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US 9,000,434 B2Granted
Visual indicator for semiconductor chips for indicating mechanical damage
AssigneeEmcore Corporation
InventorsRichard Carson, Elaine Taylor, Douglas Collins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate having a surface including an active semiconductor device including one of a laser and a photodiode; and a visual indicator disposed on the semiconductor body and at least adjacent to a portion of said active semiconductor device, the indicator having a state that shows if damage to the active semiconductor device may have occurred.
Claims17
A semiconductor device comprising:
- a semiconductor structure having a surface including an active semiconductor device directly surrounded by an inactive semiconductor area, the active semiconductor device including one of a laser or a photodiode;
- and
- a visual indicator disposed on said semiconductor structure, wherein the visual indicator is a continuous ridge that peripherally surrounds the entirety of the active semiconductor device, and wherein the visual indicator is composed of a sufficiently soft material that mechanical damage to the indicator indicates that mechanical damage to the active semiconductor device also may have occurred.
A method a forming a semiconductor device comprising:
- forming a semiconductor structure having a surface including an active semiconductor device directly surrounded by an inactive semiconductor area, the active semiconductor device including one of a laser or a photodiode;
- and
- depositing a visual indicator structure on said semiconductor structure, the visual indicator being deposited as a single continuous structure extending entirely around the active semiconductor device, wherein mechanical damage to the visual indicator indicates that mechanical damage to the active semiconductor device also may have occurred.
A semiconductor device comprising:
- a semiconductor structure having a surface including an active semiconductor device directly surrounded by an inactive semiconductor area, the active semiconductor device including one of a laser or a photodiode;
- and
- a visual indicator disposed on said semiconductor structure, wherein the visual indicator is a continuous ridge that peripherally surrounds completely the active semiconductor device, the visual indicator having a first state indicating that mechanical damage to the active semiconductor device occurred and a second state indicating that mechanical damage to the active semiconductor device did not occur.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.