Abstract: An infrared solid-state image pickup apparatus includes an SOI substrate having a silicon oxide film layer and an SOI layer on a silicon substrate, a detecting portion which is provided with a PN junction diode formed on the SOI substrate and converts a temperature change generated by an incident infrared ray to an electric signal, and a support that holds the detecting portion with a space from the silicon substrate of the SOI substrate. An impurity in a semiconductor layer constituting the PN junction diode is distributed such that carriers flowing in the semiconductor layer are distributed in such an uneven manner as being much in a central portion of the semiconductor layer than in a peripheral portion thereof.

Abstract: A thermal infrared detector includes a substrate; a temperature sensor having electrical characteristics changed in accordance with changes in temperature caused by infrared absorption; heat-insulating supporting legs supporting and thermally insulating the temperature sensor and serving as signal lines for reading out electrical signals from the temperature sensor; and an infrared absorption layer in thermal contact the temperature sensor. Each of the temperature sensor, the heat-insulating supporting legs, and the infrared absorption layer is in a different plane and the planes are spatially separated from each other.

Abstract: A thermal infrared detector includes a substrate; a temperature sensor having electrical characteristics changed in accordance with changes in temperature caused by infrared absorption; heat-insulating supporting legs supporting and thermally insulating the temperature sensor and serving as signal lines for reading out electrical signals from the temperature sensor; and an infrared absorption layer in thermal contact the temperature sensor. Each of the temperature sensor, the heat-insulating supporting legs, and the infrared absorption layer is in a different plane and the planes are spatially separated from each other.

Abstract: An infrared sensor includes a first infrared sensing element separated by a dielectric layer from on a silicon substrate and thermally isolated from the substrate by a void in the dielectric layer. The sensor has a second temperature sensing element which detects the temperature of the whole sensor. The output difference between the first and second sensor elements is used as gate/source voltage of a MOSFET. The current variation of the MOSFET is read out as a discharge from a capacitor connected to the MOSFET. The noise in the sensor is suppressed, and performance is improved. An infrared sensor array includes the sensors arranged in an array.

Abstract: A sensor element provided with a silicon substrate having a semiconductor circuit, a sensing-element portion formed on the silicon substrate and connected to the semiconductor circuit, and a cavity portion formed by removing a silicon substrate portion below the sensing-element portion, in which a removal resistance region having resistance against substrate removal is provided in the silicon substrate between the semiconductor circuit and the cavity portion.

Abstract: Circuitry for a bolometer-type image pickup device improves the signal-to-noise ratio and reduces variations of an output offset level due to temperature variations of the device. A clamp voltage is applied to an amplifier 18 via a clamping diode 36 connected thereto. This reduces a difference between an input voltage during an off-state of one of horizontal FET switches 9, 10, and an input voltage during the off-state of both horizontal FET switches 9, 10, thereby improving a signal-to-noise ratio by narrowing a frequency band of an external circuit.

Abstract: An infrared sensor includes a substrate, an insulator layer formed on the substrate, and a heat-sensitive semiconductor layer having a temperature dependent electrical resistance with a relatively large temperature coefficient of resistance. In order to improve sensitivity of the heat-sensitive semiconductor layer for detecting infrared rays, high concentration impurity semiconductor regions are positioned on either side of the semiconductor layer to form a semiconductor section. The high concentration impurity semiconductor sections have a higher absorption coefficient of infrared rays than the semiconductor layer. Thus, the semiconductor section itself both detects and absorbs infrared rays with or without providing any heat-absorbing layer. Further, electrodes are connected to each high-concentration impurity layer, which form an ohmic contact therewith.

Abstract: A solid-state image sensor comprises photoelectric converting devices (22) formed on a p type semiconductor substrate (1), transfer gates (26) for reading signal charges therefrom, scanning lines (21) for selecting the transfer gates (26), and transfer electrodes (11) of the first layer and transfer electrodes (12) of the second layer alternately disposed for transferring in the vertical direction the read signal charges. All the electrodes of the transfer gates (26) are formed integrally with the transfer electrodes (12) of the second layer, with the result that all the electrodes of the transfer gates (26) are common to the transfer electrodes of the same layer (the second layer). Although the potential wall (340) is formed in the transfer channel (3) beneath the transfer electrode (12) connected to the transfer gate (26), the same is insulated from adjacent the transfer electrode (11) on the charge transfer direction side.