# US 7,410,906 B2 · Functional device and method for producing the same, and image pickup device and method for producing the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,410,906 B2 - Document ID: US7410906B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/180,643 - Filed: 2005-07-14 - Published: 2006-05-25 - Granted: 2008-08-12 - Earliest claimed: 2004-07-16 - Assignees: FUJIFILM Corporation - Inventors: Yasushi Araki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7410906B2 ## CPC - H10F 71/138: {Manufacture of transparent electrodes, e.g. transparent conductive oxides [TCO] or indium tin oxide [ITO] electrodes} - H10F 39/016: {of thin-film-based image sensors} - H10F 39/1825: {Multicolour image sensors having stacked structure, e.g. NPN, NPNPN or multiple quantum well [MQW] structures} - H10K 39/32: Organic image sensors - H10F 39/803: {Pixels having integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements} - H10F 39/8057: {Optical shielding} - Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION - H10K: ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A method of producing a functional device comprising an electrode layer provided as an upper layer of a layer containing an organic material, the layer being as a functional layer, wherein a step of patterning the electrode layer comprises a high speed etching step of etching the electrode layer at a rate of 10 nm/min or more. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of producing a functional device comprising a light-transmitting electrode layer provided as an upper layer of a layer containing an organic material, the layer being as a functional layer, wherein a step of patterning the light-transmitting electrode layer comprises a high speed etching step of etching the electrode layer at a rate of 10 nm/min or more; wherein the etchant gas to be used at the high speed etching step comprises at least one of hydrogen iodide (HI), hydrogen bromide (HBr), hydrogen chloride (HCl), methane (CH4) and methanol (CH3OH); wherein the high speed etching step is terminated with the light-transmitting electrode left unetched in a predetermined amount and the patterning step comprises a low speed etching step of etching the remaining light-transmitting electrode at a rate lower than 10 nm/min after the high speed etching step; wherein the slow speed etching step is preceded by a step of etching by irradiation with argon ion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of producing a functional device as defined in claim 1, wherein the light-transmitting electrode comprises at least one of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), tin oxide (SnO2), ATO, zinc oxide (ZnO) and FTO. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of producing a functional device as defined in claim 1, wherein the etchant gas to be used at the low speed etching step comprises at least one of HI, HBr, HCl, CH4, CH3OH, boron chloride (BCl3) and chlorine (Cl2). ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of producing a functional device as defined in claim 1, wherein the light-transmitting electrode comprises a first light-transmitting electrode and a second light-transmitting electrode stacked on the first light-transmitting electrode, the high speed etching step involves etching of the second light-transmitting electrode and the low speed etching step involves etching of the first light-transmitting electrode. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of producing a functional device as defined in claim 4, wherein the first light-transmitting electrode comprises a material having an etching resistance to an etchant containing halogen. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method of producing a functional device as defined in claim 3, wherein the low speed etching step is preceded by a step of treating with a reducing plasma. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of producing a functional device as defined in claim 6, wherein the reducing plasma comprises atoms or molecules comprising at least one element selected from carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), sulfur (S), iodine (I), chlorine (Cl) and bromine (Br). ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of producing a functional device as defined in claim 6, wherein the reducing plasma comprises at least one molecule selected from carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), nitrogen monoxide (NO), sulfur monoxide (SO), iodine (I2), chlorine (Cl2) and bromine (Br2). ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of producing a functional device as defined in claim 1, wherein the electric power supplied at the time of etching is from not lower than 100 W to not higher than 4 kW. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of producing a functional device as defined in claim 1, wherein the pressure in the chamber during etching is from not lower than 0.01 Pa to not higher than 50 Pa. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of producing a functional device as defined in claim 1, wherein the patterning step involves the use of a hard mask containing at least one of silicon oxide (SiO2) and silicon nitride (SiNx). ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A method of producing a solid-state image pickup device comprising: a substrate having a signal reading circuit formed thereon; and a functional device which contains a photoelectric conversion layer containing an organic material stacked on the substrate and a light-transmitting electrode stacked on the photoelectric conversion layer, wherein the functional device is prepared by the production method as defined in claim 1. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of producing a functional device as defined in claim 1, wherein the low speed etching rate is approximately 1 nm/min. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of producing a functional device as defined in claim 1, wherein the low speed etching rate is 1 nm/min or less. ### Claim 15 A method of producing a functional device comprising an electrode layer provided as an upper layer of a layer containing an organic material, the layer being as a functional layer, wherein a step of patterning the electrode layer comprises a high speed etching step of etching the electrode layer at a rate of 10 nm/min or more; wherein the high speed etching step is terminated with the light-transmitting electrode left unetched in a predetermined amount and the patterning step comprises a low speed etching step of etching the remaining light-transmitting electrode at a rate lower than that of the high speed etching step after the high speed etching step; wherein the etchant gas to be used at the low speed etching step comprises at least one of HI, HBr, HCl, CH4, CH3OH, boron chloride (BCl3) and chlorine (Cl2); wherein the low speed etching step is preceded by a step of treating with a reducing plasma; wherein the treatment with a reducing plasma is followed by a step of etching by irradiation with argon ion. ### Claim 16 A method of producing a functional device comprising an electrode layer provided as an upper layer of a layer containing an organic material, the layer being as a functional layer, wherein a step of patterning the electrode layer comprises a high speed etching step of etching the electrode layer at a rate of 10 nm/min or more; wherein the high speed etching step is terminated with the light-transmitting electrode left unetched in a predetermined amount and the patterning step comprises a low speed etching step of etching the remaining light-transmitting electrode at a rate lower than that of the high speed etching step after the high speed etching step; wherein the light-transmitting electrode comprises a first light-transmitting electrode and a second light-transmitting electrode stacked on the first light-transmitting electrode, the high speed etching step involves etching of the second light-transmitting electrode and the low speed etching step involves etching of the first light-transmitting electrode; wherein the second light-transmitting electrode comprises at least one of ITO, IZO, SnO2, ATO, ZnO and FTO and the first light-transmitting electrode comprises at least one of indium (In), tungsten (W), tantalum nitride (TaN), niobium (Nb), platinum (Pt) and gallium (Ga).