OPTICAL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR FABRICATING THE SAME

• US 20100176475A1
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tomita, Yoshihiro, Sano, Hikari
• Application Number:
  US12/649,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20100176475A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/432
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14603 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address-lines or gate-electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14621 Colour filter arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14625 Optical elements or arrangements associated with the device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1464 Back illuminated imager structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14683 Processes or apparatus peculiar to the manufacture or treatment of these devices or parts thereof not peculiar thereto H01L21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14685 Process for coatings or optical elements

Abstract

An optical device according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a semiconductor substrate layer including a plurality of elements; at least one optical component which is formed at the first principal surface side of the semiconductor substrate layer and transmits incident light of desired wavelength; and an interconnect layer formed on second principal surface of the semiconductor substrate layer. In the semiconductor substrate layer, (i) a photoelectric conversion element region is formed at a position corresponding to the at least one optical component, and (ii) at least one element among the plurality of elements is formed near the second principal surface. At least a part of the at least one optical component is formed as a part of the semiconductor substrate layer, and the interconnect layer includes the conductive material electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element region and the at least one element.

Claims

1. An optical device comprising:

a semiconductor substrate layer including a plurality of elements;

at least one optical component formed at a first principal surface side of said semiconductor substrate layer; and

an interconnect layer formed on a second principal surface of said semiconductor substrate layer and including a conductive material, the second principal surface being an opposite side of the first principal surface side;

wherein, in said semiconductor substrate layer, (i) a photoelectric conversion element region is formed at a position corresponding to said at least one optical component such that said photoelectric conversion element region extends from a second principal surface side toward a first principal surface of said semiconductor substrate layer, and (ii) at least one element among said plurality of elements is formed near the second principal surface,

at least a part of said at least one optical component is formed as a part of said semiconductor substrate layer, and

said interconnect layer includes said conductive material electrically connected to said photoelectric conversion element region and said at least one element.

2. The optical device according to claim 1,

wherein said at least one optical component is a lens having a curved surface which corresponds to a desired wavelength.

3. The optical device according to claim 1,

wherein said at least one optical component is a color filter formed by introducing an ionic group so that the color filter corresponds to a desired wavelength.

4. The optical device according to claim 1,

wherein said at least one optical component is a color filter in which a minute level difference from the first principal surface is formed, and a thin layer is formed in a space formed by the minute level difference so that the color filter corresponds to a desired wavelength.

5. The optical device according to claim 1,

wherein said at least one optical component is a lens formed by introducing an ionic group corresponding to a desired wavelength so that parabolic concentration gradient is established in a concentric pattern.

6. The optical device according to claim 1,

wherein said at least one optical component is a color filter having an uneven surface on which minute recesses are formed at spaced intervals so that the color filter corresponds to a desired wavelength.

7. The optical device according to claim 1,

wherein said at least one optical component is a lens having an uneven surface on which minute recesses are formed at spaced intervals in a concentric pattern so that the lens corresponds to a desired wavelength, and

a width of the recesses and the spaced intervals is narrower as the recesses and the spaced intervals are farther outward from a center of the concentric pattern.

8. The optical device according to claim 1,

wherein said at least one optical component is a lens having an uneven surface on which minute recesses are formed at spaced intervals in a concentric pattern so that the lens corresponds to a desired wavelength, and

a height of the recesses is smaller as the recesses are farther outward from a center of the concentric pattern.

9. The optical device according to claim 1, further comprising

an optical element integrated region in which said photoelectric conversion element region and said at least one element are integrated,

wherein a trench is formed in said semiconductor substrate layer at a position closer to the first principal surface, the trench blocking light in a boundary region between adjacent ones of said at least one optical component in said optical element integrated region.

10. The optical device according to claim 1, further comprising

a light blocking structure formed in at least a region of said interconnect layer corresponding to each of said at least one optical component.

11. The optical device according to claim 10, further comprising

an optical element integrated region in which said photoelectric conversion element region and said at least one element are integrated,

wherein said light blocking structure is made of a light blocking film corresponding to said optical element integrated region or to each of regions obtained by horizontally dividing said optical element integrated region.

12. The optical device according to claim 10,

wherein said light blocking structure is made of a structural material identical to a structural material of said conductive material.

13. The optical device according to claim 10,

wherein said light blocking structure is made of a light blocking film formed at a position corresponding to said photoelectric conversion element region, the light blocking film having an occupied area equal to or larger than an occupied area of said photoelectric conversion region in a horizontal direction.

14. The optical device according to claim 10,

wherein said light blocking structure is made of a first light blocking film and a second light blocking film, the first light blocking film being formed at a position corresponding to the photoelectric conversion element region such that an occupied area of the first light blocking film is approximately equal to an occupied area of the photoelectric conversion element region in a horizontal direction, the second light blocking film being formed above a rim of the first light blocking film,

said interconnect layer has a multilayer interconnect structure in which interlayer films are laminated,

the second light blocking film is formed, among the interlayer films, in an interlayer film different from an interlayer film in which the first light blocking film is formed, and

the first light blocking film and the second light blocking film are formed such that the rim of the first light blocking film overlaps a part of the second light blocking film in a positional relationship vertical to the interlayer films.

15. The optical device according to claim 10,

wherein said interconnect layer has a multilayer interconnect structure in which interlayer films are laminated,

said light blocking structure is made of first light blocking films and second light blocking films, the first light blocking films being formed, among the interlayer films, in an interlayer film different from an interlayer film in which the second light blocking films are formed such that a rim of each of the first light blocking films overlap a part of each of the second light blocking films at a position corresponding to the photoelectric conversion element in a positional relationship vertical to the interlayer films, and

an occupied area of each of the first light blocking films and each of the second light blocking films is smaller than an occupied area of the photoelectric conversion element in the horizontal direction in the interlayer films.

16. The optical device according to claim 10,

wherein said interconnect layer includes one or more structural films laminated, and

at least one of said one or more structural films in the light blocking structure is made of a colored material.

17. A method for fabricating an optical device, the optical device including:

a semiconductor substrate layer including a plurality of elements; and

an interconnect layer formed on a second principal surface of the semiconductor substrate layer and including a conductive material, the second principal surface being an opposite side to a first principal surface side;

wherein, in the semiconductor substrate layer, (i) a photoelectric conversion element region is formed such that the photoelectric conversion element region extends from a second principal surface side toward a first principal surface of the semiconductor substrate layer, and (ii) at least one element among the plurality of elements is formed near the second principal surface, and

the interconnect layer includes the conductive material electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element region and the at least one element, said method comprising;

forming an adhesive layer on a first principal surface of a substrate, and forming a support substrate which supports the substrate via the adhesive layer, the substrate being made of a semiconductor and serving as a base material for the semiconductor substrate layer;

forming the semiconductor substrate layer; and

forming the interconnect layer including the conductive material on the second principal surface of the semiconductor substrate layer.

18. The method for fabricating the optical device according to claim 17, further comprising:

forming at least one optical component at the first principal surface side of the substrate before forming the support substrate,

wherein said forming the semiconductor substrate layer further includes, at a position corresponding to each of the at least one optical component;

forming the photoelectric conversion element region extending from the second principal surface side to the first principal surface of the semiconductor substrate layer; and

forming the at least one element near the second principal surface of the semiconductor substrate layer,

in said forming the interconnect layer, the conductive material is formed so as to be electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element region and the at least one elements, and

in said forming the at least one optical component, at least a part of the at least one optical component is formed as a part of the semiconductor substrate layer.

19. The method for fabricating the optical device according to claim 17,

wherein said forming the semiconductor substrate layer includes a thinning process in which a material from the second principal surface of the substrate is removed so that the substrate is thinned to a desired thickness, the second principal surface being opposite to the first principal surface of the substrate;

said thinning process further includes;

thinning the substrate by polishing the second principal surface of the substrate using an abrasive; and

removing a layer of the second principal surface of the substrate which is damaged through polishing, by a soft etching on a surface which has been polished in said thinning the substrate, so as to expose the second principal surface of the semiconductor substrate layer.

20. The method for fabricating the optical device according to claim 17, further comprising

forming a well within the substrate and near the first principal surface of the substrate from the first principal surface side of the substrate, before forming the support substrate.