# US 10,120,128 B2 · Semiconductor device having semiconductor optical waveguide and opposed insulator-filled trench and manufacturing method thereof

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- Number: US 10,120,128 B2
- Document ID: US10120128B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/729,727
- Filed: 2017-10-11
- Published: 2018-05-10
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-11-07
- Assignees: Renesas Electronics Corporation
- Applicants: Renesas Electronics Corporation
- Inventors: Tetsuya Iida; Yasutaka Nakashiba
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10120128B2

## CPC

- G02B 6/122: Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths
- G02B 6/136: by etching
- H10D 86/01: Manufacture or treatment
- H10D 86/201: {the substrates comprising an insulating layer on a semiconductor body, e.g. SOI (H10D86/40 take precedence)}
- H10W 20/218: {in silicon-on-insulator [SOI] wafers}
- G02B 2006/12061: {Silicon}
- G02B 2006/12142: {Modulator}
- G02F 1/011: {in optical waveguides, not otherwise provided for in this subclass}
- H10D 84/0191: {Manufacturing their doped wells}
- H10D 84/038: {using silicon technology, e.g. SiGe}
- H10W 20/20: Interconnections within wafers or substrates, e.g. through-silicon vias [TSV]
- H10W 20/42: Vias, e.g. via plugs
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS

## Abstract

A semiconductor device includes: a first substrate; a surface insulating film formed over an upper surface of the first substrate; a BOX layer formed over the surface insulating film; an optical waveguide made of an SOI layer formed on the BOX layer; and a first interlayer insulating film formed over the BOX layer so as to cover the optical waveguide. The semiconductor device further includes: a trench formed in the surface insulating film and the first substrate below the optical waveguide; and a cladding layer made of a buried insulating film buried in the trench. A thickness of the BOX layer is 1 μm or less, and a distance from an interface between the optical waveguide and the BOX layer to a bottom surface of the trench is 2 μm or more.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor device, comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
a first insulating film and a second insulating film formed over an upper surface and a lower surface of the semiconductor substrate, respectively;
a third insulating film formed over the first insulating film;
an optical waveguide formed on the third insulating film and made of a semiconductor layer;
a trench located below the optical waveguide and formed in the first insulating film and the semiconductor substrate so as to have a first depth from an interface between the third insulating film and the first insulating film; and
a fourth insulating film buried in the trench,
wherein a thickness of the third insulating film is 1 μm or less, and
a distance from an interface between the optical waveguide and the third insulating film to a bottom surface of the trench is 2 μm or more.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device according to claim 1,
wherein a total thickness of the first insulating film and the third insulating film is 1 μm or more.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device according to claim 1,
wherein a thickness of the first insulating film and a thickness of the second insulating film are 0.4 μm or more and 1 μm or less.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a first impurity region having a trap level formed in a region where the optical waveguide is not formed, so as to have a second depth from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a through hole penetrating through the third insulating film, the first insulating film, the semiconductor substrate, and the second insulating film and reaching a lower surface of the optical waveguide;
a fifth insulating film formed on a side surface of the through hole; and
a through electrode buried in the through hole via the fifth insulating film and electrically connected to the optical waveguide.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The semiconductor device according to claim 5, further comprising:
a sixth insulating film formed over the third insulating film so as to cover the optical waveguide;
a first connection hole penetrating through the sixth insulating film and reaching an upper surface of the optical waveguide; and
a first electrode formed on the sixth insulating film and electrically connected to the optical waveguide through the first connection hole.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The semiconductor device according to claim 5, further comprising:
a second impurity region formed in a region where the optical waveguide is not formed, so as to have a third depth from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate;
a seventh insulating film formed over the third insulating film so as to cover the optical waveguide;
a second connection hole penetrating through the first insulating film, the third insulating film, and the seventh insulating film and reaching the second impurity region; and
a second electrode formed on the seventh insulating film and electrically connected to the second impurity region through the second connection hole.

### Claim 8

A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:
(a) preparing a first semiconductor substrate having a first insulating film formed on an upper surface thereof and a second insulating film formed on a lower surface thereof and a second semiconductor substrate having a third insulating film formed on an upper surface thereof;
(b) forming a trench having a first depth from an upper surface of the first insulating film in the first insulating film and the first semiconductor substrate by sequentially processing the first insulating film and the first semiconductor substrate;
(c) burying a fourth insulating film in the trench to form a cladding layer made of the fourth insulating film;
(d) bonding the first semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor substrate by bonding the first insulating film and the cladding layer to the third insulating film by heat treatment;
(e) processing the second semiconductor substrate to a predetermined thickness to form a semiconductor layer made of the second semiconductor substrate; and
(f) processing the semiconductor layer to form an optical waveguide made of the semiconductor layer in a region overlapping the cladding layer in a plan view,
wherein a thickness of the third insulating film is 1 μm or less, and
a distance from an interface between the optical waveguide and the third insulating film to a bottom surface of the trench is 2 μm or more.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 8,
wherein a total thickness of the first insulating film and the third insulating film is 1 μm or more.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 8,
wherein a thickness of the first insulating film and a thickness of the second insulating film are 0.4 μm or more and 1 μm or less.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 8, further comprising, between the step (b) and the step (c), the step of:
(g) forming a first impurity region having a second depth from the upper surface of the first semiconductor substrate by ion-implanting impurities into a part of the first semiconductor substrate in a region where the optical waveguide is not formed.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 8, further comprising, after the step (f), the steps of:
(h) forming a through hole reaching a lower surface of the optical waveguide by sequentially processing the second insulating film, the first semiconductor substrate, the second insulating film, and the third insulating film;
(i) forming a fifth insulating film on a side surface of the through hole; and
(j) forming a through electrode electrically connected to the optical waveguide in the through hole.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 12, further comprising, after the step (f) and before the step (h), the steps of:
(k) forming a sixth insulating film over the third insulating film so as to cover the optical waveguide;
(l) forming a first connection hole penetrating through the sixth insulating film and reaching an upper surface of the optical waveguide; and
(m) forming a first electrode electrically connected to the optical waveguide through the first connection hole, on the sixth insulating film.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 12, further comprising, after the step (f) and before the step (h), the steps of:
(n) forming a second impurity region having a third depth from the upper surface of the first semiconductor substrate by ion-implanting impurities into a part of the first semiconductor substrate in a region where the optical waveguide is not formed;
(o) forming a seventh insulating film over the third insulating film so as to cover the optical waveguide;
(p) forming a second connection hole penetrating through the seventh insulating film, the third insulating film, and the first insulating film and reaching the second impurity region; and
(q) forming a second electrode electrically connected to the second impurity region through the second connection hole, on the seventh insulating film.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The manufacturing method of a semiconductor device according to claim 8,
wherein the step (f) includes the steps of:
(f1) applying a resist film over the semiconductor layer;
(f2) aligning an exposure mask by pattern recognition of the cladding layer, and exposing the resist film;
(f3) developing the resist film to form a resist mask made of the resist film;
(f4) processing the semiconductor layer by etching using the resist mask to form the optical waveguide made of the semiconductor layer; and
(f5) removing the resist mask.