Patents by Inventor Ludovic Ecarnot

Ludovic Ecarnot has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11127624
    Abstract: A semiconductor on insulator type structure, which may be used for a front side type imager, successively comprises, from its rear side to its front side, a semiconductor support substrate, an electrically insulating layer and an active layer comprising a monocrystalline semiconductor material. The active layer is made of a semiconductor material having a state of mechanical stress with respect to the support substrate, and the support substrate comprises, on its rear side, a silicon oxide layer, the thickness of the oxide layer being chosen to compensate bow induced by the mechanical stress between the active layer and the support substrate during cooling of the structure after the formation by epitaxy of at least a part of the active layer on the support substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Walter Schwarzenbach, Oleg Kononchuk, Ludovic Ecarnot
  • Patent number: 11127775
    Abstract: A substrate for a front-side-type image sensor includes, successively, a supporting semiconductor substrate, an electrically insulating layer, and a semiconductor layer, known as the active layer. The active layer is an epitaxial layer of silicon-germanium having a germanium content of less than 10%. The disclosure also relates to a method for the production of such a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Walter Schwarzenbach, Oleg Kononchuk, Ludovic Ecarnot, Christelle Michau
  • Patent number: 11114314
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes introducing, at selected conditions, hydrogen and helium species (e.g., ions) in a temporary support to form a plane of weakness at a predetermined depth therein, and to define a superficial layer and a residual part of the temporary support; forming on the temporary support an interconnection layer; placing at least one semiconductor chip on the interconnection layer; assembling a stiffener on a back side of the at least one semiconductor chip; and providing thermal energy to the temporary support to detach the residual part and provide the semiconductor structure. The interconnection layer forms an interposer free from any through via.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Bich-Yen Nguyen, Ludovic Ecarnot, Nadia Ben Mohamed, Christophe Malville
  • Publication number: 20210202326
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a CFET device comprises forming a substrate of the double semi-conductor on insulator type, successively comprising, from the base to the surface thereof: a carrier substrate, a first electrically insulating layer, a first single-crystal semiconductor layer, a second electrically insulating layer and a second single-crystal semiconductor layer. Slices are formed into the substrate to the first electrically insulating layer so as to form at least one fin (F). A channel of a first transistor is formed in the first semiconductor layer and a channel of a second transistor is formed opposite the first transistor in the second semiconductor layer. Formation of the substrate of the double semi-conductor on insulator type, comprises: a first and a second step of transferring a layer and thermal processing at a temperature that is sufficiently high to smooth the first single-crystal semiconductor layer to a roughness lower than 0.1 nm RMS.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Inventors: Walter Schwarzenbach, Ludovic Ecarnot, Nicolas Daval, Bich-Yen Nguyen, Guillaume Besnard
  • Publication number: 20200331750
    Abstract: Methods of forming semiconductor structures comprising one or more cavities, which may be used in the formation of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) transducers, involve forming one or more cavities in a first substrate, providing a sacrificial material within the one or more cavities, bonding a second substrate over a surface of the first substrate, forming one or more apertures through a portion of the first substrate to the sacrificial material, and removing the sacrificial material from within the one or more cavities. Structures and devices are fabricated using such methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Inventors: Mariam Sadaka, Ludovic Ecarnot
  • Publication number: 20200328094
    Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes introducing, at selected conditions, hydrogen and helium species (e.g., ions) in a temporary support to form a plane of weakness at a predetermined depth therein, and to define a superficial layer and a residual part of the temporary support; forming on the temporary support an interconnection layer; placing at least one semiconductor chip on the interconnection layer assembling a stiffener on a back side of the at least one semiconductor chip; and providing thermal energy to the temporary support to detach the residual part and provide the semiconductor structure. The interconnection layer forms an interposer free from any through via.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Inventors: Bich-Yen Nguyen, Ludovic Ecarnot, Nadia Ben Mohamed, Christophe Malville
  • Publication number: 20200295138
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a structure comprising a first substrate comprising at least one electronic component likely to be damaged by a temperature higher than 400° C. and a semiconductor layer extending on the first comprises: (a) providing a first bonding metal layer on the first substrate, (b) providing a second substrate comprising successively: a semiconductor base substrate, a stack of a plurality of semiconductor epitaxial layers, a layer of SixGe1-x, with 0?x?1 being located at the surface of said stack opposite to the base substrate, and a second bonding metal layer, (c) bonding the first substrate and the second substrate through the first and second bonding metal layers at a temperature lower than or equal to 400° C., and (d) removing a part of the second substrate so as to transfer the layer of SixGe1-x on the first substrate using a selective etching process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventors: Christophe Figuet, Ludovic Ecarnot, Bich-Yen Nguyen, Walter Schwarzenbach, Daniel Delprat, Ionut Radu
  • Patent number: 10777447
    Abstract: A method for determining a suitable implanting energy of at least two atomic species in a donor substrate to create a weakened zone defining a monocrystalline semiconductor layer to be transferred onto a receiver substrate, comprises the following steps: (i) forming a dielectric layer on at least one of the donor substrate and the receiver substrate; (ii) co-implanting the species in the donor substrate; (iii) bonding the donor substrate on the receiver substrate; (iv) detaching the donor substrate along the weakened zone to transfer the monocrystalline semiconductor layer and recover the remainder of the donor substrate; (v) inspecting the peripheral crown of the remainder of the donor substrate, or of the receiver substrate on which the monocrystalline semiconductor layer was transferred at step (iv); (vi) if the crown exhibits zones transferred onto the receiver substrate, determining the fact that the implanting energy at step (ii) is too high; (vii) if said the crown does not exhibit zones transferred on
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Ludovic Ecarnot, Nadia Ben Mohammed, Carine Duret
  • Patent number: 10703627
    Abstract: Methods of forming semiconductor structures comprising one or more cavities, which may be used in the formation of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) transducers, involve forming one or more cavities in a first substrate, providing a sacrificial material within the one or more cavities, bonding a second substrate over a surface of the first substrate, forming one or more apertures through a portion of the first substrate to the sacrificial material, and removing the sacrificial material from within the one or more cavities. Structures and devices are fabricated using such methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Mariam Sadaka, Ludovic Ecarnot
  • Publication number: 20200152689
    Abstract: A semiconductor on insulator type structure, which may be sued for a front side type imager, successively comprises, from its rear side to its front side, a semiconductor support substrate, an electrically insulating layer and an active layer comprising a monocrystalline semiconductor material. The active layer is made of a semiconductor material having a state of mechanical stress with respect to the support substrate, and the support substrate comprises, on its rear side, a silicon oxide layer, the thickness of the oxide layer being chosen to compensate bow induced by the mechanical stress between the active layer and the support substrate during cooling of the structure after the formation by epitaxy of at least a part of the active layer on the support substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: Walter Schwarzenbach, Oleg Kononchuk, Ludovic Ecarnot
  • Publication number: 20200127041
    Abstract: A substrate for a front-side type image sensor includes a supporting semiconductor substrate, an electrically insulating layer, and a silicon-germanium semiconductor layer, known as the active layer. The electrically insulating layer includes a stack of dielectric and/or metallic layers selected such that the reflectivity of the stack in a wavelength range of between 700 nm and 3 ?m is greater than the reflectivity of a silicon oxide layer having a thickness equal to that of the stack. The substrate also comprises a silicon layer between the electrically insulating layer and the silicon-germanium active layer. The disclosure also relates to a method for the production of such a substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2018
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Walter Schwarzenbach, Oleg Kononchuk, Ludovic Ecarnot, Christelle Michau
  • Publication number: 20190348462
    Abstract: A substrate for a front-side-type image sensor includes, successively, a supporting semiconductor substrate, an electrically insulating layer, and a semiconductor layer, known as the active layer. The active layer is an epitaxial layer of silicon-germanium having a germanium content of less than 10%. The disclosure also relates to a method for the production of such a substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2018
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventors: Walter Schwarzenbach, Oleg Kononchuk, Ludovic Ecarnot, Christelle Michau
  • Publication number: 20190074215
    Abstract: A method for determining a suitable implanting energy of at least two atomic species in a donor substrate to create a weakened zone defining a monocrystalline semiconductor layer to be transferred onto a receiver substrate, comprises the following steps: (i) forming a dielectric layer on at least one of the donor substrate and the receiver substrate; (ii) co-implanting the species in the donor substrate; (iii) bonding the donor substrate on the receiver substrate; (iv) detaching the donor substrate along the weakened zone to transfer the monocrystalline semiconductor layer and recover the remainder of the donor substrate; (v) inspecting the peripheral crown of the remainder of the donor substrate, or of the receiver substrate on which the monocrystalline semiconductor layer was transferred at step (iv); (vi) if the crown exhibits zones transferred onto the receiver substrate, determining the fact that the implanting energy at step (ii) is too high; (vii) if said the crown does not exhibit zones transferred
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2017
    Publication date: March 7, 2019
    Inventors: Ludovic Ecarnot, Nadia Ben Mohammed, Carine Duret
  • Patent number: 10163682
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a process for the manufacture of a high resistivity semiconductor substrate, comprising the following stages: providing a first substrate with an in-depth weakened layer; providing a second substrate with a layer of an oxide at the surface; attaching the first substrate to the second substrate so as to form a compound substrate comprising a layer of buried oxide; and cleaving the compound substrate at the level of the weakened layer. The process additionally comprises at least one stage of stabilization, in particular, a stabilization heat treatment, of the second substrate with the layer of oxide before the stage of cleaving at the level of the weakened layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Cédric Malaquin, Ludovic Ecarnot, Damien Parissi
  • Publication number: 20170345709
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a process for the manufacture of a high resistivity semiconductor substrate, comprising the following stages: providing a first substrate with an in-depth weakened layer; providing a second substrate with a layer of an oxide at the surface; attaching the first substrate to the second substrate so as to form a compound substrate comprising a layer of buried oxide; and cleaving the compound substrate at the level of the weakened layer. The process additionally comprises at least one stage of stabilization, in particular, a stabilization heat treatment, of the second substrate with the layer of oxide before the stage of cleaving at the level of the weakened layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Inventors: Cédric Malaquin, Ludovic Ecarnot, Damien Parissi
  • Patent number: 9768057
    Abstract: A method for transferring a layer from a single-crystal substrate, called a donor substrate, onto a receiver substrate, includes supplying the single-crystal donor substrate, the substrate having a notch oriented in a first direction of the crystal and a weakness region bounding the layer to be transferred, bonding of the single-crystal donor substrate onto the receiver substrate, the main surface of the donor substrate opposite to the weakness region with respect to the layer to be transferred being at the bonding interface, and detachment of the donor substrate along the weakness region. In the method, the donor substrate has, on the main surface bonded to the receiver substrate, an array of atomic steps extending essentially in a second direction of the crystal different from the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Ludovic Ecarnot, Nicolas Daval, Nadia Ben Mohamed, Francois Boedt, Carole David, Isabelle Guerin
  • Publication number: 20170210617
    Abstract: Methods of forming semiconductor structures comprising one or more cavities (106), which may be used in the formation of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) transducers, involve forming one or more cavities in a first substrate (100), providing a sacrificial material (110) within the one or more cavities, bonding a second substrate (120) over the a surface of the first substrate, forming one or more apertures (140) through a portion of the first substrate to the sacrificial material, and removing the sacrificial material from within the one or more cavities. Structures and devices are fabricated using such methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2014
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Inventors: Mariam Sadaka, Ludovic Ecarnot
  • Publication number: 20160351438
    Abstract: A method for transferring a layer from a single-crystal substrate, called a donor substrate, onto a receiver substrate, includes supplying the single-crystal donor substrate, the substrate having a notch oriented in a first direction of the crystal and a weakness region bounding the layer to be transferred, bonding of the single-crystal donor substrate onto the receiver substrate, the main surface of the donor substrate opposite to the weakness region with respect to the layer to be transferred being at the bonding interface, and detachment of the donor substrate along the weakness region. In the method, the donor substrate has, on the main surface bonded to the receiver substrate, an array of atomic steps extending essentially in a second direction of the crystal different from the first direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Ludovic Ecarnot, Nicolas Daval, Nadia Ben Mohamed, Francois Boedt, Carole David, Isabell Guerin
  • Patent number: 8962492
    Abstract: A method to thin an initial silicon-on-insulator substrate that has a layer of silicon oxide buried between a silicon carrier substrate and a silicon surface layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Patrick Reynaud, Ludovic Ecarnot, Khalid Radouane
  • Patent number: 8389412
    Abstract: The invention relates to a finishing method for a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate that includes an oxide layer buried between an active silicon layer and a support layer of silicon. The method includes applying the following steps in succession: a first rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of the SOI substrate; a sacrificial oxidation of the active silicon layer of the substrate conducted to remove a first oxide thickness; a second RTA of the substrate; and a second sacrificial oxidation of the active silicon layer conducted to remove a second oxide thickness that is thinner than the first oxide thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Walter Schwarzenbach, Sébastien Kerdiles, Patrick Reynaud, Ludovic Ecarnot, Eric Neyret