 Wafer level contact sheet and method of assembly |
| The present invention relates to a system and method for performing reliability screening on semi-... |
|
| Packaging micromechanical devices |
| Referring to FIG. 1, a 3.times.3 micromechanical mirror array is shown by way of example of a MEMS ... |
|
| Gate stack for high performance sub-micron CMOS devices |
| A principle objective of the invention is to provide a gate electrode structure having sub-micron ... |
|
| Sensitivity control for nanotube sensors |
| In accordance with one aspect of the present invention an electronic system for detecting analytes ... |
|
| Method of etching crystalline material with etchant injection inlet |
| The present invention has been accomplished in view of the various points as described above, and ... |
|
| Selective formation of porous silicon |
| OF THE INVENTION The invention is based on forming a latent pattern in the surface of a silicon ... |
|
| Method of producing buried porous silicon-geramanium layers in monocrystalline silicon lattices |
| The ability to synthesize Si based materials with new optical, photonic and electronic properties ... |
|
| Methodology for measuring and controlling film thickness profiles |
| The invention improves the control of film thicknesses within semiconductor manufacturing ... |
|
| Keepers for MRAM electrodes |
| A magnetic memory array, preferably comprising an MRAM, with a series of top electrodes in contact ... |
|
| All metal giant magnetoresistive memory |
| According to the present invention, a memory technology is provided which is based on structures ... |
|
|
Monolithic pin diode and method for its manufacture
| Details |
Inventors: Richards, John G.;
Assignee: FEI Microwave, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA)
Primary Examiner: Sikes; William L.
Assistant Examiner: Prenty; Mark
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Skjerven, Morrill, MacPherson, Franklin & Friel
A monolithic semiconductor device that provides a diode having PIN diode characteristics. The diode has anode and cathode mesas having contacts in substantially the same plane to facilitate automatic bonding. One of the contacts is insulated from its associated mesa and has a conductive layer that extends between the mesas and through an insulating layer to make direct contact with the substrate, thereby isolating the flow of current from any intervening I regions. The conductive layer may include a portion of narrow cross section, to function as a fuse. |
|
DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention resides in a diode that is fabricated in a monolithic semiconductor device and that exhibits desirable PIN diode characteristics.
A key feature of the device is that it includes means for insuring that current flowing through the device does not pass through any intrinsic or I region other than an operative I region disposed between N and P regions of the diode.
This avoids any degradation of the desirable PIN diode characteristics.
Briefly, and in general terms, the device of the invention comprises a PIN diode fabricated in a monolithic device having an I layer overlying a substrate of a selected polarity type.
A first electrode contact makes a direct connection to the substrate from above the I region, but current flowing between the substrate and this contact is electrically isolated from the I region.
Overlying a portion of the I layer is a region of opposite polarity type to the substrate, surmounted by a second electrode also having a contact.
To facilitate the use of automatic bonding equipment, the first and second electrode contacts are located substantially in the same plane as each other, even though the regions that form the electrodes are not coplanar.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the first electrode is a cathode, the second is an anode, and the substrate is of N-type material.
The cathode contact includes a conductive layer that extends from a bonding pad substantially in the same plane as the anode contact, down into an etched-away portion of the structure where it makes contact with the substrate without contacting any I-region material beneath the cathode bonding pad.
An insulating layer isolates the conductive layer from the I region.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the conductive layer may also serve as a fuse that can be open-circuited by applying a pulse of predetermined magnitude, thereby permitting deactivation of the diode if desired.
In another embodiment of the invention, portions of the I region that should not participate in the PIN diode action, i
|
|
MEMS 
