Patent ID: 8465202

Claim:
A microstructured sensor for detecting IR radiation, comprising: one measuring channel having a measuring diaphragm, wherein a first sensitive detector surface is implemented on the measuring diaphragm for the absorption of a first IR radiation; one reference channel having a reference diaphragm, wherein a second sensitive detector surface is implemented on the reference diaphragm for the absorption of a second IR radiation; a measuring structure implemented between the measuring diaphragm and the reference diaphragm for measuring a temperature differential between the measuring diaphragm and the reference diaphragm; a sensor substrate, wherein the measuring structure is implemented on the upper side of the sensor substrate, and wherein the measuring diaphragm is implemented above a first cavity of the sensor substrate, and wherein the reference diaphragm is implemented above a second cavity of the sensor substrate; a cap substrate having at least one cavity, wherein the measuring diaphragm and the reference diaphragm are positioned one of below or in the at least one cavity of the cap substrate; and contact terminals for the measuring structure, wherein the contact terminals are implemented on the sensor substrate outside the measuring diaphragm and the reference diaphragm; wherein the measuring structure is implemented as a thermopile measuring structure having a series circuit made of multiple thermocouple pairs, each thermocouple pair having a first thermopile leg and a second thermopile leg, and wherein the first and second thermopile legs include materials having different Seebeck coefficients, and wherein the first and second thermopile legs are contacted with one another in alternating first contacts and second contacts, the first contacts being implemented one of in or on the measuring diaphragm, and the second contacts being implemented one of in or on the reference diaphragm; wherein the first and second thermopile legs of the thermopile measuring structure each extend from the first sensitive detector surface on the measuring diaphragm to the second sensitive detector surface on the reference diaphragm.