Method for manufacturing a waveguide including a semi-conducting junction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016154180-A1
Application number	US-201514953773-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 30, 2015
Priority date	Dec 1, 2014
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a waveguide ( 40 ) including a semiconducting junction ( 23 ). The method comprises the following steps: providing a support ( 10 ) comprising a semiconducting layer ( 20 ) having a first part ( 21 ) of a first conductivity type ; protecting the first part ; selectively implanting a second conductivity-type dopants in a second part ( 22 ) of the semiconducting layer ( 20 ) adjacent to the first part ( 21, 221 ). The concentration of second conductivity-type dopants in the second part ( 22, 222 ) is greater than the one of first conductivity-type dopants in the first part ( 21, 221 ). The method further comprises the steps of: diffusing second conductivity-type dopants in the first part ( 21, 221 ) to form a semiconducting junction ( 23, 223 ) in the first part ( 21, 221 ), and partially etching the semiconducting layer ( 20, 200 ) to form the waveguide ( 40, 240 ) in the first part ( 21, 221 ), the protection of the first part ( 21, 221 ) being used so that the semiconducting junction ( 23, 223 ) is included in the waveguide ( 40, 240 ).

First claim

1 . A method for manufacturing a waveguide including a semiconducting junction, the method comprising:
providing a support comprising a semiconducting layer having at least one first part of a first conductivity type comprising a concentration of first conductivity-type dopants, protecting the first part of the semiconducting layer by providing a protection of the first part, selectively implanting dopants of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type in a second part of the semiconducting layer, the implantation selectivity being achieved by means of the protection of the first part so that the second part is adjacent to the first part, the implantation being made so that the concentration of second conductivity-type dopants in the second part is greater than the one of the first conductivity-type dopants in the first part, diffusing the dopants of the second conductivity type in the first part to form a semiconducting junction in the first part, after the steps of implanting and diffusing have been performed, partially etching the semiconducting layer to form the waveguide in the first part, the protection of the first part being used during this etching to bound the first side wall of the waveguide at the interface between the first and the second parts so that the semiconducting junction is included in the waveguide.

2 . The manufacturing method according to claim 1 of a waveguide of a width W, wherein the concentration of the dopants of the second conductivity type implanted during the implanting step is adapted so that during diffusing the dopants of the second conductivity type in the first part, diffusion occurs from the interface between the first and the second parts over a distance between 10 and 70% of the width W.

3 . The manufacturing method according to claim 2 , wherein the ratio of the concentration of the dopants of the second conductivity type dopants implanted in the second part to the dopants of the first conductivity type dopants in the first part is between 2 and 30.

4 . The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein during providing the support the area of the layer which is intended to form the second part is also of the first conductivity type and includes a concentration of the dopants of the first conductivity type substantially identical to the one of the first part.

5 . The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein during the protecting the first part, a first mask is deposited which protects the area of the first part intended to form the waveguide during the steps of implanting and etching and a second mask is also deposited which protects the remainder of the first part during implanting, the manufacturing method comprising prior to the etching a removing the second mask.

6 . The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the support is a semiconductor-on-insulator-type support, the semiconducting layer being the semiconductor layer on insulator of the support.

7 . The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconducting layer is a silicon layer.

8 . The manufacturing method according to claim 7 , wherein the ones among the first and second conductivity-type dopants are selected from the group comprising boron, aluminium and indium whereas the others among the first and second conductivity-type dopants are selected from the group including phosphorus, arsenic and antimony.

9 . The manufacturing method according to claim 8 , wherein the ones among the first and second conductivity-type dopants is boron, whereas the others among the first and second conductivity-type dopants are phosphorus.

10 . A method for manufacturing an optoelectronic component having a waveguide including a semiconducting junction, the manufacturing method comprising the steps of manufacturing a waveguide according to claim 1 .

11 . The manufacturing method according to claim 10 , wherein the optoelectronic component includes an optical modulator such as a Mach-Zehnder-type or resonant ring-type modulator.

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Fournier Maryse
• Fowler Daivid
• Grellier Edouard
• Iotti Lorenzo

Classifications

• H10W44/219

  characterised by transitions between different types of waveguides · CPC title

• H10W44/216

  Waveguides, e.g. strip lines · CPC title

• G02B6/136 Primary

  by etching · CPC title

• G02F2001/212

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02F1/2257

  the optical waveguides being made of semiconducting material · CPC title