Method for generation of electrically conducting or semiconducting structures in three dimensions and methods for erasure of the same structures

• US 6,403,396 B1
• Filed: 09/28/1999
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thin Film Electronics ASA
• Original Assignee: Thin Film Electronics ASA
• Inventors: Nordal, Per-Erik, Leistad, Geirr I., Gudesen, Hans Gude
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherry, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SARKAR, ASOK K
• Application Number:
  US09/381,995
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 365/113, 365/175, 438/99, 257/40
• US Class Current: 438/99
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/768 Applying interconnections to be used for carrying current between separate components within a device comprising conductors and dielectrics
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76888 By rendering at least a portion of the conductor non conductive, e.g. oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76894 using a laser, e.g. laser cutting, laser direct writing, laser repair
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/8221 Three dimensional integrated circuits stacked in different levels
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/50 Forming devices by joining two substrates together, e.g. lamination techniques

Abstract

Electrically conducting and/or semiconducting structures are generated in three dimensions in a composite matrix including two or more materials provided in spatially separate and homogenous material structures. Materials undergo specific physical and/or chemical changes causing transition from electrically non-conducing to electrically conducting and semiconducting state. The material structures are radiated with a given intensity or frequency characteristic adapted to the specific response of the material. Spatially modulating the radiation according to a protocol representing a pattern of electrically conducing and semiconducting structures in the relevant material structures generates the two dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in the material structure. The composite matrix is provided with electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in three dimensions. Spectral ranges of the radiation include gamma, x-ray, ultraviolet, visible light, inferred, and microwave. Particle radiation used for irradiation includes elementary particles including protons, neutrons, electrons, ions, molecules, and material aggregates.

Claims

1. A method for generating electrically conducting, semiconducting, and non-conducting structures in three dimensions in a composite matrix comprising:

irradiating each material structure with a radiation of a given intensity or frequency characteristic adapted to the specific response of the material to energy supplied by the radiation, wherein the matrix comprises two or more of said materials provided in spatially separate and homogenous material structures and wherein the materials in response to the supply of energy can undergo specific physical and/or chemical changes of state which cause transition from an electrically non-conducting state to an electrically conducting and/or semiconducting state or vice versa, or a change in the electrically conduction mode of the material; and

modulating the radiation spatially in each case according to a determined protocol which represents a predetermined pattern of electrically conducting and/or semiconducting structures in the relevant material structure, whereby in response to the energy supplied with the radiation two-dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures are generated in the material structure with the pattern predetermined by the protocol, such that the composite matrix formed by laminating separate adjacent material structures with two-dimensional electrical conducting and semiconducting structures is provided with electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in three dimensions.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized by selecting electromagnetic radiation used for irradiation among one or more of the spectral ranges gamma, x-ray, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared and microwave.

3. A method according to claim 1, characterized by selecting particle radiation used for the irradiation among one or more the following types of particles, viz. elementary particles including protons, neutron and electrons;

ions, molecules, and material aggregates.

4. A method according to claim 1, characterized by modulating the radiation spatially in a plane substantially parallel with a material structure, by means of a mask which is patterned according to the determined protocol, the mask modulating intensity and/or phase of the radiation incident thereto for generating electrical and semiconducting structures in the material structure.

5. A method according to claim 1, characterized by modulating the radiation spatially in a plane substantially parallel with the material structure by concentrating the radiation into a beam with dimensions compatible with the dimensions of the electrically conducting and semiconducting structures and scanning the material structure with the beam which is intensity-modulated according to the determined protocol for generating two-dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in the material structure.

6. A method according to claim 1, characterized by generating the material structures in the form of thin layers by combining two or more layers into a laminated multilayer structure which constitutes the composite matrix with electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in three dimensions.

7. A method according to claim 6, characterized by generating the multilayer structure in a successive deposition of two or more layers into a stacked configuration on a carrier substrate or by laminating two or more self-supporting layers into a stacked configuration.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the multilayer structure is formed by a successive deposition to two or more layers, characterized by generating the two-dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in a layer immediately after the deposition of the layer on the substrate or an adjacent layer and before depositing a further layer on the first-mentioned layer.

9. A method according to claim 8, characterized by generating one or more two-dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in the layer, such that they according to the protocol register with one or more two-dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures generated in an adjacent, already deposited layer whereby one or more vertical electrically conducting and semiconducting channels are generated in the cross-direction through the layers.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein the multilayer structure is formed by lamination of two or more self-supporting layers, characterized by generating the two-dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in a layer before the layer is laminated to an adjacent layer.

11. A method according to claim 10, characterized by positioning the layer in the lamination to an adjacent layer such that two or more two-dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in the first-mentioned layer according to the protocol register with one or more two-dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in adjacent layers, whereby one or more vertical electrically conducting and semiconducting channels are generated in the cross-direction to the layers.

12. A method according to claim 7, characterized by generating the two-dimensional electrically conducing and semiconducting structures in a layer after the deposition of all layers into a stacked configuration on a substrate or after the lamination of all layers into the stacked configuration has taken place, one or more, but not all layers in the stacked configuration being irradiate selectively in order to generate electrically conducing and semiconducting structures in the relevant selected layer or layers without causing a response in the non-selected layers.

13. A method according to claim 12, characterized by selecting one or more layers for generating electrically conducting and semiconducting structures by irradiating the selected layer or layers with radiation of specific radiation characteristics or a given power, the selected layer or layers being formed of a material which responds to one or more of the radiation characteristics and/or the power, or combinations thereof.

14. A method according to claim 13, characterized by the specific radiation characteristics being intensity and/or frequency.

15. A method according to claim 14, characterized by selecting one or more layers for generating electrically conducting and semiconducting structures by irradiation with electromagnetic radiation of two or more frequencies or within two or more wavelength bands, such that the irradiation on a given frequency or in a given wavelength band causes a response in one or more, but not all layers.

16. A method according to claim 14, characterized by beforehand adding one or more additives which have a spectral absorption on a given frequency or in a given wavelength band, to the material in one or more layers in order to cause the response to the radiation on a given frequency or in a given wavelength band, at least two layers in a stacked configuration thereby obtaining mutually different absorption spectra.

17. A method according to claim 16, characterized by generating the electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in a layer by the radiation absorption in the additive or additives in the layer forming reaction centers which cause a change in the electrically conductivity or conduction mode of the layer material.

18. A method according to claim 16, characterized by generating the electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in the layer by the radiation absorption in the additive or additives causing a heating with subsequent changes in the electrically conductivity or conduction mode of the heated layer material.

19. A method according to claim 12, characterized by generating the electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in two or more layers in positions where one or more electrically conducting and semiconducting structures according to the protocol respectively form one or more vertical electrically conducting and semiconducting channels in the cross-direction through the layers in the stacked configuration.

20. A method according to claim 19, characterized by providing according to the protocol the electrically conducting and semiconducting structure which forms a vertical channel through the layer in electrically conducting and semiconducting connection with one or more two-dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in this layer.

21. A method according to claim 20, characterized by generating each channel with a conductivity or conduction mode which is constant between the layers.

22. A method according to claim 20, characterized by generating each channel with a conductivity or conduction mode which varies between the layers.

30. A method for erasing globally electrically conducting, semiconducting, and non-conducting structures generated in three dimensions in a composite matrix comprising:

irradiating the matrix globally with radiation of a given intensity and/or frequency characteristic adapted to the specific response of a material to the energy supplied by the radiation until the material in the matrix in response to energy supplied by the irradiation in its entirety is transformed to the electrically non-conducting state, wherein the matrix comprises two or more materials provided in spatially separate and homogenous material structures, wherein the materials in response to the supply of energy can undergo physical and/or chemical changes of states which cause transitions from an electrically non-conducting state to an electrically conducting and semiconducting state or vice versa or a change in the electrically condition mode of the material, wherein electrically conducting and semiconducting structure in three dimensions can be generated anew in the matrix after erasing by using the method as stated in any of the claims 1-5 and 12-22 and according to another determined protocol for two-dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in each material structure.

31. A method according to claim 30, characterized by selecting electromagnetic radiation used for the irradiation among one or more of the spectral ranges gamma, x-ray, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared and microwave.

32. A method according to claim 30, characterized by selecting the particle radiation used for the irradiation among one or more of the following particle types, viz. elementary particles including protons, neutrons and electrons:

ions, molecules, and material aggregates.

23. A method for erasing electrically conducting, semiconducting, and non-conducting structures generated in three dimensions in a composite matrix comprising:

irradiating each material structure with radiation of a given intensity and/or frequency characteristic adapted to the specific response of the material to energy supplied by the radiation, wherein the matrix comprises two or more materials provided in spatially separated and homogenous material structures, wherein the materials in response to the supply of energy can undergo specific physical and/or chemical changes of state which cause transitions from an electrically non-conducting state to an electrically conducting and semiconducting state or vice versa or a change in the electrically conduction mode of the material, and wherein each material structure comprises a generated pattern of substantially two-dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures represented by a determined protocol; and

modulating the radiation spatially in each case according to the protocol which represents the generated pattern of electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in the relevant material structure, whereby the two-dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures present in the material structures in response to the energy supplied by the irradiation are erased according to the protocol, such that the material of the material structure is transformed to the electrically non-conducting state and wherein electrically conducting and/or semiconducting structures in three dimensions can be generated anew in the matrix after erasure.

24. A method according to claim 23, characterized by selecting electromagnetic radiation used for the irradiation among one or more of the spectral ranges gamma, x-ray, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared and microwave.

25. A method according to claim 23, characterized by selecting particle radiation used for the irradiation among one or more of the following particles, viz. elementary particles including protons, neutrons and electrons;

ions, molecules and material aggregates.

26. A method according to claim 23, characterized by modulating the radiation spatially in a plane substantially parallel with a material structure by means of a mask which is patterned according to the determined protocol, the mask modulating intensity and/or phase of the radiation incident thereto for erasing electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in the material structure.

27. A method according to claim 23, characterized by modulating the radiation spatially in a plane substantially parallel with the material structure by concentrating the radiation into a beam with dimensions compatible with the dimensions of the electrically conducting and semiconducting structures and scanning the material structure with the beam which is intensity-modulated according to the determined protocol for erasing electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in the material structure.

28. A method according to claim 23, wherein the material structures in the matrix are formed by thin layers in stacked configuration, characterized by irradiating one or more, but not every layer in the stacked configuration selectively for erasing electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in the relevant selected layer or layers without causing a response in the non-selected layers.

29. A method according to claim 28, characterized by selecting one or more layers for erasing of electrically conducting and semiconducting structures by irradiating the selected layer of layers with radiation of specific radiation characteristics or a given power, the selected layer or layers being formed of a material which responds to one or more of the radiation characteristics and/or the power or combinations thereof.

33. A method for generating three dimensional electrical structures in a composite matrix, the electrical structures exhibiting both electrically conducting, semiconducting, and non-conducting characteristics, the composite matrix including two or more spatially separate and homogenous material structures associated with two or more materials, the method comprising:

irradiating each of the two or more material structures with a radiation of a predetermined characteristic, the predetermined characteristic adapted to each of the two or more materials such that the specific response of the two or more materials to the predetermined characteristic causes specific changes of state resulting in one or more transitions from an electrically non-conducting state to an electrically conducting and semiconducting state, or an electrically conducting and semiconducting state to an electrically nonconducting state, or a first electrical conduction mode to a second electrical conduction mode;

modulating the radiation spatially according to a predetermined protocol to form a predetermined pattern associated with the electrically conducting and semiconducting structures; and

wherein in response to the radiation two dimensional electrically conducting and semiconducting structures are generated in the two or more materials according to the predetermined pattern such that the composite matrix formed by laminating the two or more materials is provided with electrically conducting and semiconducting structures in three dimensions.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the radiation includes one or more gamma radiation, x-ray radiation, ultraviolet radiation, visible light radiation, inferred radiation, and microwave radiation.

35. The method according to claim 33, wherein the radiation includes one or more of protons, neutrons, electrons, ions, molecules, and material aggregates.

36. The method according to claim 33, wherein the step of modulating further includes modulating the radiation using a mask patterned in accordance with the predetermined protocol.

37. The method according to claim 33, wherein the two or more material structures are generated as two or more thin film layers;

and wherein the composite matrix includes a combination of the two or more thin film layers into a laminated multilayer structure.