Broadband infrared sensors are used to measure a temperature from a certain distance by detecting the infrared radiation of the human body. The higher the temperature of the body, the stronger is emitted infrared radiation. The measuring element, which consists of a silicon chip, absorbs the infrared radiation in the form of thermal energy and produces an electrical output signal. This makes contactless body temperature measurement possible. With fever as one of the most common symptoms of COVID-19 disease, it is important to be able to quickly measure people's body temperature without contact - whether in hospitals, airports or other places where an initial health picture is needed. For this reason, even before the peak of the first Corona pandemic wave in the spring of 2020, it was foreseeable that the demand for non-contact fever measuring devices would far exceed the existing capacities of manufacturers, and new manufacturers of infrared-based temperature sensors were sought. This necessitated an order from a customer in the Asian region, for whom Hahn-Schickard developed market-ready thermopile sensor chips for non-contact temperature measurement as a mass application in fever measuring devices within five months and produced one million units in its own clean room.

Infrared temperature sensor on structured wafer