Honeywell G.m.b.h.

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Miriam F Young

Robert V Lorenze, Jr

William J White

Apparatus and method for fabricating a backside illuminated photodiode array is described which does not use epoxy, and therefore has better transmission characteristics. The method uses indium or other coldweldable metal to fasten the detectors to the transmissive substrate. Because the indium is opaque in the waveband of detector sensitivity, it also forms an optical mask for each detector element.

Glue-free backside illuminated photodiode apparatus and fabrication process

An improved method of providing a semiconductor device having a semiconductor substrate containing solid state signal processing circuitry. The solid state signal processing circuitry comprises doped regions of predetermined resistivity within the semiconductor substrate. A passivation layer covers a surface of the semiconductor substrate with electrical contacts to the solid state signal processing circuitry exposed through the passivation layer. The improvement comprises forming, on the electrical contacts, contact pads which have an upper surface devoid of a depressed center region. After the forming step, an adhering insulator material is deposited over the passivation layer, and a semiconductor wafer is mounted onto the substrate above the contact pads to form an assembly. The mounting process comprises applying pressure to the assembly and heating the assembly so that, prior to curing, adhering insulator material is squeezed out between the contact pads and a minimum thickness of adhering insulator material remains between the substrate and the wafer. The adhering insulator material is then allowed to cure. Portions of the wafer and adhering insulator material are then removed to expose the upper surface of predetermined contact pads. Predetermined regions of the remaining semiconductor wafer are then electrically interconnected with predetermined contact pads.

Semiconductor device processing for readily and reliably forming

A method of preparing photodetector array elements from a body of photodetector material wherein conductive layers of a metal are formed on selected portions of a substrate, the conductive layers are coated with a photoresist material, an adhesive layer is deposited on the photoresist and the remaining substrate, a body of photodetector material is bonded to the adhesive, and individual photodetector elements are delineated from the body to form the elements of the array and to expose the edges of the photoresist material, and the photoresist layer and material deposited thereon are removed.

Method of preparing photodetector array elements

A novel mask is used to contour the photodetector body and adhesive layer of a photodetector device on a substrate in which the mask apertures define an angle with the plane of the substrate. Air abrasion at that angle removes unwanted portions of the photodetector body and adhesive layer, leaving a contour desirable for subsequent interconnect metallization.

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Dorchester, MA, United States of America

Miriam F Young