Photonic device and method having increased quantum effect length
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsTsai-Hao Hung, Tao-Cheng Liu, Ying-Hsun Chen
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Abstract
Photonic devices and methods having an increased quantum effect length are provided. In some embodiments, a photonic device includes a substrate having a first surface. A cavity extends into the substrate from the first surface to a second surface. A semiconductor layer is disposed on the second surface in the cavity of the substrate, and a cover layer is disposed on the semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer is configured to receive incident radiation through the substrate and to totally internally reflect the radiation at an interface between the semiconductor layer and the cover layer.
Claims20
A photonic device, comprising:
- a substrate having a first surface and a cavity extending into the substrate from the first surface to a second surface;
- a semiconductor layer on the second surface in the cavity of the substrate;
- a cover layer on the semiconductor layer;
- and
- sidewall spacers between side surfaces of the cavity and side surfaces of the semiconductor layer,
- wherein the semiconductor layer is configured to receive incident radiation through the substrate and to totally internally reflect the radiation at an interface between the semiconductor layer and the cover layer.
An imaging device, comprising:
- a first substrate having a first surface and a plurality of cavities extending into the first substrate from the first surface;
- an array of photodetectors formed in the plurality of cavities of the first substrate, each of the photodetectors including:
- a semiconductor layer on a second surface in the cavity of the first substrate;
- and
- a cover layer on the semiconductor layer, the cover layer including wall structures on outer sidewalls of the semiconductor layer, wherein a wall structure separates an inner surface of the cavity from an outer sidewall of a photodetector, wherein the semiconductor layer is configured to receive incident radiation through the first substrate and to totally internally reflect the radiation at an interface between the semiconductor layer and the cover layer;
- and
- electrical circuitry electrically coupled to the array of photodetectors and configured to receive and process electrical signals generated by the array of photodetectors in response to receiving the incident radiation.
A photonic device, comprising:
- a substrate having a frontside and a backside;
- a dielectric layer extending over the frontside of the substrate, wherein a recess extends through the dielectric layer and continues into the frontside of the substrate to define inner substrate sidewalls that extend to a recessed frontside surface of the substrate;
- a semiconductor layer arranged on the recessed frontside surface of the substrate, the semiconductor layer having outer sidewalls that are spaced apart from the inner substrate sidewalls by a distance;
- and
- a cover layer extending over the dielectric layer and having sidewall spacers that separate the inner substrate sidewalls and the outer sidewalls of the semiconductor layer to span the distance, the sidewall spacers and the cover layer being a continuous body and being made of the same material as one another;
- and
- wherein the semiconductor layer has a first refractive index, and the cover layer and the sidewall spacers have a second refractive index that is less than the first refractive index.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.