Structure and method for planar lateral oxidation in active

• US 6,674,090 B1
• Filed: 12/27/1999
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Majandro LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Floyd, Philip D., Sun, Decai, Paoli, Thomas L., Chua, Christopher L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nadav, Ori
• Application Number:
  US09/472,754
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 257/12, 257/13, 257/35, 372/45, 372/46
• US Class Current: 257/13
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76264 SOI together with lateral isolation, e.g. using local oxidation of silicon, or dielectric or polycristalline material refilled trench or air gap isolation regions, e.g. completely isolated semiconductor islands
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76281 Lateral isolation by selective oxidation of silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0649 Dielectric regions, e.g. SiO2 regions, air gaps
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2215 using native oxidation of semiconductor layers

Abstract

An active semiconductor device is made using planar lateral oxidation to define a core region that is surrounded by regions of buried oxidized semiconductor material in. The buried oxidized semiconductor material provides optical waveguiding, and or a defined electrical path.

Claims

1. A semiconductor structure comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of semiconductor layers formed on said substrate with a first of said plurality of semiconductor layers being a top layer and with a second of said plurality of semiconductor layers comprising an oxidizable layer; and

the oxidizable layer penetrated by at least three holes, said oxidizable layer oxidized from said at least three holes to form a substantially straight oxidized line that is continuous and unbroken by unoxidized regions, said at least three holes arranged to define a non-oxidized continuous and unbroken stripe region bordered by said substantially straight oxidized line.

2. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 further comprising a fourth hole, such that said oxidizable semiconductor layer is penetrated by at least four holes, each hole of said four holes extending from said top layer, said at least four holes to form an approximately straight linear oxidized region to bound a continuous non-oxidized stripe region bordered by said at least four holes.

3. A semiconductor structure comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of semiconductor layers formed on said substrate with a first of said plurality of semiconductor layers being a top layer and with a second of said plurality of semiconductor layers comprising an oxidizable layer; and

an oxidizable layer penetrated by at least six holes arranged to form a first substantially straight line and a second substantially straight line, together forming not more than two approximately parallel lines, each hole of said six holes extending from said top layer, with a corresponding region of said oxidizable layer being oxidized to form an approximation of two parallel unbroken oxidized lines, the two parallel unbroken oxidized lines define a non-oxidized unbroken continuous stripe region bounded by said approximation of two approximately parallel oxidized lines.

4. The semiconductor structure of claim 3 wherein a first line of said two approximately parallel lines includes at least four holes arranged in a line.

5. The semiconductor structure of claim 4 wherein a second line of said two approximately parallel lines includes at least four holes arranged in a line.

6. The semiconductor structure of claim 3 wherein said non-oxidized unbroken continuous stripe serves as a waveguide.

7. The semiconductor structure of claim 6 wherein the diameter of the oxidized region surrounding each hole is approximately and integral multiple of one half the wavelength of light propagating in the waveguide.

8. The semiconductor structure of claim 6 further including a signal propagating along the waveguide in a direction perpendicular to the axis of each hole in the at least six holes.

9. The semiconductor structure of claim 3 wherein the approximately parallel lines are straight lines.

10. A semiconductor waveguide comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of semiconductor layers formed on said substrate with a first of said plurality of semiconductor layers being a top layer and with a second of said plurality of semiconductor layers comprising an oxidizable layer; and

the oxidizable layer penetrated by at least three holes, each hole of said three holes extending from said top layer, with a corresponding region of said oxidizable layer being oxidized to form an approximation of a substantially straight unbroken oxidized line, the least three holes arranged in a line to define a non-oxidized unbroken continuous stripe region bordered, by, said approximation of a substantially straight oxidized line, the non-oxidized unbroken continuous stripe serving as a waveguide to transmit a signal in a direction perpendicular to the axis of each hole in the at least three holes.

11. The semiconductor structure of claim 10 wherein the diameter of the oxidized region surrounding each hole is approximately and integral multiple of one half the wavelength of light propagating in the waveguide.