Emcore Corporation

Douglas Collins

Elaine Taylor

Richard F Carson

LinLin Liu

Neinyi Li

A semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate having a surface including an active semiconductor device including one of a laser and a photodiode; and a visual indicator disposed on the semiconductor body and at least adjacent to a portion of said active semiconductor device, the indicator having a state that shows if damage to the active semiconductor device may have occurred.

Visual indicator for semiconductor chips for indicating mechanical damage

A method and apparatus are provided for protecting a semiconductor device from damage. The method may include the steps of providing an active semiconductor device on a surface of a semiconductor substrate where the active device is surrounded by an inactive semiconductor area, and providing a soft metallic guard element in the inactive semiconductor area around at least a portion of the periphery of the active device wherein the metallic guard element is connected to ground potential and not to the active device.

Method of protecting semiconductor chips from mechanical and ESD damage during handling

An optical mouse for controlling a cursor on a display. The mouse emits a light beam that interacts with a target surface and receives reflected light therefrom to detect movement of the mouse. The mouse includes a housing, a single-mode VCSEL disposed within the housing for emitting the light beam through a surface of the housing, the emitted light interacting with the target surface, a photodetector disposed within the housing that receives the light reflected from the target surface and that provides an electrical output and a processor that receives the electrical output and calculates a value that is indicative of the amount and direction of movement of the optical mouse relative to the target surface.

Optical mouse using VCSELs

A method and apparatus are provided for protecting a semiconductor device from damage. The method includes the steps of providing a active semiconductor device on a surface of the semiconductor substrate where the active device is surrounded by inactive semiconductor areas and providing a soft metallic guard ring only in the inactive semiconductor areas around the periphery of the active device wherein the metallic guard ring is connected to ground potential and not to the active device.

A semiconductor wafer that includes a plurality of groups of active devices or circuits on a first side of the wafer and a patterned electrical contact on the backside of the wafer. Each group consisting of an active device or circuit is intended to be diced into a discrete chip. The backside of the wafer includes a metal layer patterned into discrete spaced-apart deposits that form an electrical contact to the semiconductor and the respective group of active devices. The deposits are not contiguously or laterally connected to each other and function to protect the metal layer from peeling or detaching from the wafer during dicing of the semiconductor wafer into chips.

Deposition pattern for eliminating backside metal peeling during die separation in semiconductor device fabrication

A surface emitting laser having a substrate with top and bottom surfaces, a first stack of mirror layers of alternating indices of refraction located upon the top surface of the substrate and an active layer disposed over the first stack. The surface emitting layer also includes a second stack of mirror layers of alternating indices of refraction disposed over the active layer and a reduced-diameter mirror extension portion of the second stack that forms an optical aperture of the surface emitting laser extending outwards from a center portion of the second stack on a side of the second stack opposite the active layer.

Method of fabricating single mode VCSEL for optical mouse

A method of protecting metal traces and contacts on a fabricated semiconductor wafer from mechanical damage during dicing of the fabricated wafer, where the metal traces and contacts form electrical connections with an active device region of the semiconductor. The method includes the steps of providing a group of discrete metal deposits adjacent the metal traces and contacts, wherein said metal deposits are substantially not contiguously connected to each other or to any traces or contacts of the active device regions of semiconductor die, attaching the fabricated wafer to an adhesive tape used for securing the fabricated wafer during a die separation process, separating the die from the fabricated wafer while attached to the adhesive tape and removing the die from the adhesive tape.

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Douglas Collins