IP Library Granted Patent US 12,264,972
Granted Patent B2
US 12,264,972 · App. 18/201,996 · Granted Apr 1, 2025

Vertically integrated micro-bolometer and manufacturing method thereof

Inventors: Yu-Wen Hsu (Tainan, TW); Lu-Pu Liao (Taoyuan, TW); Chao-Ta Huang (Hsinchu, TW); Bo-Kai Chao (Taipei, TW)
Assignee: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
G01J5/20H10N19/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,264,972
App. No.
18/201,996
Granted
Apr 1, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vertically integrated micro-bolometer includes an integrated circuit chip, an infrared sensing film, and a metal bonding layer. The integrated circuit chip includes a silicon substrate, a circuit element, and a dielectric layer disposed on the silicon substrate. The infrared sensing film includes a top absorbing layer, a sensing layer, and a bottom absorbing layer. The sensing layer is disposed between the top absorbing layer and the bottom absorbing layer. Materials of the top absorbing layer, the sensing layer, and the bottom absorbing layer are materials compatible with a semiconductor manufacturing process. The metal bonding layer connects the dielectric layer on the silicon substrate in the integrated circuit chip and the bottom absorbing layer of the infrared sensing film to form a vertically integrated micro-bolometer. In one embodiment, the infrared sensing film is divided into a central sensing film, a surrounding sensing film, and a plurality of connecting portions by a plurality of slots. The surrounding sensing film surrounds the central sensing film. Each of the connecting portions connects the surrounding sensing film and the central sensing film. A central distance from the bottom absorbing layer of the central sensing film to the silicon substrate is substantially equal to a surrounding distance from the bottom absorbing layer of the surrounding sensing film to the silicon substrate.

Claims (48)

1. A vertically integrated micro-bolometer, for sensing an infrared ray with a wavelength, comprising:

an integrated circuit chip comprising:

a silicon substrate;

a circuit element; and

a dielectric layer disposed on the silicon substrate and exposing a part of the silicon substrate;

an infrared sensing film being a flat multilayer structure, comprising:

a top absorbing layer;

a bottom absorbing layer, wherein materials of the top absorbing layer and the bottom absorbing layer are materials compatible with a semiconductor manufacturing process; and

a sensing layer disposed between the top absorbing layer and the bottom absorbing layer, wherein a material of the sensing layer is silicon germanium alloy (SiGe) or silicon carbide (SiC) which are materials compatible with a semiconductor manufacturing process; and

a metal bonding layer connecting the dielectric layer and the bottom absorbing layer so that the infrared sensing film is vertically integrated on the integrated circuit chip and the sensing layer is electrically connected to the circuit element.

2. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 1 , wherein the infrared sensing film is divided into a central sensing film, a surrounding sensing film, and a plurality of connecting portions by a plurality of slots, the surrounding sensing film surrounds the central sensing film, each of the plurality of connecting portions connects the surrounding sensing film and the central sensing film, and a central distance from the bottom absorbing layer of the central sensing film to the silicon substrate is substantially equal to a surrounding distance from the bottom absorbing layer of the surrounding sensing film to the silicon substrate.

3. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 2 , wherein a thickness of the top absorbing layer is substantially equal to a thickness of the bottom absorbing layer.

4. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 2 , wherein the central distance is substantially equal to a sum of a thickness of the dielectric layer and a thickness of the metal bonding layer, and the surrounding distance is substantially equal to the sum of the thickness of the dielectric layer and the thickness of the metal bonding layer.

5. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 4 , wherein the integrated circuit chip further comprises a metal reflective layer disposed on a part of the silicon substrate exposed by the dielectric layer, and the sum of the thickness of the dielectric layer and the thickness of the metal bonding layer is substantially equal to a sum of a thickness of the metal reflective layer and a quarter of the wavelength.

6. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 4 , wherein the dielectric layer comprises a central dielectric layer and a surrounding dielectric layer surrounding the central dielectric layer, and the metal bonding layer comprises a central bonding layer and a surrounding bonding layer surrounding the central bonding layer.

7. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 6 , wherein a lower surface of the central bonding layer is connected to an upper surface of the central dielectric layer to form a central anchor.

8. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 7 , wherein an upper surface of the central bonding layer is connected to the bottom absorbing layer of the central sensing film to support the central sensing film.

9. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 7 , wherein a lower surface of the surrounding bonding layer is connected to an upper surface of the surrounding dielectric layer to form a surrounding wall.

10. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 9 , wherein an upper surface of the surrounding bonding layer is connected to the bottom absorbing layer of the surrounding sensing film to form a thermally insulating cavity surrounding the central anchor.

11. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 10 , wherein a height of the thermally insulating cavity is substantially equal to the sum of the thickness of the dielectric layer and the thickness of the metal bonding layer.

12. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 7 , wherein the central anchor has a bonding layer recess, and the central bonding layer comprises a positive bonding layer and a negative bonding layer which are separated and electrically insulated from each other by the bonding layer recess.

13. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 12 , wherein the central sensing film has a sensing layer recess, and the sensing layer of the central sensing film comprises a positive sensing layer and a negative sensing layer which are separated and electrically insulated from each other by the sensing layer recess.

14. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 13 , wherein the integrated circuit chip further comprises a first positive electrically conductive element, the first positive electrically conductive element is disposed through the central dielectric layer and electrically connected to the circuit element, the infrared sensing film further comprises a second positive electrically conductive element, the second positive electrically conductive element is disposed through the bottom absorbing layer of the central sensing film and electrically connected to the positive sensing layer, the positive bonding layer connects the first positive electrically conductive element and the second positive electrically conductive element to form an positive electrical channel, and the positive electrical channel is electrically connected to the circuit element and the positive sensing layer.

15. The vertically integrated micro-bolometer according to claim 13 , wherein the integrated circuit chip further comprises a first negative electrically conductive element, the first negative electrically conductive element is disposed through the central dielectric layer and electrically connected to the circuit element, the infrared sensing film further comprises a second negative electrically conductive element, the second negative electrically conductive element is disposed through the bottom absorbing layer of the central sensing film and electrically connected to the negative sensing layer, the negative bonding layer connects the first negative electrically conductive element and the second negative electrically conductive element to form a negative electrical channel, and the negative electrical channel is electrically connected to the circuit element and the negative sensing layer.

16. A manufacturing method of a vertically integrated micro-bolometer, comprising:

setting a wavelength of an infrared ray to be measured;

providing an integrated circuit wafer comprising a plurality of circuit elements and a silicon substrate;

performing a deposition manufacturing process on the integrated circuit wafer to form a first wafer, wherein the deposition manufacturing process comprises:

depositing a dielectric layer on the silicon substrate;

depositing a plurality of metal reflective layers on the silicon substrate; and

depositing a first metal bonding layer on the dielectric layer;

wherein the plurality of circuit elements, the silicon substrate, the dielectric layer, and the plurality of metal reflective layers form a plurality of integrated circuit chips which are connected to each other;

providing a supporting wafer;

performing an infrared sensing film manufacturing process on the supporting wafer to form a second wafer, wherein the infrared sensing film manufacturing process comprises:

performing a semiconductor manufacturing process to deposit an infrared sensing film on the supporting wafer, wherein the infrared sensing film comprises a top absorbing layer, a sensing layer, and a bottom absorbing layer, the top absorbing layer is deposited on the supporting wafer, the sensing layer is deposited on the top absorbing layer, the bottom absorbing layer is deposited on the sensing layer, and a material of the sensing layer is silicon germanium alloy (SiGe) or silicon carbide (SiC) which are materials compatible with a semiconductor manufacturing process; and

depositing a second metal bonding layer on the bottom absorbing layer;

performing a wafer metal bonding manufacturing process to bond the second wafer to the first wafer so that the first metal bonding layer of the first wafer is connected to the second metal bonding layer of the second wafer to form a metal bonding layer;

removing the supporting wafer of the second wafer so that the infrared sensing film forms a flat multilayer structure;

etching the infrared sensing film so that the infrared sensing film has a plurality of slots to form a plurality of vertically integrated micro-bolometers which are connected to each other; and

performing a die-dicing manufacturing process to separate the plurality of vertically integrated micro-bolometers which are connected to each other.

17. The manufacturing method according to claim 16 , wherein a sum of a thickness of the dielectric layer and a thickness of the metal bonding layer is substantially equal to a sum of a thickness of each of the plurality of metal reflective layers and a quarter of the wavelength.

18. The manufacturing method according to claim 17 , wherein the dielectric layer includes a plurality of central dielectric layers and a surrounding dielectric layer, each of the plurality of metal reflective layers surrounds each of the plurality of central dielectric layers, the surrounding dielectric layer surrounds each of the plurality of metal reflective layers, the first metal bonding layer includes a plurality of first central bonding layers and a first surrounding bonding layer, each of the plurality of first central bonding layers is connected to each of the plurality of central dielectric layers, the first surrounding bonding layer is connected to the surrounding dielectric layer, the second metal bonding layer includes a plurality of second central bonding layers and a second surrounding bonding layer, each of the plurality of first central bonding layers is connected to each of the plurality of second central bonding layers to form a central bonding layer, the first surrounding bonding layer is connected to the second surrounding bonding layer to form a surrounding bonding layer, each of the plurality of central bonding layers is connected to each of the plurality of central dielectric layers to form a central anchor, the surrounding bonding layer is connected to the surrounding dielectric layer to form a surrounding wall, the surrounding wall surrounds each of the plurality of central anchors, the plurality of slots are disposed through the infrared sensing film, the infrared sensing film is divided into a plurality of central sensing films, a surrounding sensing film and a plurality of connecting portions by the plurality of slots, the surrounding sensing film surrounds each of the plurality of central sensing films, the plurality of connecting portions connect the surrounding sensing film and each of the plurality of central sensing films, and a central distance from the bottom absorbing layer of each of the plurality of central sensing films to the silicon substrate is substantially equal to a surrounding distance from the bottom absorbing layer of the surrounding sensing film to the silicon substrate.

19. The manufacturing method according to claim 18 , wherein in the step of performing the wafer metal bonding manufacturing process to bond the second wafer to the first wafer, the central distance from the bottom absorbing layer of each of the plurality of central sensing films to the silicon substrate and the surrounding distance from the bottom absorbing layer of the surrounding sensing film to the silicon substrate are both substantially equal to the sum of the thickness of the dielectric layer and the thickness of the metal bonding layer.

20. The manufacturing method according to claim 18 , wherein after the step that the first surrounding bonding layer is connected to the second surrounding bonding layer to form the surrounding bonding layer, the surrounding bonding layer is connected to the bottom absorbing layer of the surrounding sensing film to form a thermally insulating cavity surrounding each of the plurality of central anchors, and a height of the thermally insulating cavity is substantially equal to the sum of the thickness of the dielectric layer and the thickness of the metal bonding layer.

21. The manufacturing method according to claim 18 , wherein after the step of depositing the first metal bonding layer on the dielectric layer, forming a first bonding layer recess in each of the plurality of first central bonding layers, after the step of depositing the second metal bonding layer on the bottom absorbing layer, forming a second bonding layer recess in each of the plurality of second central bonding layers, after the step of performing the wafer metal bonding manufacturing process to bond the second wafer to the first wafer, each of the plurality of first bonding layer recesses and each of the plurality of second bonding layer recesses are constructed into a bonding layer recess, each of the plurality of central bonding layers comprises a positive bonding layer and a negative bonding layer which are separated and electrically insulated from each other by each of the plurality of bonding layer recesses.

22. The manufacturing method according to claim 21 , wherein after the step of depositing the dielectric layer on the silicon substrate, in each of the plurality of central dielectric layers, forming a first positive electrically conductive element and a first negative electrically conductive element which are respectively disposed through each of the plurality of central dielectric layers, each of the plurality of first positive electrically conductive elements is electrically connected to each of the plurality of circuit elements and each of the plurality of positive bonding layers, and each of the plurality of first negative electrically conductive elements is electrically connected to each of the plurality of circuit elements and each of the plurality of negative bonding layers.

23. The manufacturing method according to claim 18 , wherein the step of etching the infrared sensing film further comprises forming a plurality of sensing layer recesses, and the sensing layer of each of the plurality of central sensing films comprises a positive sensing layer and a negative sensing layer which are separated and electrically insulated from each other by each of the plurality of sensing layer recesses.

24. The manufacturing method according to claim 23 , wherein after the step of depositing the infrared sensing film on the supporting wafer, in each of the plurality of central sensing films, forming a second positive electrically conductive element and a second negative electrically conductive element which are respectively disposed through the bottom absorbing layer of each of the plurality of central sensing films, and each of the plurality of second positive electrically conductive elements and each of the plurality of second negative electrically conductive elements are respectively electrically connected to each of the plurality of positive sensing layers and each of the plurality of negative sensing layers.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 26, 2023
From: HSU, YU-WEN; LIAO, LU-PU; HUANG, CHAO-TA; CHAO, BO-KAI
To: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Reel/Frame 063776/0422 →
Priority Claims (1)
TW 111150625 · Dec 29, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240219239A1 · Jul 4, 2024
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