Optical sensor and manufacturing method thereof

• US 10,566,476 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2017
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Personal Genomics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Personal Genomics, Inc.
• Inventors: Yu, Teng-Chien, Lin, Sheng-Fu, Yang, Ming-Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Bo
• Application Number:
  US15/713,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20180013017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 257432, 438 49, 438 69
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6454 using an integrated detector array
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/648 using evanescent coupling or surface plasmon coupling for the excitation of fluorescence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/7703 using reagent-clad optical fibres or optical waveguides using measurement of total internal reflection or attenuated total reflection G01N21/552; optical fibres or waveguides per se G02B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1226 involving surface plasmon interaction
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1228 Tapered waveguides, e.g. integrated spot-size transformers for coupling with fibres G02B6/305
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/30 for use between fibre and thin-film device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02327 the optical elements being integrated or being directly associated to the device, e.g. back reflectors optical coatings H01L31/0216

Abstract

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an optical sensor. The optical sensor includes a semiconductive substrate; a light sensing region on the semiconductive substrate; a waveguide region configured to guide light from a wave insert portion through a waveguide portion and to a sample holding portion; and an interconnect region below the waveguide region, and the interconnect region being disposed above the light sensing region. The waveguide portion includes a first dielectric layer comprising a first refractive index and at least one second dielectric layer comprising a second refractive index, wherein the second refractive index is smaller than the first refractive index.

Claims

1. An optical sensor, comprising:

a semiconductive substrate;

a light sensing region on the semiconductive substrate;

a waveguide region comprising;

a first dielectric layer comprising a first refractive index;

a second dielectric layer comprising a second refractive index; and

a third dielectric layer comprising a third refractive index,

wherein the first dielectric layer is disposed between the second dielectric layer and the third dielectric layer, and the third dielectric layer is disposed on the first dielectric layer,

wherein the waveguide region is divided into a wave inset portion for receiving a light and a waveguide region adjacent to the wave insert portion and comprising at least one sample holding portion in the third dielectric layer, and light incident from the wave insert portion is guided to the sample holding portion through the first dielectric layer,

wherein the second refractive index and the third refractive index are smaller than the first refractive index; and

wherein an interconnect region, comprising at least one circuitry configured to process and/or output data information generated by the light sensing region, is below the waveguide region, and the interconnect region is disposed above the light sensing region.

2. The optical sensor of claim 1, further comprising at least one conductive layer disposed in the second dielectric layer.

3. The optical sensor of claim 2, wherein the conductive layer is disposed at a bottom of the waveguide region.

4. The optical sensor of claim 3, wherein the conductive layer comprises an aperture allowing light to pass through.

5. The optical sensor of claim 1, further comprising a reflective structure positioned in the waveguide portion.

6. The optical sensor of claim 1, further comprising a first interconnect portion positioned in the waveguide portion, wherein the first interconnect portion comprises a via structure in the first dielectric layer.

7. The optical sensor of claim 1, further comprising a second interconnect portion above the waveguide region.

8. The optical sensor of claim 7, wherein the second interconnect portion is electrically connected to the light sensing region.

9. The optical sensor of claim 1, wherein the sample holding portion comprises a bottom approximately at an interface between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer.

10. The optical sensor of claim 1, wherein the third dielectric layer is disposed on the first dielectric layer, which is in turn disposed on the second dielectric layer, and wherein a grating structure for receiving light is disposed on the first dielectric layer and in the wave insert portion.

11. The optical sensor of claim 10, wherein the grating structure is over a first location in the semiconductive substrate, and wherein the light sensing region is over a second location in the semiconductive substrate, wherein the first location is separated from the second location.

12. The optical sensor of claim 1, wherein the third dielectric layer is fully disposed on the first dielectric layer, which is in turn disposed on the second dielectric layer.

13. The optical sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

a transistor disposed over the semiconductive substrate, wherein the first dielectric layer, the second dielectric layer, and the third dielectric layer are disposed above the semiconductive substrate and extend from a location over the transistor to a location over the light sensing region.