Integrated photodetector waveguide structure with alignment tolerance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9466740-B2
Application number	US-201514963520-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2015
Priority date	Jan 7, 2014
Publication date	Oct 11, 2016
Grant date	Oct 11, 2016

Abstract

An encapsulated integrated photodetector waveguide structures with alignment tolerance and methods of manufacture are disclosed. The method includes forming a waveguide structure bounded by one or more shallow trench isolation (STI) structure(s). The method further includes forming a photodetector fully landed on the waveguide structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
forming a waveguide structure bounded by one or more shallow trench isolation (STI) structure(s); and
forming a photodetector fully landed on the waveguide structure,
wherein the forming the photodetector comprises:
forming an encapsulating material with a window exposing a portion of the waveguide structure;
forming sensor material on the encapsulating material and the exposed portion of the waveguide structure;
forming an upper encapsulating material on the sensor material and landing on the encapsulating material to seal the sensor material; and
crystallizing the sensor material through an annealing process,
wherein the encapsulating material, the sensor material and the upper encapsulating material are formed within lateral boundaries of the waveguide structure.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide structure is formed from silicon material or silicon on insulator material.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming of the waveguide structure comprises:
patterning silicon based material to form one or more trenches extending to an underlying insulator layer; and
forming insulator material in the one or more trenches to form the STI structure(s).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photodetector is formed with a non-tapered input end.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photodetector and the waveguide structure are formed as continuously tapered structures.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide structure is formed as a continuously tapered structure and the photodetector is formed as a multiple tapered structure, with a tapered input end.

7. A method comprising:
forming a waveguide structure bounded by one or more shallow trench isolation (STI) structure(s); and
forming a photodetector fully landed on the waveguide structure,
wherein the forming the photodetector comprises:
forming an encapsulating material with a window exposing a portion of the waveguide structure;
forming sensor material on the encapsulating material and the exposed portion of the waveguide structure;
forming an upper encapsulating material on the sensor material and landing on the encapsulating material to seal the sensor material; and
crystallizing the sensor material through an annealing process,
wherein the sensor material and the upper encapsulating material are formed within lateral boundaries of the waveguide structure and the encapsulating material is formed outside the lateral boundaries of the waveguide structure.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photodetector comprises amorphous materials which, upon thermal anneal, will crystallize.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photodetector comprises polycrystalline material which, upon thermal anneal, will crystallize.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photodetector comprises germanium or III-V compounds which, upon thermal anneal, will crystallize.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Assefa Solomon
• Porth Bruce W
• Shank Steven M

Classifications

• G06F30/30

  Circuit design · CPC title

• G02B2006/12061

  Silicon · CPC title

• Y02E10/544

  Solar cells from Group III-V materials · CPC title

• G02B6/42

  Coupling light guides with opto-electronic elements · CPC title

• G02B6/4295

  coupling with semiconductor devices activated by light through the light guide, e.g. thyristors, phototransistors · CPC title