Silicon photonics integration method and structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10026852-B2
Application number	US-201715463189-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2017
Priority date	Dec 23, 2014
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

Approaches for silicon photonics integration are provided. A method includes: forming at least one encapsulating layer over and around a photodetector; thermally crystallizing the photodetector material after the forming the at least one encapsulating layer; and after the thermally crystallizing the photodetector material, forming a conformal sealing layer on the at least one encapsulating layer and over at least one device. The conformal sealing layer is configured to seal a crack in the at least one encapsulating layer. The photodetector and the at least one device are on a same substrate. The at least one device includes a complementary metal oxide semiconductor device or a passive photonics device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a semiconductor structure, comprising:
forming a photodetector on and over an optical waveguide;
forming at least one encapsulating layer over and around the photodetector; and
forming a conformal sealing layer on the at least one encapsulating layer,
wherein the conformal sealing layer is configured to seal a crack in the at least one encapsulating layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
thermally crystallizing the photodetector material forms the crack in the at least one encapsulating layer; and
the conformal sealing layer plugs the crack.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming the conformal sealing layer comprises forming a silicon nitride layer using rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conformal sealing layer is formed over a transistor, and further comprising:
masking a first portion of the conformal sealing layer over the photodetector; and
removing a second portion of the conformal sealing layer from over the transistor.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
forming silicide on the transistor after the removing a second portion of the conformal sealing layer from over the transistor; and
forming a barrier layer on both the transistor and the first portion of the conformal sealing layer over the photodetector.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
the forming the conformal sealing layer comprises forming a silicon nitride layer using rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition; and
the forming the barrier layer comprises forming another silicon nitride layer using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conformal sealing layer is formed over a laser grating coupler, and further comprising:
forming a barrier layer on both a first portion of the conformal sealing layer over the photodetector and a second portion of the conformal sealing layer over the laser grating coupler; and
removing a portion of the barrier layer from over the laser grating coupler.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conformal sealing layer is formed over a first device, a second device, and the at least one encapsulating layer, and further comprising:
removing a portion of the conformal sealing layer from over the first device;
forming a barrier layer on the first device and on the conformal sealing layer over both the second device and the at least one encapsulating layer; and
removing a portion of the barrier layer from over the second device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conformal sealing layer is formed over at least one device.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising forming a nitride layer on the at least one device prior to the forming the conformal sealing layer, wherein the conformal sealing layer is formed on the nitride layer.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one device comprises a resistor.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Assefa Solomon
• Barwicz Tymon
• Green William M
• Khater Marwan H
• Rosenberg Jessie C
• Shank Steven M

Classifications

• H10P14/69433

  the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz · CPC title

• H10P14/6336

  in the presence of a plasma [PECVD] · CPC title

• H10P14/6334

  using decomposition or reaction of gaseous or vapour phase compounds, i.e. chemical vapour deposition (deposition by physical ablation of a target H10P14/6329) · CPC title

• H10P14/414

  of metal-silicide materials · CPC title

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title