Spire receives patent for Al oxide implantation
The process involves three main steps; implanting a selected dose of aluminum ions, implanting a selected dose of oxygen ions, and annealing the substrate to cause formation of an aluminum oxide insulating layer. The doses of oxygen and aluminum ions are selected so that the aluminum-oxygen ratio is substantially stoichiometric.
Because of a lack of good quality native oxide insulators in III-V compound semiconductor materials, complete device isolation is difficult. Spire’s method of implanting aluminum oxide provides a robust, precision-defined, physically compatible layer that can be used to provide device isolation.
In addition to electrical isolation, the method also has applications for optical waveguide formation. Such optical waveguides can be incorporated into monolithic optoelectronic device structures for use as waveguides, splitters, combiners, modulators, and emitters.
The patent also mentions VCSELs; the technique can be used to produce an insulating layer surrounding an internal aperture in a VCSEL, or to isolate individual VCSELs from one another in an array.
The patent includes use of the method for device isolation in the lateral plane of III-V semiconductor ICs as well as for incorporation of buried layers of aluminum oxide insulator material into integrated electronic and optoelectronic device structures. Possible applications for this technology include wireless audio communication devices, Wi-Fi devices, and broadband and wireless internet and video devices.
