Semiconductor apparatus with thin semiconductor film

Abstract

A semiconductor apparatus includes a substrate having at least one terminal, a thin semiconductor film including at least one semiconductor device, the thin semiconductor film being disposed and bonded on the substrate; and an individual interconnecting line formed as a thin conductive film extending from the semiconductor device in the thin semiconductor film to the terminal in the substrate, electrically connecting the semiconductor device to the terminal. Compared with conventional semiconductor apparatus, the invented apparatus is smaller and has a reduced material cost.

1 . A semiconductor apparatus comprising: 
 a substrate having at least one terminal and having a substantially planarized surface;    a thin semiconductor film including at least one semiconductor device, the thin semiconductor film being disposed on the substantially planarized surface of the substrate, wherein an under surface of the thin semiconductor film facing the substrate is closely bonded to the substantially planarized surface of the substrate; and    an individual interconnecting line formed as a thin conductive film extending from an upper surface of the semiconductor device on the thin semiconductor film to the terminal on the substrate, electrically connecting the semiconductor device to the terminal.    
   
   
       2 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a layer of conductive material disposed between the thin semiconductor film and the substrate, the layer of conductive material being formed on the substrate, the thin semiconductor film being bonded to the layer of conductive material, whereby the thin semiconductor film is bonded to the substrate.  
   
   
       3 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the layer of conductive material is either a metal layer or a polysilicon layer.  
   
   
       4 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising a thin dielectric film disposed between the layer of conductive material and the substrate, the thin dielectric film contacting both the layer of conductive material and the substrate, whereby the layer of conductive material is bonded to the substrate.  
   
   
       5 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 2 , comprising a plurality of the thin semiconductor films bonded to the layer of conductive material.  
   
   
       6 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the substrate has a first common terminal, the thin semiconductor film has a semiconductor layer electrically connected to the first common terminal.  
   
   
       7 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the layer of conductive material is longer and wider than the thin semiconductor film.  
   
   
       8 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a semiconductor substrate having an integrated circuit formed therein, the terminal being electrically connected to the integrated circuit.  
   
   
       9 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the thin semiconductor film is disposed on an area of the substrate external to the integrated circuit.  
   
   
       10 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the thin semiconductor film overlaps the integrated circuit.  
   
   
       11 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein: 
 the thin semiconductor film includes a plurality of semiconductor devices disposed in a first array, said semiconductor device being one of the plurality of semiconductor devices;    the integrated circuit includes a plurality of driving circuits disposed in a second array for driving the plurality of semiconductor devices;    the first array and the second array have substantially equal array pitches;    the driver circuits and the semiconductor devices are disposed in facing pairs; and    the semiconductor apparatus includes a plurality of individual interconnecting lines electrically interconnecting the facing pairs of semiconductor devices and driver circuits, said individual interconnecting line being one of the plurality of individual interconnecting lines.    
   
   
       12 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a direction of a row of the plurality of semiconductor devices disposed in the first array is substantially parallel to a direction of a row of the plurality of driving circuits disposed in the second array.  
   
   
       13 . The semiconductor apparatus  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises at least one of amorphous silicon, monocrystalline silicon, polysilicon, a compound semiconductor material, an organic semiconductor material, and an insulating material.  
   
   
       14 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the thin semiconductor film is an epitaxially grown compound semiconductor film.  
   
   
       15 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the thin semiconductor film comprises at least one of Al x Ga 1-x As (0≦x≦1), (Al x Ga 1-x ) y In 1-y P (0≦x≦1 and 0≦y≦1), GaN, AlGaN, and InGaN.  
   
   
       16 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor device is one of a light-emitting device, a photodetector, a Hall element, and a piezoelectric device, and the integrated circuit includes a driver circuit for driving the semiconductor device.  
   
   
       17 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein thin semiconductor film includes a plurality of the semiconductor devices disposed at regular intervals.  
   
   
       18 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of thin semiconductor films are disposed in an array on the substrate, each of the thin semiconductor films including one semiconductor device, said thin semiconductor film being one of the plurality of thin semiconductor films.  
   
   
       19 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the semiconductor device is one of a plurality of semiconductor devices disposed in a row,    the substrate is a part of a semiconductor chip,    the thin semiconductor film has an end located adjacent an edge of the semiconductor chip, and    said end of the thin semiconductor film is located at a position, a distance between said position and said edge of the semiconductor chip being less than half of an array pitch of the semiconductor devices.    
   
   
       20 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor device is one of a plurality of light-emitting devices disposed in a row, the light-emitting devices having light-emitting parts with a width equal to or less than substantially half of an array pitch of the linear array.  
   
   
       21 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of thin semiconductor films are disposed in an array on the substrate, each of the thin semiconductor films including a plurality of semiconductor devices, said thin semiconductor film being one of the plurality of thin semiconductor films, the semiconductor devices being disposed in a single row, mutually adjacent semiconductor devices disposed on different thin semiconductor films being separated by an interval equal to an interval between mutually adjacent semiconductor devices disposed on a single one of the thin semiconductor films.  
   
   
       22 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the individual interconnecting line is formed by photolithography.  
   
   
       23 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the individual interconnecting line comprises at least one of an Au layer, a Ti/Pt/Au multi-layer, an Au/Zn multi-layer, an AuGeNi/Au multi-layer, a Pd layer, a Pd/Au multi-layer, an Al layer, an Al/Ni multi-layer, a polysilicon layer, an ITO layer, and a ZnO layer.  
   
   
       24 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the thin semiconductor film is less than ten micrometers thick.  
   
   
       25 . The semiconductor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the individual interconnecting line is less than two hundred micrometers long.  
   
   
       26 - 35 . (canceled)  
   
   
       36 . A semiconductor apparatus comprising: 
 a substrate having at least one terminal;    a thin semiconductor film including at least one semiconductor device, the thin semiconductor film being disposed on the substrate, wherein a substantially whole surface of an under surface of the thin semiconductor film facing the substrate is bonded to a surface of the substrate and the semiconductor film is supported by the substrate; and    an individual interconnecting line formed as a thin conductive film extending from an upper surface of the semiconductor device on the thin semiconductor film to the terminal on the substrate, electrically connecting the semiconductor device to the terminal.    
   
   
       37 . A semiconductor apparatus comprising: 
 a substrate having at least one terminal;    a thin semiconductor film including at least one semiconductor device, the thin semiconductor film being disposed and bonded at an under surface on the substrate; and    an individual interconnecting line formed as a thin conductive film extending from an upper surface of the semiconductor device through an edge of the semiconductor film on the thin semiconductor film to the terminal on the substrate, electrically connecting the semiconductor device to the terminal,    wherein the individual connecting line is stacked on the semiconductor film and on the substrate, and cross the edge of the semiconductor film.