SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES, A FLUID SENSOR AND A METHOD FOR FORMING A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

• US 20180212085A1
• Filed: 03/20/2018
• Published: 07/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: CLARA, Stefan, Grille, Thomas, Hedenig, Ursula, Irsigler, Peter, Jakoby, Bernhard, Lavchiev, Ventsislav M., Ostermann, Thomas, Popp, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 10,461,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0033 relating to semiconductor body packages
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035209 comprising a quantum structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035218 the quantum structure being quantum dots
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035254 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table, e.g. Si-SiGe superlattices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/173 formed in, or on, a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1812 including only AIVBIV alloys, e.g. SiGe
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1864 Annealing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier

Abstract

A semiconductor device comprises a plurality of quantum structures comprising predominantly germanium. The plurality of quantum structures are formed on a first semiconductor layer structure. The quantum structures of the plurality of quantum structures have a lateral dimension of less than 15 nm and an area density of at least 8×10¹¹ quantum structures per cm². The plurality of quantum structures are configured to emit light with a light emission maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μm and 10 μm or to absorb light with a light absorption maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μm and 10 μm.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device (100, 110, 120, 130, 140) comprising:

a plurality of quantum structures (101) comprising predominantly germanium, wherein the plurality of quantum structures are formed on a first semiconductor layer structure (102), wherein the quantum structures of the plurality of quantum structures (101) have a lateral dimension of less than 15 nm and an area density of at least 8×

10¹¹ quantum structures per cm², wherein the plurality of quantum structures (101) are configured to emit light with a light emission maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μ

m and 10 μ

m or to absorb light with a light absorption maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μ

m and 10 μ

m.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of quantum structures (101) comprise germanium and antimony.

5. The semiconductor device according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the plurality of quantum structures (101) comprise between 1% to 10% antimony.

6. The semiconductor device according to any of the previous claims, wherein the first semiconductor layer structure (102) comprises a first silicon sub-layer (104) having a doping of a first conductivity type.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the first semiconductor layer structure (102) further comprises a first silicon buffer sub-layer (105) formed on the first silicon sub-layer (104).

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein the first semiconductor layer structure (102) further comprises a first intrinsic silicon sub-layer (112), a highly-doped silicon sub-layer (113) and a seed sub-layer (114) comprising silicon-germanium or silicon doped with antimony or boron formed between the first silicon sub-layer (104) and the plurality of quantum structures (101).

9. The semiconductor device according to any of claims 6 to 8, further comprising a second semiconductor layer structure (107) covering the plurality of quantum structures (101), wherein the second semiconductor layer structure (107) comprises a first silicon sub-layer (108).

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the second semiconductor layer structure (107) further comprises an intrinsic silicon spacer layer (106) covering the plurality of quantum structures (101).

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein a tensile strain between the plurality of quantum structures (101), the first semiconductor layer structure (102) and the intrinsic silicon spacer layer (106) lies between 1% and 4%.

12. The semiconductor device according to any of the previous claims, wherein the plurality of quantum structures (101) are pyramid shaped or dome shaped.

16. A detection system (500, 530, 540, 550, 560), comprising:

an emitter device (510) comprising a semiconductor device according to any of claims 1 to 15;

a detector device (520) comprising a semiconductor device according to any of claims 1 to 15,

wherein the emitter device (510) and the detector device (520) are arranged so that light emitted (591) by the emitter device (510) interacts with a substance (592) to be detected by the detector device (520) before reaching the detector device.

3. A semiconductor device (100, 110, 120, 130, 140), comprising:

a plurality of quantum structures (101) formed on a first semiconductor layer structure (102), wherein the quantum structures of the plurality of quantum structures (101) have a lateral dimension of less than 15 nm, wherein the plurality of quantum structures (101) comprise germanium and antimony, and wherein the plurality of quantum structures (101) are configured to emit light with a light emission maximum at a wavelength of between 5 μ

m and 7 μ

m or to absorb light with a light absorption maximum at a wavelength of between 5 μ

m and 7 μ

m.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of quantum structures (101) have an area density of at least 1×

10¹⁰ quantum structures per cm².

13. A semiconductor device (300, 310), comprising:

a quantum well layer stack (331) comprising a plurality of first quantum well layers (332) and a plurality of second quantum well layers (333), wherein the first quantum well layers of the plurality of first quantum well layers (332) and the second quantum well layers of the plurality of second quantum well layers (333) are arranged alternatingly on a first semiconductor layer structure (302),

wherein the first quantum well layers of the plurality of first quantum well layers (332) comprise silicon-germanium and the second quantum well layers of the plurality of second quantum well layers (333) comprise silicon,

wherein the first quantum well layers of the plurality of first quantum well layers (332) and the second quantum well layers of the plurality of second quantum well layers (333) have a thickness of below 100 nm, and

wherein the quantum well layer stack (331) is configured to emit light with a light emission maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μ

m and 10 μ

m or to absorb light with a light absorption maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μ

m and 10 μ

m.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the first quantum well layer (332) comprises silicon_x-germanium_1-x, wherein x lies between 0.25 and 0.35.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 or 14, comprising:

a first electrical contact structure (109) in electrical contact with a first semiconductor layer structure (302); and

a second electrical contact structure (111) in electrical contact with a second semiconductor layer structure (107), wherein the plurality of first quantum well layers (332) and the plurality of second quantum well layers (333) are arranged between the first semiconductor layer structure (302) and the second semiconductor layer structure (107),

wherein the quantum well layer stack (331) is configured to emit light with a light emission maximum at a wavelength of between 5 μ

m and 7 μ

m or to absorb light with a light absorption maximum at a wavelength of between 5 μ

m and 7 μ

m based on a voltage applied to the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, wherein the applied voltage lies between 1 V and 10 V.

17. A method (200) for forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

forming (210) a plurality of quantum structures comprising predominantly germanium on a first semiconductor layer structure, wherein the quantum structures of the plurality of quantum structures have a lateral dimension of less than 15 nm and an area density of at least 1×

10¹⁰ quantum structures per cm², wherein the plurality of quantum structures are configured to emit light with a light emission maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μ

m and 10 μ

m or to absorb light with a light absorption maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μ

m and 10 μ

m, wherein the plurality of quantum structures are grown at least by using low pressure chemical vapor deposition.

18. The method according to claim 17, comprising providing a gaseous germanium precursor at a surface of the first semiconductor layer structure at a temperature of between 550°

to 700°

to form the plurality of quantum structures.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, further comprising forming a layer of antimony on a plurality of germanium structures after providing the gaseous germanium precursor, and heating the plurality of germanium structures so that the antimony interdiffuses with the germanium to form the plurality of quantum structures.

20. A fluid sensor (700), comprising

a detector (720) comprising a processing module 790 configured to generate a detection signal (793) based on light (791) emitted by an emitter (710) and propagated through a fluid,

wherein the detector (720) or the emitter (710) comprises a plurality of quantum structures (101) comprising predominantly germanium, wherein the plurality of quantum structures are formed on a first semiconductor layer structure (102), wherein the quantum structures of the plurality of quantum structures (101) have a lateral dimension of less than 15 nm and an area density of at least 1×

10¹⁰ quantum structures per cm², wherein the plurality of quantum structures (101) are configured to emit light with a light emission maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μ

m and 10 μ

m or to absorb light with a light absorption maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μ

m and 10 μ

m.