Semiconductor devices, a fluid sensor and a method for forming a semiconductor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9941432-B2
Application number	US-201615167292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2016
Priority date	May 28, 2015
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A semiconductor device comprises a plurality of quantum structures comprising predominantly germanium. The plurality of quantum structures are formed on a first semiconductor layer structure. The quantum structures of the plurality of quantum structures have a lateral dimension of less than 15 nm and an area density of at least 8×10 11 quantum structures per cm 2 . The plurality of quantum structures are configured to emit light with a light emission maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μm and 10 μm or to absorb light with a light absorption maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μm and 10 μm.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a plurality of quantum structures comprising predominantly germanium,
wherein the plurality of quantum structures are formed on a first semiconductor layer structure,
wherein quantum structures of the plurality of quantum structures have a lateral dimension of less than 15 nm and an area density of at least 8 ×10 11 quantum structures per cm 2 ,
wherein the plurality of quantum structures are configured to emit light with a light emission maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μm and 10 μm or to absorb light with a light absorption maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μm and 10 μm.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of quantum structures comprise germanium and antimony.

3. A detection system, comprising:
an emitter device comprising a semiconductor device according to claim 1 ;
a detector device comprising a semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the emitter device and the detector device are arranged so that light emitted by the emitter device interacts with a substance to be detected by the detector device before reaching the detector device.

4. A semiconductor device, comprising:
a plurality of quantum structures formed on a first semiconductor layer structure,
wherein quantum structures of the plurality of quantum structures have a lateral dimension of less than 15 nm,
wherein the plurality of quantum structures comprise germanium and antimony, and
wherein the plurality of quantum structures are configured to emit light with a light emission maximum at a wavelength of between 5 μm and 7 μm or to absorb light with a light absorption maximum at a wavelength of between 5 μm and 7 μm.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of quantum structures have an area density of at least 1×10 10 quantum structures per cm 2 .

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of quantum structures comprise between 1% to 10% antimony.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 4 , wherein the first semiconductor layer structure comprises a first silicon sub-layer having a doping of a first conductivity type.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , wherein the first semiconductor layer structure further comprises a first silicon buffer sub-layer formed on the first silicon sub-layer.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the first semiconductor layer structure further comprises a first intrinsic silicon sub-layer, a highly-doped silicon sub-layer and a seed sub-layer comprising silicon-germanium or silicon doped with antimony or boron formed between the first silicon sub-layer and the plurality of quantum structures.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 4 , further comprising a second semiconductor layer structure covering the plurality of quantum structures, wherein the second semiconductor layer structure comprises a first silicon sub-layer.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 10 , wherein the second semiconductor layer structure further comprises an intrinsic silicon spacer layer covering the plurality of quantum structures.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 11 , wherein a tensile strain between the plurality of quantum structures, the first semiconductor layer structure and the intrinsic silicon spacer layer lies between 1% and 4%.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of quantum structures are pyramid shaped or dome shaped.

14. A fluid sensor, comprising:
a detector comprising a processing module 790 configured to generate a detection signal based on light emitted by an emitter and propagated through a fluid,
wherein the detector or the emitter comprises a plurality of quantum structures comprising predominantly germanium,
wherein the plurality of quantum structures are formed on a first semiconductor layer structure,
wherein quantum structures of the plurality of quantum structures have a lateral dimension of less than 15 nm and an area density of at least 1×10 10 quantum structures per cm 2 ,
wherein the plurality of quantum structures are configured to emit light with a light emission maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μm and 10 μm or to absorb light with a light absorption maximum at a wavelength of between 2 μm and 10 μm.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Clara Stefan
• Grille Thomas
• Hedenig Ursula
• Irsigler Peter
• Jakoby Bernhard
• Lavchiev Ventsislav M
• Ostermann Thomas
• Popp Thomas

Classifications

• H01L33/06

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/1864

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/1812

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/035254 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L2933/0033

  Electricity · mapped topic