substrate.
15. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein said Peltier cooler comprises upper and lower sets of Peltier cooling elements on respective upper and lower surfaces of said cooling semiconductor substrate, and a plurality of vias extending through said cooling semiconductor substrate and coupling respective ones of said upper and lower sets of Peltier cooling elements.
16. The electronic device according to claim 9 , further comprising a heat sink thermally coupled to said cooling semiconductor substrate.
17. The electronic device according to claim 9 , further comprising a package surrounding said temperature sensing semiconductor substrate and said cooling semiconductor substrate, and having a window opening therein receiving said IR filter.
18. A method of making an electronic device comprising:
forming a temperature sensing semiconductor substrate comprising a thermal sensor at an upper surface thereof;
forming a cooling semiconductor substrate comprising a Peltier cooler;
coupling an upper surface of the cooling semiconductor substrate to a lower surface of the temperature sensing semiconductor substrate;
forming a cavity in the cooling semiconductor substrate that extends from the upper surface and beneath the thermal sensor and aligned therewith; and
forming a dielectric layer between the temperature sensing semiconductor substrate and the cooling semiconductor substrate.
19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein another cavity is formed in the temperature sensing semiconductor substrate.
20. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the Peltier cooler comprises a plurality of cold semiconductor junctions and a plurality of hot semiconductor junctions at the upper surface of the cooling semiconductor substrate.
21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the cooling semiconductor substrate is coupled to a lower surface of the temperature sensing semiconductor substrate so that the temperature sensing substrate is carried over the plurality of cold semiconductor junctions.
22. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the Peltier cooler comprises a plurality of cold semiconductor junctions and a plurality of hot semiconductor junctions at a lower surface of the cooling semiconductor substrate.
23. The method according to claim 22 , further comprising forming another semiconductor substrate adjacent the lower surface of the cooling semiconductor substrate.
24. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the Peltier cooler comprises upper and lower sets of Peltier cooling elements on respective upper and lower surfaces of the cooling semiconductor substrate, and a plurality of vias extending through the cooling semiconductor substrate and coupling respective ones of the upper and lower sets of Peltier cooling elements.
25. The method according to claim 18 , further comprising thermally coupling a heat sink to the cooling semiconductor substrate.