Semiconductor apparatus with thin semiconductor film

• US 20040089939A1
• Filed: 11/06/2003
• Published: 05/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Oki Data Corporation (OKI Electric Industry Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ogihara, Mitsuhiko, Fujiwara, Hiroyuki, Abiko, Ichimatsu, Sakuta, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,180,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/690
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/45 using light-emitting diode [LED] or laser arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/043 with means for controlling illumination or exposure G03G15/041 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/153 in a repetitive configuration, e.g. LED bars
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/62 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body, e.g. lead-frames, wire-bonds or solder balls

Abstract

A semiconductor apparatus includes a substrate having at least one terminal, a thin semiconductor film including at least one semiconductor device, the thin semiconductor film being disposed and bonded on the substrate; and an individual interconnecting line formed as a thin conductive film extending from the semiconductor device in the thin semiconductor film to the terminal in the substrate, electrically connecting the semiconductor device to the terminal. Compared with conventional semiconductor apparatus, the invented apparatus is smaller and has a reduced material cost.

Claims

1. A semiconductor apparatus comprising:

a substrate having at least one terminal;

a thin semiconductor film including at least one semiconductor device, the thin semiconductor film being disposed and bonded on the substrate; and

an individual interconnecting line formed as a thin conductive film extending from the semiconductor device in the thin semiconductor film to the terminal in the substrate, electrically connecting the semiconductor device to the terminal.

2. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a layer of conductive material disposed between the thin semiconductor film and the substrate, the layer of conductive material being formed on the substrate, the thin semiconductor film being bonded to the layer of conductive material, whereby the thin semiconductor film is bonded to the substrate.

3. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 2, wherein the layer of conductive material is either a metal layer or a polysilicon layer.

4. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a thin dielectric film disposed between the layer of conductive material and the substrate, the thin dielectric film contacting both the layer of conductive material and the substrate, whereby the layer of conductive material is bonded to the substrate.

5. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 2, comprising a plurality of the thin semiconductor films bonded to the layer of conductive material.

6. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 2, wherein the substrate has a first common terminal, the thin semiconductor film has a semiconductor layer electrically connected to the first common terminal.

7. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 2, wherein the layer of conductive material is longer and wider than the thin semiconductor film.

8. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a semiconductor substrate having an integrated circuit formed therein, the terminal being electrically connected to the integrated circuit.

9. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 8, wherein the thin semiconductor film is disposed on an area of the substrate external to the integrated circuit.

10. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 8, wherein the thin semiconductor film overlaps the integrated circuit.

11. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the thin semiconductor film includes a plurality of semiconductor devices disposed in a first array, said semiconductor device being one of the plurality of semiconductor devices;

the integrated circuit includes a plurality of driving circuits disposed in a second array for driving the plurality of semiconductor devices;

the first array and the second array have substantially equal array pitches;

the driver circuits and the semiconductor devices are disposed in facing pairs; and

the semiconductor apparatus includes a plurality of individual interconnecting lines electrically interconnecting the facing pairs of semiconductor devices and driver circuits, said individual interconnecting line being one of the plurality of individual interconnecting lines.

12. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 11, wherein a direction of a row of the plurality of semiconductor devices disposed in the first array is substantially parallel to a direction of a row of the plurality of driving circuits disposed in the second array.

13. The semiconductor apparatus claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises at least one of amorphous silicon, monocrystalline silicon, polysilicon, a compound semiconductor material, an organic semiconductor material, and an insulating material.

14. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thin semiconductor film is an epitaxially grown compound semiconductor film.

15. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 14, wherein the thin semiconductor film comprises at least one of Al_xGa₁₋

xAs (0≦

x≦

1), (Al_xGa<sub>1−

x</sub>)_yIn<sub>1−

y</sub>P (0≦

x≦

1 and 0 ≦

y≦

1), GaN, AlGaN, and InGaN.

16. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is one of a light-emitting device, a photodetector, a Hall element, and a piezoelectric device, and the integrated circuit includes a driver circuit for driving the semiconductor device.

17. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, wherein thin semiconductor film includes a plurality of the semiconductor devices disposed at regular intervals.

18. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of thin semiconductor films are disposed in an array on the substrate, each of the thin semiconductor films including one semiconductor device, said thin semiconductor film being one of the plurality of thin semiconductor films.

19. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the semiconductor device is one of a plurality of semiconductor devices disposed in a row,

the substrate is a part of a semiconductor chip,

the thin semiconductor film has an end located adjacent an edge of the semiconductor chip, and

said end of the thin semiconductor film is located at a position, a distance between said position and said edge of the semiconductor chip being less than half of an array pitch of the semiconductor devices.

20. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is one of a plurality of light-emitting devices disposed in a row, the light-emitting devices having light-emitting parts with a width equal to or less than substantially half of an array pitch of the linear array.

21. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of thin semiconductor films are disposed in an array on the substrate, each of the thin semiconductor films including a plurality of semiconductor devices, said thin semiconductor film being one of the plurality of thin semiconductor films, the semiconductor devices being disposed in a single row, mutually adjacent semiconductor devices disposed on different thin semiconductor films being separated by an interval equal to an interval between mutually adjacent semiconductor devices disposed on a single one of the thin semiconductor films.

22. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the individual interconnecting line is formed by photolithography.

23. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the individual interconnecting line comprises at least one of an Au layer, a Ti/Pt/Au multi-layer, an Au/Zn multi-layer, an AuGeNi/Au multi-layer, a Pd layer, a Pd/Au multi-layer, an Al layer, an Al/Ni multi-layer, a polysilicon layer, an ITO layer, and a ZnO layer.

24. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thin semiconductor film is less than ten micrometers thick.

25. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the individual interconnecting line is less than two hundred micrometers long.

32. An optical printing head including the semiconductor apparatus of claim 1.

33. The optical printing head of claim 32, wherein the semiconductor devices in the thin semiconductor film in the semiconductor apparatus are light-emitting elements, further including:

a base for supporting the semiconductor apparatus;

a rod lens array for focusing the light emitted by the light-emitting elements in the semiconductor apparatus;

a holder for holding the rod lens array; and

at least one clamp for holding the base and the holder together.

34. An image-forming apparatus comprising at least one optical printing head including the semiconductor apparatus of claim 1.

35. The image-forming apparatus of claim 34, further comprising:

a photosensitive drum selectively illuminated by the optical printing head to form a latent electrostatic image;

a developing unit for supplying toner to develop the latent electrostatic image on the photosensitive drum; and

a transfer roller for transferring the developed image from the photosensitive drum to printing media.

26. A semiconductor apparatus including a circuit board and a semiconductor chip mounted thereon, the semiconductor chip comprising:

a substrate having at least one terminal;

a thin semiconductor film including at least one semiconductor device, the thin semiconductor film being disposed and bonded on the substrate; and

an individual interconnecting line formed as a thin conductive film extending from the semiconductor device in the thin semiconductor film to the terminal in the substrate, electrically connecting the semiconductor device to the terminal.

27. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 26, wherein the semiconductor chip further comprises a layer of conductive material disposed between the thin semiconductor film and the substrate, the layer of conductive material being formed on the substrate, the thin semiconductor film being bonded to the layer of conductive material, whereby the thin semiconductor film is bonded to the substrate.

28. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 26, wherein the circuit board has a first electrode pad and the substrate of the semiconductor chip has a second electrode pad, further comprising a bonding wire electrically coupling the first electrode pad to the second electrode pad.

29. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 26, wherein the substrate of the semiconductor chip is a semiconductor substrate having an integrated circuit formed therein, the terminal being electrically connected to the integrated circuit.

30. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 26, comprising a plurality of semiconductor chips identical to said semiconductor chip, said semiconductor chip being one of the plurality of said semiconductor chips, said semiconductor chips being disposed on the circuit board so that their semiconductor devices are aligned at identical intervals in a single row.

31. The semiconductor apparatus of claim 26, comprising a plurality of semiconductor chips identical to said semiconductor chip, said semiconductor chip being one of the plurality of said semiconductor chips, said semiconductor chips being disposed on the circuit board in a staggered linear array, all of the semiconductor devices in the semiconductor chips being aligned at identical intervals in a direction parallel to the staggered linear array.