Design Structure, Methods, and Apparatus Involving Photoconductor-on-Active Pixel Devices

• US 20120146115A1
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gambino, Jeffrey P., Leidy, Robert K., Rassel, Richard J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,753,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/291
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14632 Wafer-level processed structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14636 Interconnect structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14665 Imagers using a photoconductor layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14687 Wafer level processing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/105 the potential barrier being of the PIN type

Abstract

A design structure embodied in a machine readable medium used in a design process includes a first dielectric layer disposed on an intermediary layer, a first conductive pad portion and a first interconnect portion disposed on the first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer disposed on the first dielectric layer, a first capping layer disposed on the first interconnect portion and a portion of the first conductive pad portion, a second capping layer disposed on the first capping layer and a portion of the second dielectric layer, an n-type doped silicon layer disposed on the second capping layer and the first conductive pad portion, an intrinsic silicon layer disposed on the n-type doped silicon layer, and a p-type doped silicon layer disposed on the intrinsic silicon layer.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating a photoconductor-on-active pixel device, the method comprising:

depositing a conductive layer on a first dielectric layer;

depositing a first capping layer on the conductive layer;

removing portions of the conductive layer and the first capping layer to define a first conductive pad portion and a first interconnect portion, and expose portions of the first dielectric layer;

depositing a second dielectric layer on the exposed portions of the first dielectric layer;

depositing a second capping layer on the first capping layer and the second dielectric layer;

removing portions of the second capping layer to expose portions of the second dielectric layer and removing portions of the second capping layer and first capping layer to expose a portion of the first conductive pad portion; and

forming radiation absorbing layers on the exposed portions of the second dielectric layer, the exposed portion of the first conductive pad portion, and the second capping layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to depositing the conductive layer on the first dielectric layer the method includes:

forming a field effect transistor device on a substrate;

forming an interconnect layer over the field effect transistor device, the interconnect layer including a second conductive pad portion and a second interconnect portion disposed in a third dielectric layer; and

forming a first conductive via and a second conductive via in the third dielectric layer, the first conductive via contacting the first conductive pad portion and the second conductive pad portion and the second conductive via contacting the first interconnect portion and the second interconnect portion.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the radiation absorbing layers includes:

forming an n-type doped layer;

forming an intrinsic layer on the n-type doped layer; and

forming a p-type doped layer on the intrinsic layer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes forming a conductive transparent layer over the radiation absorbing layers.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the radiation absorbing layers are formed by an epitaxial silicon growth process.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer includes aluminum.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the conductive vias include tungsten.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the second conductive pad portion and the second interconnect portion include copper.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first capping layer and the second capping layer include a nitride material.

10. A photoconductor-on-active pixel device comprising:

a first dielectric layer disposed on an intermediary layer;

a first conductive pad portion and a first interconnect portion disposed on the first dielectric layer;

a second dielectric layer disposed on the first dielectric layer;

a first capping layer disposed on the first interconnect portion and a portion of the first conductive pad portion;

a second capping layer disposed on the first capping layer and a portion of the second dielectric layer;

an n-type doped silicon layer disposed on the second capping layer and the first conductive pad portion;

an intrinsic silicon layer disposed on the n-type doped silicon layer; and

a p-type doped silicon layer disposed on the intrinsic silicon layer.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the intermediary layer includes a second conductive pad portion and a second interconnect portion.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the device includes:

a first conductive via connecting the first conductive pad portion to the second conductive pad portion; and

a second conductive via connecting the first interconnect portion to the second interconnect portion.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the intermediary layer is disposed on an active layer, the active layer including a field effect transistor device disposed on a substrate, and a third dielectric layer disposed on the field effect transistor device and the substrate.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the first conductive pad portion and the first interconnect portion include aluminum.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the first conductive via and the second conductive via include tungsten.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the second conductive pad portion and a second interconnect portion include copper.

17. The device of claim 10, wherein the first capping layer and the second capping layer include a nitride material.

18. A photoconductor-on-active pixel device comprising:

a first dielectric layer disposed on an intermediary layer;

a first capping layer disposed on first dielectric layer;

a first conductive pad portion and a first interconnect portion disposed on the first capping layer;

a second dielectric layer disposed on the first dielectric layer;

an n-type doped silicon layer disposed on the second dielectric layer, the first conductive pad portion, and the first interconnect portion;

an intrinsic silicon layer disposed on the n-type doped silicon layer; and

a p-type doped silicon layer disposed on the intrinsic silicon layer.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the intermediary layer includes a second conductive pad portion and a second interconnect portion;

and the device includes;

a first conductive via connecting the first conductive pad portion to the second conductive pad portion; and

a second conductive via connecting the first interconnect portion to the second interconnect portion.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the intermediary layer is disposed on an active layer, the active layer including a field effect transistor device disposed on a substrate, and a third dielectric layer disposed on the field effect transistor device and the substrate.

21. A design structure embodied in a machine readable medium used in a design process, the design structure comprising:

a first dielectric layer disposed on an intermediary layer;

a first conductive pad portion and a first interconnect portion disposed on the first dielectric layer;

a second dielectric layer disposed on the first dielectric layer;

a first capping layer disposed on the first interconnect portion and a portion of the first conductive pad portion;

a second capping layer disposed on the first capping layer and a portion of the second dielectric layer;

an n-type doped silicon layer disposed on the second capping layer and the first conductive pad portion;

an intrinsic silicon layer disposed on the n-type doped silicon layer; and

a p-type doped silicon layer disposed on the intrinsic silicon layer.

22. The design structure of claim 21, wherein the intermediary layer includes a second conductive pad portion and a second interconnect portion.

23. The design structure of claim 22, wherein the device includes:

a first conductive via connecting the first conductive pad portion to the second conductive pad portion; and

a second conductive via connecting the first interconnect portion to the second interconnect portion.

24. The design structure of claim 21, wherein the design structure comprises a netlist.

25. The design structure of claim 21, wherein the design structure resides on storage medium as a data format used for the exchange of layout data of integrated circuits.