Semiconductor Heating Structure for Photonic Temperature Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The performance of photonic or optical components in semiconductor devices is affected by dimension tolerance and changes in material properties due to environmental or processing factors, leading to performance degradation.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor structure is designed with a heating structure surrounding the device, comprising an intrinsic semiconductor area, heating elements, and pads with contact structures to control temperature, which alleviates performance degradation by maintaining uniform heating and optimizing heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If photonic or optical components are fabricated with standard dimension tolerances, then manufacturing cost and fabrication time are reduced, but performance degrades due to dimension tolerance and material property changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by actively controlling the temperature of photonic components through heating elements. By adjusting the temperature parameter, the patent compensates for performance degradation caused by dimension tolerances and material property changes, thereby improving reliability without requiring tighter manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by monitoring the temperature of photonic components and adjusting the heating element accordingly. This feedback mechanism ensures that temperature variations do not lead to performance degradation, effectively counteracting the effects of dimension tolerances and environmental changes
2Reliability
If temperature control structures are added to compensate for material property changes, then performance reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the temperature control function with the existing photonic device structure by integrating heating elements directly into or near the photonic components. This consolidation approach improves reliability through active temperature control while minimizing the increase in device complexity by combining functions rather than adding separate systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces heating elements as intermediary components that mediate between the photonic components and temperature variations. These heating elements act as a buffer, compensating for material property changes caused by temperature fluctuations without requiring complex structural modifications to the core photonic devices
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
The semiconductor structure effectively controls temperature around the device, improving the performance of photonic or optical components like micro-ring modulators or Mach-Zehnder devices by reducing temperature variations and material property changes.
Implementation Method 1
A semiconductor structure is designed with a heating structure surrounding the device, comprising an intrinsic semiconductor area, heating elements, and pads with contact structures to control temperature
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor device and a heating structure. The semiconductor substrate includes a device region and a heating region surrounding the device region. The semiconductor device is located on the device region. The heating structure is located on the heating region and includes an intrinsic semiconductor area, at least one heating element and at least one heating pad. The intrinsic semiconductor area is surrounding the semiconductor device. The at least one heating element is located at a periphery of the intrinsic semiconductor area. The at least one heating pad is joined with the at least one heating element, wherein the at least one heating pad includes a plurality of contact structures, and a voltage is supplied from the plurality of contact structures to control a temperature of the at least one heating element.