Printed Dopant Layers for Low-Cost Semiconductor Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional MOS and thin film integrated circuits require multiple costly and time-consuming masking steps, ion implants, and plasma ash/wet stripping processes for doped films, which are inefficient and expensive.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of semiconductor islands on a substrate, followed by printing dielectric layers with dopants and annealing to diffuse the dopants into the islands, eliminating the need for masking steps and using printed silicon ink as both active and gate layers, allowing for self-aligned structures and high-temperature compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional masking steps and ion implants are used for doped films, then precise dopant placement is achieved, but processing cost and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The dopant is pre-loaded into the dielectric layer during the printing process, eliminating the need for subsequent ion implantation steps. This preliminary action of incorporating dopant during deposition resolves the contradiction by achieving precise dopant placement without the time-consuming ion implantation and masking steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the masking steps and ion implantation processes from the conventional fabrication sequence. By using printed dielectric layers with pre-incorporated dopants, the harmful and time-consuming masking and implantation steps are removed while maintaining dopant placement precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple masking steps and plasma ash/wet stripping are used, then doped films are formed accurately, but processing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the dopant incorporation step with the dielectric layer deposition step. By printing dielectric layers that already contain the dopant, the separate processes of dopant introduction, masking, and pattern transfer are combined into a single integrated step, reducing processing complexity while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The printed dielectric layer serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the dielectric insulation, contains the dopant source, and defines the pattern through selective printing. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate masking and dopant introduction steps, reducing overall processing complexity.
3Loss of time
If printed dielectric layers with dopants are used, then processing cost and time are reduced, but dopant diffusion control becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The invention controls dopant diffusion by adjusting processing parameters such as annealing temperature, time, and atmosphere. By optimizing these parameters, precise dopant diffusion is achieved from the printed dielectric layer into the semiconductor, maintaining manufacturing precision while benefiting from reduced processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The dielectric layer acts as an intermediary that controls dopant release and diffusion. By selecting appropriate dielectric materials with specific diffusion characteristics, the invention mediates the dopant transfer process, enabling controlled diffusion while maintaining precision despite the simplified printing-based approach.
4Manufacturing precision
If self-aligned structures are implemented, then alignment precision is improved, but device design flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables dynamic design flexibility by allowing the printed dielectric layers to be selectively applied to different device regions. This dynamic approach maintains self-aligned precision while adapting to various device configurations and designs, as the printing process can be programmed to create different patterns as needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces processing costs and time by eliminating masking steps and associated processes, enabling high-throughput production of MOS transistors with improved electrical characteristics, such as lower leakage currents and better threshold voltage scaling, while maintaining high-temperature compatibility.
Implementation Method 1
annealing the dielectric layer(s), the semiconductor islands and the substrate sufficiently to diffuse the first dopant into the first subset of semiconductor islands
Implementation Method 2
annealing the dielectric layer(s), the semiconductor islands and the substrate sufficiently to diffuse the first dopant
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device, including a substrate, a plurality of first semiconductor islands on the substrate, a plurality of second semiconductor islands on the substrate, a first dielectric film on the first subset of the semiconductor islands, second dielectric film on the second semiconductor islands, and a metal layer in electrical contact with the first and second semiconductor islands. The first semiconductor islands and the first dielectric film contain a first diffusible dopant, and the second semiconductor islands and the second dielectric layer film contain a second diffusible dopant different from the first diffusible dopant. The present electronic device can be manufactured using printing technologies, thereby enabling high-throughput, low-cost manufacturing of electrical circuits on a wide variety of substrates.