Non-dispersive infrared spectroscopy (NDIR) is widely used for the detection of gases. Here, the gas to be examined is fed into a closed chamber and irradiated with light in the infrared spectral range.
The production of the necessary infrared emitters based on standard MEMS technologies is time and cost intensive. In niche markets and special applications there is a high interest in low-cost components and short development time. Conventional manufacturing requires complex lithography steps to structure the layers deposited on the carrier substrate using various processes. Each change of the structures requires adapted new lithography masks, which increase time and costs. In CMOS-compatible deposition systems, the choice of materials is severely limited because impurities trigger costly cleaning procedures.
Inkjet processes allow direct writing of structures without lithography steps and are no longer limited to CMOS compatible materials, development times are shortened.
If this process is combined with electrodeposition, it is possible to grow thick films on the printed structures. The choice of materials becomes even more diverse. In addition, the printed structures can be optimized in terms of their electrical, optical and mechanical properties as well as bondability.
With these technologies, fast development times as well as flexible process designs can be realized and are conceivable for other sensor developments.
The research and development work in the “Inkjet Printing of Galvanically Amplified Infrared Emitters” (IJP-IR) project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
Funding code: 49MF222025
