Manufacturer of infrared thermopile sensors, arrays and modules for temperature measurement, gas detection and vacuum measurement.
Heimann Sensor GmbH
Dresden (Headquarters) · Eltville am Rhein (Customer Support) · Senai, Malaysia (Production/Packaging)New on Amplifa
About Heimann Sensor
Heimann Sensor GmbH was founded in 2002 in Dresden and is a manufacturer of infrared thermopile sensors, thermopile modules with integrated signal processing, thermopile arrays for non-contact temperature measurement and thermal imaging, as well as pyroelectric sensors, infrared light sources and MEMS Pirani vacuum sensors. Chip fabrication is carried out using MEMS/DRIE processes on 8-inch silicon wafers in close cooperation with the 200-mm CMOS-compatible pilot production line of Fraunhofer IPMS; back-end manufacturing, packaging and calibration take place in Dresden as well as at the company's own production site Heimann Sensor Packaging Sdn. Bhd. in Senai, Malaysia. In addition to NDIR gas detection (CO2, CH4, HC, CO, NO), the company offers custom sensor development, optics simulation and 100 % final inspection of every device. With around 220 employees, more than 15 million sensors manufactured annually, sales offices on four continents and HTPA arrays up to 160x120 pixels (45 µm pixel size), Heimann Sensor supplies industries such as automation, medical technology, HVAC, automotive, gastronomy and robotics.
- Site
- Dresden
- Processes
- Manufacture of infrared thermopile sensors (non-contact temperature measurement), Manufacture of thermopile arrays (HTPA series, up to 160x120 pixels, 45µm pixel size, TO-8 package), Thermopile sensors and modules with integrated ASIC for signal processing, NDIR gas detection (CO2, CH4, HC, CO, NO) with thermopile sensors and IR light sources, MEMS Pirani vacuum sensors (measuring range 1000 mbar to 1E-3 mbar HVS 04; 10 mbar to 1E-5 mbar HVS, Sensor back-end manufacturing and packaging (wire bonding/housing assembly in TO packages,, Wafer level packaging (WLP) with vacuum for thermopile arrays, MEMS chip fabrication by DRIE (8" silicon DRIE thermopile wafers)
- Materials
- Silicon, Thermoelectric materials, Silicon (8" DRIE thermopile wafers), Metal packages (TO-39/TO-46/TO-8), Wafer level packaging with vacuum, NDIR gas detection, MEMS/DRIE microfabrication
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, RoHS & REACH
- Founded
- 2002
- Employees
- 220
- Industries
- Industrial automation, Medical technology, Smart home / building services (HVAC), Automotive, Gastronomy / kitchen equipment, Robotics and autonomous mobility
- 01
Custom sensor development and consulting
- 02
MEMS chip design (thermopile, array)
- 03
Chip fabrication on 8" silicon DRIE wafers (200 mm CMOS-compatible, Fraunhofer
- 04
Wafer level packaging with vacuum
- 05
Back-end manufacturing: wire bonding, housing assembly in TO packages
- 06
Calibration (including in TO-Can)
- 07
100 % final inspection of every device
- 08
Sales and customer support
Materials & Processes
Silicon (8" DRIE thermopile wafers)
Base material of MEMS chip fabrication; 200 mm CMOS-compatible processes in cooperation with Fraunhofer IPMS.
Thermoelectric materials
Convert infrared radiation thermoelectrically into electrical voltage; modern thermoelectric materials enable thermal resolutions below 20 mK.
Metal packages (TO-39/TO-46/TO-8)
Robust miniature packages for thermopile sensors, arrays and Pirani vacuum sensors.
Wafer level packaging with vacuum
Vacuum-based packaging at wafer level for thermopile arrays; improves sensitivity, size and speed.
NDIR gas detection
Measurement of CO2, CH4, HC, CO and NO via gas-specific IR absorption according to Lambert-Beer.
MEMS/DRIE microfabrication
Production of thermopile structures and Pirani vacuum sensors by deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) on 8-inch wafers.
Locations
Dresden
DEHeadquarters, development and production
- Materials
- Silicon, thermoelectric materials
- 8" DRIE thermopile wafer fabrication
- Back-end manufacturing and packaging
- Production lines
Eltville am Rhein
DECustomer Support / branch office
- Production lines
Senai
MYProduction: Heimann Sensor Packaging Sdn. Bhd. (packaging)
- Materials
- Silicon
- Sensor packaging production line
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of infrared thermopile sensors (non-contact temperature measurement)Engineering | – | – | – | over 15 million sensors per year | Silicon, thermoelectric materials |
| Manufacture of thermopile arrays (HTPA series, up to 160x120 pixels, 45µm pixel size, TO-8 package)Engineering | 45µm pixel size | – | – | – | Silicon |
| Thermopile sensors and modules with integrated ASIC for signal processingAssembly | – | – | – | – | Silicon |
| NDIR gas detection (CO2, CH4, HC, CO, NO) with thermopile sensors and IR light sourcesTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| MEMS Pirani vacuum sensors (measuring range 1000 mbar to 1E-3 mbar HVS 04; 10 mbar to 1E-5 mbar HVSEngineering | – | – | – | – | Silicon |
| Sensor back-end manufacturing and packaging (wire bonding/housing assembly in TO packages,Assembly | – | – | – | – | Silicon |
| Wafer level packaging (WLP) with vacuum for thermopile arraysAssembly | – | – | – | – | Silicon |
| MEMS chip fabrication by DRIE (8" silicon DRIE thermopile wafers)Engineering | – | 8" wafer | – | – | Silicon |
| 100 % final inspection of every componentTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pyroelectric sensors, infrared light sources and vacuum sensors (product portfolio)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Laser beam profilers with beam analysis software (array sensors with planar filters for variousTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 mm CMOS-compatible pilot production line (Fraunhofer IPMS, cooperation partner) | Fraunhofer IPMS | – | 200 mm wafer | – | Dresden |
| Sensor packaging production line | Heimann Sensor Packaging Sdn. Bhd. | – | – | – | Senai, Malaysia |
| Production lines (Germany) | Heimann Sensor GmbH | – | – | – | Dresden / Eltville |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
Every device undergoes a 100 % final inspection; the company is certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015. All products comply with the EU directives RoHS and REACH.
| Evidence | Dresden | Eltville am Rhein | Senai |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |||
| RoHS & REACH |
Company History
- 2002
Founding of Heimann Sensor GmbH in Dresden with five employees; development of the world's smallest thermopile chip.
- 2003
Fastest thermopile chip.
- 2004
Smallest IR sensor module.
- 2005
First thermopile with integrated lens in TO-18.
- 2007
First TO sensors with integrated ASIC.
- 2008
First fully monolithic 8x8 array.
- 2009
First fully monolithic 16x16 array.
- 2011
First fully monolithic 64x62 array.
- 2013
First 8" silicon DRIE thermopile wafer.
- 2014
Smallest 8x8 array in a mini TO package.
- 2016
First 80x64 digital array, calibrated in a TO-Can.
- 2017
First fully calibratable 16x16 array on a single chip.
- 2019
First 84x60 digital array with >100° FOV cost-effective single lens.
- 2020
First high-resolution thermopile array with vacuum wafer level packaging.
- 2021
First 60x40 digital array, calibrated in a TO-5-Can.
- 2022
First 120x84 digital array, calibrated in a TO-Can.
- 2023
First 160x120 digital array (45 µm pixels) in a TO-8 package.
- 2024
First 60x40 array module with AI-based people detection.
- 2025
First 80x60 array module in a TO-5-Can.
- 2026
First cost-effective laser beam profiler; first high-temperature CO2 sensor.