SEMICONDUCTOR ELEMENT HAVING GROOVES WHICH DIVIDE AN ELECTRODE LAYER, AND METHOD OF FORMING THE GROOVES
A semiconductor element is disclosed including a construction with electrode-dividing grooves, in which a dark current is smaller than in existing examples. A method of forming such grooves is also disclosed. In an embodiment, grooves, which electrically divide an electrode layer formed on the surface of a substrate, are formed with a V-shaped cross-sectional shape, groove side walls in the electrode layer, constituting the grooves, being sloping surfaces. An embodiment of the method of forming the grooves includes using a dicing blade having a blade distal end portion which is sharpened into a V-shape to cut a semiconductor wafer in which multiple patterns of semiconductor elements including an electrode layer on the surface of a substrate are formed, forming the grooves having a V-shaped cross-sectional shape which divide the electrode layer in each semiconductor element.
1 . A semiconductor element, comprising:
a substrate; and
an electrode layer formed on a surface of the substrate, the electrode layer including grooves to electrically divide the electrode layer, side walls of the grooves in the electrode layer including sloping surfaces.
2 . The semiconductor element of claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the grooves is a V-shape.
3 . The semiconductor element of claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional shape of the grooves is a U-shape, corner portions of an opening of the U-shape being chamfered.
4 . The semiconductor element of claim 1 , wherein multiple pixel electrodes are formed by electrically dividing the electrode layer by way of the grooves, and wherein the semiconductor element is usable in the detection of radiation.
5 . The semiconductor element of claim 4 , wherein the substrate comprises a CdTe-based compound semiconductor.
6 . A method of forming grooves in a semiconductor element, comprising:
using a dicing blade, including a blade distal end portion sharpened into a V-shape, to cut a semiconductor wafer in which multiple patterns of semiconductor elements comprising an electrode layer on a surface of a substrate are formed; and
forming V-shaped grooves to divide the electrode layer of the semiconductor element.
7 . A method of forming grooves in a semiconductor element, comprising:
using a first dicing blade, including a blade distal end portion sharpened into a V-shape, to cut a semiconductor wafer in which multiple patterns of semiconductor elements comprising an electrode layer on a surface of a substrate are formed; and
after the cutting has been performed, using a second dicing blade, including a blade width relatively narrower than a blade width of the first dicing blade, to increase a depth of the V-shaped grooves, and to form grooves corner portions of openings of the V-shaped grooves which are chamfered.
8 . A method of forming grooves in a semiconductor element, comprising:
using a first dicing blade to cut a semiconductor wafer in which multiple patterns of semiconductor elements comprising an electrode layer on the surface of a substrate are formed; and
after the cutting has been performed, using a second dicing blade, including a blade width relatively wider than a blade width of the first dicing blade and including a blade distal end portion sharpened into a V-shape, to cut corner portions of openings of the V-shaped grooves to form grooves, corner portions of the openings of which are chamfered and which divide the electrode layer in each of the semiconductor elements.
9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein multiple pixel electrodes for detecting radiation are formed by dividing the electrode layer by way of the grooves.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the semiconductor wafer is a CdTe-based compound semiconductor wafer.
11 . The semiconductor element of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a CdTe-based compound semiconductor.
12 . The semiconductor element of claim 2 , wherein the substrate comprises a CdTe-based compound semiconductor.
13 . The semiconductor element of claim 3 , wherein the substrate comprises a CdTe-based compound semiconductor.
14 . The method of claim 7 , wherein multiple pixel electrodes for detecting radiation are formed by dividing the electrode layer by way of the grooves.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the semiconductor wafer is a CdTe-based compound semiconductor wafer.
16 . The method of claim 8 , wherein multiple pixel electrodes for detecting radiation are formed by dividing the electrode layer by way of the grooves.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the semiconductor wafer is a CdTe-based compound semiconductor wafer.