Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10F—INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
  • H10F77/00—Constructional details of devices covered by this subclass
  • H10F77/10—Semiconductor bodies
  • H10F77/14—Shape of semiconductor bodies; Shapes, relative sizes or dispositions of semiconductor regions within semiconductor bodies
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L25/00—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices
  • H01L25/03—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices all the devices being of a type provided for in a single subclass of subclasses H10B, H10D, H10F, H10H, H10K or H10N, e.g. assemblies of rectifier diodes
  • H01L25/04—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices all the devices being of a type provided for in a single subclass of subclasses H10B, H10D, H10F, H10H, H10K or H10N, e.g. assemblies of rectifier diodes the devices not having separate containers
  • H01L25/041—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid state devices all the devices being of a type provided for in a single subclass of subclasses H10B, H10D, H10F, H10H, H10K or H10N, e.g. assemblies of rectifier diodes the devices not having separate containers the devices being of a type provided for in subclass H10F
  • H01L25/043—Stacked arrangements of devices
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10F—INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
  • H10F10/00—Individual photovoltaic cells, e.g. solar cells
  • H10F10/10—Individual photovoltaic cells, e.g. solar cells having potential barriers
  • H10F10/17—Photovoltaic cells having only PIN junction potential barriers
  • H10F10/172—Photovoltaic cells having only PIN junction potential barriers comprising multiple PIN junctions, e.g. tandem cells
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10F—INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
  • H10F39/00—Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one element covered by group H10F30/00, e.g. radiation detectors comprising photodiode arrays
  • H10F39/10—Integrated devices
  • H10F39/12—Image sensors
  • H10F39/18—Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] image sensors; Photodiode array image sensors
  • H10F39/182—Colour image sensors
  • H10F39/1825—Multicolour image sensors having stacked structure, e.g. NPN, NPNPN or multiple quantum well [MQW] structures
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
  • H01L2924/0001—Technical content checked by a classifier
  • H01L2924/0002—Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
  • Y02E10/548—Amorphous silicon PV cells

Definitions

• the invention relates to a multi-color sensor according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to an optoelectronic component according to the preamble of claim 6.
• CCD Charge Coupled Devices
• the absorber layer of the individual diode can be adjusted accordingly depending on the intended color separation.
• the previously known vertically integrated color detectors are based on the fact that the voltage applied to the detector has to be changed sequentially in order to obtain the complete color information. At least three or even more switching voltages are required for this.
• the object is achieved by a multicolor sensor according to the entirety of the features according to claim 1. Further expedient or advantageous embodiments can be found in the subclaims which refer back to this claim.
• the object is achieved according to the invention in such a way that a component is formed from a plurality, preferably three, of layered diode functions, for example pin, nip, npin and / or pnip diode functions, which are arranged perpendicular to the direction of light incidence and with one another are connected.
• the component according to the invention is primarily one based on amorphous silicon and its alloys, microcrystalline silicon and its alloys, and the like. transparent conductive contact layers.
• the layer sequence according to the invention and the component according to the invention enable simultaneous (parallel) reading out of the photocurrents of the vertically integrated diodes, so that at one and the same place (referred to as pixels in an array arrangement), several color signals simultaneously, for example as complete red, blue and green (RGB) signal can be detected.
• RGB red, blue and green
• the spectral sensitivity of this component can be adjusted by a suitable design of the individual diode functions by setting certain parameters such as the respective layer thickness, from the near ultraviolet to the near infrared range.
• the invention is based on developing a component that allows vertical color detection by means of three-dimensional integration, the complete color information per pixel being able to be read out in parallel. Since the diode functions upstream in the direction of light incidence act as absorbers for the diode functions underneath. About serve, the use of additional optical filters is advantageously unnecessary.
• the optical absorption of the individual diodes must increase with increasing depth of penetration and wavelength of the photons of the incident light.
• the detection concept is based on the fact that the short-wave light (e.g. blue light) is absorbed in the first diode and long-wave light is absorbed in the rear diode.This applies regardless of the selected layer structure of the individual diodes (e.g. nip, nipin, npin, pinip, pnip, or pin code) .
• Diode structures can have a doped semiconductor layer on both sides of a transparent contact layer, in particular as a p-doped or n-doped layer.
• a transparent contact layer in particular as a p-doped or n-doped layer.
• the conductive contact layer which is preferably formed as a TCO layer or made of microcrystalline p- or n-type material, since the charge / carrier heterojunction follows on the following p / n or n / p heterojunction takes place.
• the transition from a two-terminal to a four-terminal component means that all three RGB signals can be read out simultaneously - and therefore not sequentially.
• the multiple sensor according to the invention and the component according to the invention have the advantage of the vertical integration of the component with simultaneous detection of the signal to be recorded (for the detection of, for example, the colors blue, green and red) of the color
• Moiree effect is avoided (as is usual with the use of spatially arranged color filters when using CCD cameras).
• a signal that is complete with regard to color detection can be made available for digital image processing in an advantageous manner with the aid of a so-called one-shot recording.
• Diode functions in which the primary colors blue, green and red can be read out in parallel;
• Fig. 6 Schematic representation of a middle
• Fig. 8 Contacting the front contact with simultaneous coverage of the areas that do not allow a complete red-green-blue (RGB) signal;
• Fig. 9 Row array according to the invention.
• FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a vertically integrated color detector made of amorphous or microcrystalline silicon with three diodes, in which the basic colors (blue, green, red) can be read out in parallel.
• the schematic structure of the detector structure according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 consists of three diodes for generating an RGB signal, which were produced on a glass substrate.
• a first detector structure (top diode), which absorbs blue light, is deposited on the transparent front contact, which can be implemented, for example, by means of a ZnO, Sn0 2 or ITO layer.
• another transparent contact eg ZnO, Sn0 2 or ITO layer
• the diode detects green light.
• This arrangement is repeated for the third diode (bottom diode), which absorbs the long-wave light of the spectrum (red).
• FIG. 2 shows the spectral sensitivity of a 4-terminal component in a pin / nip / pin arrangement with the maximum spectral sensitivity of the top diode at 450 nm, the middle diode at 565 nm and the bottom diode at 640 nm.
• the detector system is completed by a back Contact.
• the multilayer structure can be structured, for example, using standard photolithography and reactive ion etching.
• the individual diodes can be arranged in any combination of the individual diodes from the direction of light incidence to the back contact.
• the layer structures nip / nip / nip, pin / pin / pin, pin / nip / pin, nip / pin / nip or another combination of pin / npin / npin / or pin / npin can be used for a 4-terminal component / nip etc. realize.
• the spectral sensitivity of the individual diodes can be achieved by using material with different bandgaps, using a corresponding bandgap design of the absorber layers (for example u-shape, v-form grading of the bandgap within the absorber layer such as a-Si x Ge x : H, hydrogen concentrations - tration or the use of a buffer, variation of the individual layer lengths of the active absorber layers as well as the non-active contact layers (n- and p-layers) can be adapted according to the requirements.
• a corresponding bandgap design of the absorber layers for example u-shape, v-form grading of the bandgap within the absorber layer such as a-Si x Ge x : H, hydrogen concentrations - tration or the use of a buffer
• variation of the individual layer lengths of the active absorber layers as well as the non-active contact layers (n- and p-layers) can be adapted
• the absorber layers of the individual diodes can be selected such that the product of layer thickness and wavelength is increasingly formed with increasing wavelength from the direction of light incidence to the back contact in the respective successive layer.
• the optoelectronic properties of the layer sequence according to the invention, of the sensor or of the component can be changed by the following measures:
• the optoelectronic properties can be influenced by varying the manufacturing conditions.
• the material quality can be varied by varying the deposition pressure, the temperature, and the electrical supply
• Performance or by appropriate addition of additional process gases can be changed during the layer deposition.
• additional process gases such as hydrogen, helium, argon or fluorine
• the charge carrier transport properties ie the product of charge carrier life and charge carrier mobility
• the ambipolar diffusion length can be set over a certain range.
• the optical bandgap can continuously be between E Q «1.8 eV (a-
• the transport properties of the silicon alloys can be influenced by preparative measures, in particular by adding additional process gases during the deposition.
• Material made with strong hydrogen dilution shows a much higher photoconductivity and thus higher values for the ⁇ product than material deposited without H2 ⁇ addition. This effect increases with increasing carbon content in the material.
• the ratio [H 2 ] / ([SiH 4 ] + [CH 4 ]) can assume values from 10 to 50.
• Another possibility within the scope of the invention to produce material with a larger band gap and good optoelectronic properties is the use of high hydrogen dilution (preferably 4-30 times) and a low deposition temperature (preferably at a temperature in the range from 120 ° C. to 160 ° C). Under these conditions of deposition, the invention set a band gap in the range between 1.8 eV and 1.95 eV.
• the TCO layers between the individual diodes can be partially or completely dispensed with, as they have a significantly higher conductivity and, on the other hand have a significantly longer etching rate (eg regarding reactive ion etching) than a-Si: H layers.
• Such an arrangement according to the invention as shown in FIG. 3 as a pinipin structure with microcrystalline contact layers, also leads to possible contacting of the individual diodes.
• the inner p-layer was partially exposed for formation as an inner contact (terminal) by suitable structuring in order to make the contacting possible. Due to the different selectivity of microcrystalline and amorphous silicon during the etching process, the thin film component can be structured and thus realized.
• this structure offers the advantage that the TCO layers can be dispensed with and the number of doped layers can thus be reduced. This then simplifies the structure.
• More complex multi-terminal structures in which more complex layer sequences such as nipin or pinip diodes are embedded between the transparent contacts, allow the detection of independent, linear ones spectral curves that are required for further processing, but the component cannot be read out in parallel unless one realizes n> 3 diodes and uses the adjustable spectral sensitivity of a diode for specific applications. Depending on the application, the spectral sensitivity can be adjusted accordingly. During a read cycle, however, it must be ensured that an RGB signal can be read out without changing the voltage applied to the detector.
• the middle diode of a four-terminal component can then be read out under a positive or negative voltage depending on the application.
• the parallel reading process is not affected by this.
• the adjustable green sensitivity offers a further possibility for optimization.
• the additionally inserted layers result in degrees of freedom in the design of the structure, so that the spectral sensitivity can be more adapted to a standard RGB signal.
• the multilayer system can also be inverted on different substrates (eg Ag, Al, or a silicon wafer, which can contain the readout electronics, for example) secluded.
• the detector system can be deposited, for example, on an electronic circuit based on crystalline silicon, which is separated from the thin-film detector system by a structured insulator.
• sensor fields can be integrated vertically (in the direction of light incidence), which leads to a moiree-free image recording.
• Such a color sensor system according to the invention for example on the basis of a pin / nip / pin or nip / pin / nip structure, can be formed by successive deposition and structuring of the individual partial diodes on a manufactured readout electronics. In this way, with such an arrangement according to the invention, sensors with a pixel pitch of only a few micrometers with a high area filling factor can be produced.
• connections are made between the top and middle diode or middle and bottom diode doped n- or p-type layers of the diode structure. This contacting is explained in more detail using the example of a 3-color sensor for the detection of blue, green and red light.
• Sors can be used, for example, by applying transparent conductive oxide layers of ZnO, for example, as an etching stop for structuring the thin film system.
• the structuring of a diode can be ensured with only one photolithography step.
• the schematic sequence of the process steps for producing such a component is shown in the following FIGS. 4 to 9 and explained in more detail below.
• the thin film system for example pin structure for detecting the red spectral component of the visible light
• the thin film system is first deposited over a large area and then structured (FIG. 4).
• the rear of the bottom diode is contacted via a metal contact, which defines the area of the bottom diode, or likewise via the doped layer.
• Bottom diode with an insulation layer for example silicon oxide or alternatively silicon nitride (SiO x , SiN x )) or polymide.
• an insulation layer for example silicon oxide or alternatively silicon nitride (SiO x , SiN x )
• polymide for example silicon oxide or alternatively silicon nitride (SiO x , SiN x )
• a photolithography step is required in each case to produce the detector and the insulation layer.
• the middle diode for the detection of green light is deposited over a large area.
• the doped layer which is deposited directly on the ASIC, is intended to serve as a contact-guiding layer (contact layer) for the connection between the middle and botto diodes and is designed to be microcrystalline. This is followed by structuring ( Figure 6) and isolation of the side walls.
• the top diode for the detection of blue light is produced in a manner comparable to the preceding steps (FIG. 7).
• a metal grid for contacting the top contact is used to contact the upper layer.
• this metal grid is attached in the area of the contacts of the individual connections, it also prevents the absorption of light in these areas (FIG. 8). This ensures that only in the area where the top, middle and bottom diodes are connected one above the other are arranged, an RGB signal is detected. If several sensors are arranged next to one another, the pixels of a column or row of a line sensor or 2D array can be connected to one another by the metal grid, in particular in the form of an aluminum grid (FIG. 9).
• This arrangement allows the individual diode functions to be integrated vertically in a self-contacted manner.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Power Engineering (AREA)
• Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Solid State Image Pick-Up Elements (AREA)
• Light Receiving Elements (AREA)

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• 1997
  • 1997-08-28 DE DE19737561A patent/DE19737561C1/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1998
  • 1998-08-28 DE DE59813530T patent/DE59813530D1/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-08-28 WO PCT/DE1998/002593 patent/WO1999012205A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 1998-08-28 DE DE19881585T patent/DE19881585D2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-08-28 US US09/486,208 patent/US6281561B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-08-28 JP JP2000509116A patent/JP2001515275A/ja active Pending
  • 1998-08-28 JP JP2000509115A patent/JP2001515274A/ja active Pending
  • 1998-08-28 WO PCT/DE1998/002598 patent/WO1999012206A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 1998-08-28 EP EP98951263A patent/EP1016141A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1998-08-28 US US09/486,567 patent/US6310382B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
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