Semiconductor Surface Electrode ID Portion Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing semiconductor devices face challenges in forming a large and visible ID-indicating portion on the ineffective region, which is typically small, leading to low visibility and difficulties in managing process histories.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with an ID-indicating portion formed on the surface electrode, using a different material than the electrode, and located within the ineffective region, allowing for increased size and visibility, such as forming a metal ID-indicating portion on an inorganic thin film or directly on the surface electrode, which is larger than the ineffective region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the ID-indicating portion is formed on the ineffective region, then the device structure is simple, but the visibility of the ID-indicating portion is low due to the small area of the ineffective region
Solution Approach 1:
The ID-indicating portion is formed on the surface electrode which extends in the planar dimension, providing a larger area compared to the ineffective region. This dimensional shift from the ineffective region to the surface electrode allows the ID-indicating portion to achieve sufficient visibility while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Area of stationary object
If the area of the ineffective region is reduced to minimize device size, then the device size is reduced, but the area available for the ID-indicating portion is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The ID-indicating portion is extracted from the ineffective region and placed on the surface electrode instead. This extraction allows the ID-indicating portion to utilize the larger area of the surface electrode while the ineffective region can be minimized to reduce overall device size.
3Illumination intensity
If the ID-indicating portion is made large to improve visibility, then the visibility is improved, but additional processing steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The formation of the ID-indicating portion is merged with the existing surface electrode formation process. By using the surface electrode as the substrate for the ID-indicating portion, the patent eliminates the need for additional processing steps that would be required if the ID-indicating portion were formed separately on the ineffective region.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a surface electrode formed on the semiconductor substrate, an ineffective region formed to surround the surface electrode, and an ID-indicating portion made of a different material than the surface electrode and formed on the surface electrode to indicate an ID. The area of the ineffective region is smaller than the area of the surface electrode.