Semiconductor chip and method for producing a semiconductor chip

• US 8,431,937 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OSRAM OLED GMBH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Strauss, Uwe
• Primary Examiner(s): Landau, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Candice
• Application Number:
  US12/442,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20100038664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,059 Days
• Field of Search: 257/79, 257/96, 257/777, 257/E33.068, 257/E33.069, 257/E33.074
• US Class Current: 257/79
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0093 Wafer bonding; Removal of the growth substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/22 Roughened surfaces, e.g. at the interface between epitaxial layers

Abstract

A semiconductor chip includes a carrier and a semiconductor body, which includes a semiconductor layer sequence having an active region provided for generating radiation. The carrier has a first carrier area facing the semiconductor body and a second carrier area remote from the semiconductor body. The semiconductor body is cohesively fixed to the carrier by means of a connection layer. A plurality of reflective or scattering elements are formed between the second carrier area and the active region.

Claims

1. A semiconductor chip comprising:

a semiconductor body, which comprises a semiconductor layer sequence comprising an active region provided for generating radiation,

a carrier that has a first carrier area facing the semiconductor body and a second carrier area remote from the semiconductor body, the semiconductor body fixed to the carrier by a connection layer, and

a plurality of reflective or scattering elements disposed between the second carrier area and the active region;

wherein the semiconductor chip further comprises at least one of the following;

(i) a contact layer transmissive to radiation generated in the active region, the contact layer disposed between the semiconductor body and the connection layer, wherein a refractive index of the contact layer is matched to a refractive index of the semiconductor body; and

(ii) a refractive index of the connection layer is matched to a refractive index of the semiconductor body.

2. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflective or scattering elements are disposed between the second carrier area and the semiconductor body.

3. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact layer contains a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) material.

4. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection layer is embodied in such a way that wave guiding of the radiation generated in the active region during operation of the semiconductor chip is disturbed within the connection layer.

5. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflective or scattering elements comprise particles formed in the connection layer.

6. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a mirror layer between the semiconductor body and the carrier.

7. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflective or scattering elements comprise an interface having a surface structure at least in regions.

8. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 7, wherein the connection layer is integrally formed onto the interface with the surface structure.

9. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 7, wherein the surface structure of the interface comprises a structured surface.

10. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 9, wherein the interface with the surface structure is the structured surface.

11. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a mirror layer between the semiconductor body and the carrier, wherein the interface with the surface structure comprises an area of the minor layer that faces the active region and wherein the surface structure of the interface follows the structure of the structured surface.

12. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 9, wherein the structured surface comprises structure elements that are arranged irregularly.

13. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 9, wherein the structured surface comprises structure elements that are arranged periodically.

14. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 13, wherein the structured surface is embodied for a photonic grating.

15. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 13, wherein the structure elements are embodied in pyramid-like, truncated-pyramid-like, microprism-like or groove-like fashion.

16. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 13, wherein a lateral extent of the structure elements lies between 0.5 times, inclusive, and 100 times, inclusive, a peak wavelength of the radiation generated in the active region in a medium that is adjacent to the interface with the surface structure and facing the active region.

17. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a contact layer transmissive to radiation generated in the active region, the contact layer disposed between the semiconductor body and the connection layer, wherein the structured surface comprises an area of the contact layer that faces the carrier.

18. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 9, wherein the structured surface is arranged between the active region and the connection layer.

19. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 9, wherein the structured surface is arranged between the connection layer and the second carrier area.

20. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection layer comprises an adhesive layer.

21. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection layer is transmissive to radiation generated in the active region.

22. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection layer is electrically insulating.

23. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a radiation exit area of the semiconductor chip that is arranged on a side of the active region that is remote from the carrier, the radiation area being embodied in structured fashion.

24. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, a further contact layer, the further contact layer being transmissive to radiation generated in the active region on the side of the semiconductor body that is remote from the carrier.

25. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor chip is a thin-film semiconductor chip.

26. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1, wherein a growth substrate for the semiconductor layer sequence of the semiconductor body is removed or thinned at least in regions.

27. A thin-film semiconductor chip comprising:

a semiconductor body, which comprises a semiconductor layer sequence comprising an active region provided for generating radiation,

a carrier that has a first carrier area facing the semiconductor body and a second carrier area remote from the semiconductor body, the semiconductor body fixed to the carrier by a connection layer, and

a plurality of reflective or scattering elements disposed between the second carrier area and the active region,

wherein, in top view, the connection layer covers the semiconductor body completely,

wherein the plurality of reflective or scattering elements comprise an interface having a surface structure at least in regions, the connection layer being adjacent to the interface with the surface structure and being integrally formed onto the interface with the surface structure, and

wherein the connection layer is between the interface with the surface structure and the active region of the semiconductor body.

28. The thin-film semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 27, wherein a growth substrate for the semiconductor layer sequence of the semiconductor body is removed.

29. The thin-film semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 27, wherein the connection layer is electrically insulating.

30. A semiconductor chip comprising:

a semiconductor body, which comprises a semiconductor layer sequence comprising an active region provided for generating radiation,

a carrier that has a first carrier area facing the semiconductor body and a second carrier area remote from the semiconductor body, the semiconductor body fixed to the carrier by a connection layer, and

a plurality of reflective or scattering elements disposed between the second carrier area and the active region, wherein the plurality of reflective or scattering elements comprise an interface having a surface structure at least in regions, the surface structure of the interface comprising a structured surface, wherein the structured surface is arranged between the connection layer and the second carrier area.

31. The semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 30, wherein the structured surface is the first carrier area of the carrier.

32. A semiconductor chip comprising:

a semiconductor body, which comprises a semiconductor layer sequence comprising an active region provided for generating radiation,

a carrier that has a first carrier area facing the semiconductor body and a second carrier area remote from the semiconductor body, the semiconductor body fixed to the carrier by a connection layer,

a plurality of reflective or scattering elements disposed between the second carrier area and the active region, wherein the plurality of reflective or scattering elements comprise an interface having a surface structure at least in regions, the surface structure of the interface comprising a structured surface, wherein the structured surface comprises structure elements that are arranged periodically, and wherein a lateral extent of the structure elements lies between 0.5 times, inclusive, and 100 times, inclusive, a peak wavelength of the radiation generated in the active region in a medium that is adjacent to the interface with the surface structure and facing the active region, and

a contact layer transmissive to radiation generated in the active region, the contact layer disposed between the semiconductor body and the connection layer, wherein the structured surface comprises an area of the contact layer that faces the carrier.

33. A thin-film semiconductor chip comprising:

a semiconductor body, which comprises a semiconductor layer sequence comprising an active region provided for generating radiation,

a carrier that has a first carrier area facing the semiconductor body and a second carrier area remote from the semiconductor body, the semiconductor body fixed to the carrier by an electrically insulating connection layer, and

a plurality of reflective or scattering elements disposed between the second carrier area and the active region,

wherein, in top view, the connection layer covers the semiconductor body completely.

34. The thin-film semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 33, wherein the plurality of reflective or scattering elements comprise an interface having a surface structure at least in regions, the connection layer being adjacent to the interface with the surface structure and being integrally formed onto the latter.