Taking 3D and infrared sensing to the next level

trinamiX GmbH, based in Ludwigshafen, is a spin-off and wholly-owned subsidiary of BASF SE. Since it was founded in 2015 it has developed 3D sensor systems for object recognition and distance measurement - XperYenZ™. With Hertzstück™ it is now committed to provide standard and custom-engineered products in the field of infrared (IR) detection.

“WE cannot fulfill your product requirements.” This was the response of all suppliers when trinamiX wanted to order certain sensors in the form of a small chip and in high numbers. A disappointing message. To manufacture an optical sensor system for distance measurement, the team working with Dr. Sebastian Valouch and Dr. Wilfried Hermes were searching for something not yet existing in this form: a wafer-thin infrared sensor made of lead salt. The models previously available on the market were very sensitive to water and oxygen, which is why they are protected by a sort of tin can: five millimeters thick – a true waste of space in the miniaturised world of microchips.

At this point the story could have already ended. However, the will and pragmatism of the BASF subsidiary persisted. Working in a team, they pooled electronics knowledge and chemical expertise and, in April 2015, they started developing their own sensor with ultrathin encapsulation.

From the start, chemical and process development closely coordinated their activities, and only those ideas were implemented that would also work in series production. At the beginning, there was considerable discussion in the team – about 20 process steps had to be coordinated with one another. But, ultimately, the production could be moved almost directly from the lab to mass production.

Equipped with product samples and data sheets, the team talked to potential customers and presented the 0.5-millimeter-thick chip with thin-film encapsulation to experts – and sold the first Hertzstück™ already one month later.

“We developed the sensor in only 18 months and established our own production. And the properties of our sensors were so good that we wanted to offer them to external customers as well”, says Dr Valouch.

Hertzstück? The name says it all

The sensor is the heart of every measurement device. The less light needed to obtain good results, the higher the performance, the so-called “detectivity”. In their formula,

the unit “root-Hertz” plays a particular role. This is where the “tz” in the brand name and the root in the product logo stem from. The Hertzstück™ sensors come to life in the inhouse production in Ludwigshafen. From the chemical deposition to the encapsulation – trinamiX produces the sensor in the chemical lab and clean room in mass production according to the intended use and in different sizes.

Hertzstück™ infrared detectors are available as: • Bare chip detectors • Detectors in TO housing • PbS detectors for wavelength from 1 – 3 µm • PbSe detectors for wavelength from 1 – 5 µm

Hertzstück™ bare chip infrared detectors are protected by a thin-film encapsulation. They can be directly wire-bonded to printed circuit boards. Bare chip solutions enable small, flexible and very efficient devices.

Hertzstück™ detectors are also available with double encapsulation. The sensors are not only protected by a standard TO-package, but also by a novel thin-film encapsulation directly on the chip.

Hertzstück™ multi-pixel detectors consist of 2 to 16 pixels in line or matrix design. The detectors cover a wide spectral range, which is highly relevant for applications in inline or mobile process analytics and quality control.

The array modules comprise a 256 pixel array and a corresponding read-out electronics in a hermetic P28 package.

Thanks to their low power consumption, Hertzstück™ PbS array modules are the ideal solution for mobile applications such as handheld spectrometers.

The special potential offered by the inexpensive and high-performance sensors can be found in applications involving miniaturized electrical engineering: Without the oversized casing, the chip could be integrated in corresponding measurement devices in smartphones – and in the future enable consumers to scan food for contamination as well as for water and sugar content. Many more measurements and applications are conceivable. n