Photonic Devices Monolithically Integrated with Cmos

• US 20080001139A1
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quantum Semiconductor LLC
• Original Assignee: Quantum Semiconductor LLC
• Inventors: Augusto, Carols
• Granted Patent: US 8,963,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/13
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/142 Energy conversion devices photovoltaic modules or arrays of single photovoltaic cells comprising bypass diodes integrated or directly associated with the devices H01L31/0443; photovoltaic modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate H01L31/046
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1443 with at least one potential jump or surface barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14603 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address-lines or gate-electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/15 including semiconductor components having potential barriers, specially adapted for light emission
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02027 for devices working in avalanche mode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035236 Superlattices; Multiple quantum well structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1075 in which the active layers, e.g. absorption or multiplication layers, form an heterostructure, e.g. SAM structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0041 characterised by field-effect operation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0054 for devices with an active region comprising only group IV elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/34 containing only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/547 Monocrystalline silicon PV cells

Abstract

Photonic devices monolithically integrated with CMOS are disclosed, including sub-100nm CMOS, with active layers comprising acceleration regions, light emission and absorption layers, and optional energy filtering regions. Light emission or absorption is controlled by an applied voltage to deposited films on a pre-defined CMOS active area of a substrate, such as bulk Si, bulk Ge, Thick-Film SOI, Thin-Film SOI, Thin-Film GOI.

Claims

1. A photonic device monolithically integrated with CMOS, including sub-100 nm CMOS, with active layers comprising acceleration regions, light emission and absorption layers, and optional energy filtering regions, wherein light emission or absorption is controlled by an applied voltage to deposited films on a pre-defined CMOS active area of a substrate, such as bulk Si, bulk Ge, Thick-Film SOI, Thin-Film SOI, Thin-Film GOI.

2. A photonic device according to claim 1, made on silicon substrates, that can have mono-layer flatness

the photonic active layer film is made of a pseudomorphic indirect bandgap material, such as a random alloys of Si, Ge, SiGe, SiC, SiSn, GeC, GeSn, GeCSn, SiGeC, SiGeCSn, etc, and in which light is emitted by impact ionization of hot carriers inside the deposited film.

the photonic active layer film is made of a pseudomorphic pseudo-direct bandgap material, such as a superlattices of Si, Ge, SiGe, SiC, SiSn, GeC, GeSn, GeCSn, SiGeC, SiGeCSn, etc, and in which light is emitted by forward biasing of the film or by impact ionization of hot carriers inside the deposited film.

the photonic active layer film is made of a pseudomorphic direct bandgap material, such as Si₂Sn₂C and/or Ge₃SnC, and in which light is emitted by forward biasing of the film or by impact ionization of hot carriers inside the deposited film.

the photonic active layer film is made of a pseudomorphic direct bandgap material not belonging to the Group IV, such as CuIn_1-xGa_xS₂, or SiCAlN, and in which light is emitted by forward biasing of the film or by impact ionization of hot carriers inside the deposited film.

photonic active layers can also be operated as light sensors, including in the avalanche mode.

the lower the absolute bandgap of the material in which avalanche takes place, the lower the required applied voltage to initiate an avalanche.

new minority carrier injection mechanism for efficient radiative recombination in direct, pseudo-direct, and indirect bandgap active regions.

possibility of stacking epitaxial direct and pseudo-direct bandgap materials, with bandgaps from 0.312 eV to 3.2 eV, forming quantum wells and/or superlattices.

3. A photonic device according to claim 1, made on germanium substrates, that can have mono-layer flatness wherein:

the photonic active layer film is made of a pseudomorphic indirect bandgap material, such as a random alloys of Si, Ge, SiGe, SiC, SiSn, GeC, GeSn, GeCSn, SiGeC, SiGeCSn, etc, and in which light is emitted by impact ionization of hot carriers inside the deposited film.

the photonic active layer film is made of a pseudomorphic pseudo-direct bandgap material, such as a superlattices of Si, Ge, SiGe, SiC, SiSn, GeC, GeSn, GeCSn, SiGeC, SiGeCSn, etc, and in which light is emitted by forward biasing of the film or by impact ionization of hot carriers inside the deposited film.

the photonic active layer film is made of a pseudomorphic direct bandgap material, such as GeSn random alloys and/or superlattices, and in which light is emitted by forward biasing of the film or by impact ionization of hot carriers inside the deposited film.

the photonic active layer film is made of a pseudomorphic direct bandgap material not belonging to the Group IV, such as AlGaAs alloys and superlattices, and in which light is emitted by forward biasing of the film or by impact ionization of hot carriers inside the deposited film.

phothotonic active layers can also be operated as light sensors, including in the avalanche mode.

the lower the absolute bandgap of the material in which avalanche takes place, the lower the required applied voltage to initiate an avalanche.

new minority carrier injection mechanism for efficient radiative recombination in direct, pseudo-direct, and indirect bandgap active regions.

possibility of stacking epitaxial direct and pseudo-direct bandgap materials, with bandgaps from 0.312 eV to 3.2 eV, forming quantum wells and/or superlattices.

4. A photonic device according to claim 1 in which light is emitted from the epitaxial film, perpendicularly to its surface and the substrate.

5. A photonic device according to claim 1, wherein the applied bias is below the breakdown voltage can be operated as an avalanche photo-diode.

6. A photonic device according to claim 1, fabricated on Thin-Film SOI or Thin-Film GOI, embedded in an optical vertical cavity, wherein:

light emission and/or absorption from back-side only; and

light emission and/or absorption from front-side and back-side

7. Layout cell, suitable for replication to form large matrices, incorporating one MOSFET and the device of claim 1 wherein:

identical doping type of source/drain regions of said MOSFET and bottom electrode of the photonic active layer.

the contact to the bottom electrode of the photonic active layer is made by electrically connecting the active area under the photonic layer with the source/drain region of the adjacent MOSFET.

in bulk or thick-film SOI or GOI substrates, connecting the active area under the photonic layer with the source/drain region of the adjacent MOSFET, is accomplished with a “

well implant”

with the same doping type of the active area and of the source/drain regions of said MOSFET.

in bulk or thick-film SOI or GOI substrates the active area on which the photonic layer is deposited is surrounded by isolation (for example shallow trenches), and the “

well implant”

provides a conductive path under the oxide-filed trench in a region that is immediately adjacent to the source/drain region of said MOSFET; and

contact to top electrode of the photonic active layer can be common to all cells in a matrix.