Wafer-Scale Optoelectronic Chip Production via Pad Merging

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Solution Overview

Problem

The high fabrication costs of optoelectronic chips on a wafer-scale due to the large initial area of semiconductor material required for each elementary zone, leading to significant material loss and complexity in the production process.

Innovation Solution

The process involves transferring semiconductor pads, or dies, to extend over multiple adjacent elementary zones, allowing the production of optoelectronic components from a single die across multiple zones, thereby reducing the necessary initial area and material loss, and simplifying the production process by using a common mask for sets of adjacent zones.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If each pad is transferred to cover only one coupling waveguide in a single elementary zone, then the optical coupling is ensured, but the initial area of semiconductor material per elementary zone increases and material loss increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoptical coupling precisionVSAvoidsemiconductor material loss

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the function of multiple pads into a single pad that extends across multiple elementary zones. This single pad is structured to produce multiple first optoelectronic components, each facing a coupling waveguide in different elementary zones, thereby eliminating the need for separate pads in each zone and reducing material loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The single pad serves multiple functions by producing multiple first optoelectronic components for different elementary zones. This multi-functional pad design allows one semiconductor structure to fulfill the role previously requiring multiple separate pads, optimizing material utilization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Manufacturing precision

If each pad is transferred to cover only one coupling waveguide in a single elementary zone, then the optical coupling is ensured, but the fabrication cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoptical coupling precisionVSAvoidfabrication cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the spatial parameter of the pad design, extending it across multiple elementary zones rather than confining it to a single zone. This parameter change enables cost reduction through material optimization while maintaining manufacturing precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of substance

If a single pad extends over multiple adjacent elementary zones, then the material loss is reduced and fabrication cost decreases, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesemiconductor material lossVSAvoidpad structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The single pad is segmented into multiple active regions or zones, each responsible for producing a first optoelectronic component in a corresponding elementary zone. This segmentation allows the complex function to be distributed across distinct regions within the unified pad structure, making the complexity manageable and systematic.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Loss of substance

If a single pad extends over multiple adjacent elementary zones, then the material loss is reduced, but the transfer process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesemiconductor material lossVSAvoidtransfer process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The pad is pre-designed and pre-structured with the knowledge that it will serve multiple elementary zones. This preliminary design incorporates the spatial arrangement and functional requirements for all zones it will cover, simplifying the transfer process by eliminating the need for multiple separate transfer operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10884187B2Method for the collective production of a plurality of optoelectronic chips

Publication Date: 2021.01.05 COMMISSARIAT A LENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES

AI summary

A method is provided for producing, on a wafer-scale, a plurality of optoelectronic chips, including: providing a receiver substrate including a plurality of elementary zones, each being configured to contain one optoelectronic chip, and each including at least one coupling waveguide integrated into the receiver substrate and configured to be optically coupled to a first optoelectronic component; transferring a plurality of pads to the elementary zones such that the pads partially cover the at least one coupling waveguide; and producing the first optoelectronic component from the pads such that each first optoelectronic component is facing the at least one coupling waveguide of a corresponding elementary zone, and, following the transferring step, each pad of the plurality of pads extends over a set of at least two adjacent elementary zones, so as to partially cover the at least one coupling waveguide of each of the adjacent elementary zones.