Semiconductor component with protrusion propagation body and corresponding methods of manufacture

• US 10,411,124 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2018
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies Americas Corp. (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies Americas Corp. (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Choi, Chan Kyung, Tungare, Mihir, Kim, Peter Wook
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefer, Ahmed N
• Application Number:
  US15/899,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20180175183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/06 characterised by their shape; characterised by the shapes, relative sizes, or dispositions of the semiconductor regions ; characterised by the concentration or distribution of impurities within semiconductor regions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/10 with semiconductor regions connected to an electrode not carrying current to be rectified, amplified or switched and such electrode being part of a semiconductor device which comprises three or more electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/205 in different semiconductor regions , e.g. heterojunctions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/778 with two-dimensional charge carrier gas channel, e.g. HEMT ; with two-dimensional charge-carrier layer formed at a heterojunction interface H01L29/803 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7783 using III-V semiconductor material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7786 with direct single heterostructure, i.e. with wide bandgap layer formed on top of active layer, e.g. direct single heterostructure MIS-like HEMT

Abstract

A semiconductor structure includes a substrate, a III-Nitride intermediate stack including the protrusion propagation body situated over the substrate, a transition body over the III-Nitride intermediate stack, a III-Nitride buffer layer situated over the transition body, and a III-Nitride device fabricated over the group III-V buffer layer. The protrusion propagation body includes at least a protrusion generating layer and two or more protrusion spreading multilayers.

Claims

1. A semiconductor component, comprising:

a substrate;

a III-Nitride intermediate stack situated over the substrate;

a III-Nitride buffer layer situated over the III-Nitride intermediate stack; and

a III-Nitride device fabricated over the III-Nitride buffer layer,

wherein the III-Nitride intermediate stack comprises a transition body situated over a protrusion propagation body,

wherein the protrusion propagation body comprises a protrusion inducing layer, a protrusion generating layer, a plurality of protrusion spreading multilayers, and a plurality of protrusions originating from the protrusion generating layer and propagating into the protrusion spreading multilayers,

wherein the protrusions propagate in a direction normal to the substrate from a lower layer of the protrusion spreading multilayers to a layer of the protrusion spreading multilayers above the lower layer.

2. The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein the protrusions are wider and shallower at the upper layer than at the lower layer.

3. The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein the protrusion generating layer is situated on a nucleation layer situated over the substrate.

4. The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein the protrusion inducing layer is situated on a nucleation layer situated over the substrate.

5. The semiconductor component of claim 4, wherein the protrusion inducing layer comprises aluminum nitride (AlN).

6. The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein the protrusion generating layer is a gallium nitride (GaN) layer.

7. The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of protrusion spreading multilayers comprises an AlN layer, an aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN), and a GaN layer.

8. The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusion spreading multilayers comprises at least ten layers, wherein the protrusions have a diameter of less than approximately 100 nm at the lower layer of the protrusion spreading multilayers and a diameter of approximately 2-3 μ

m at a tenth layer of the protrusion spreading multilayers above the lower layer.

9. The semiconductor component of claim 8, wherein the protrusions have a height above a surrounding protrusion free flat surface at the tenth layer that is less than 200 nm.

10. The semiconductor component of claim 8, wherein at the tenth layer, a diameter of the protrusions is approximately 25 times a height of the protrusions.

11. The semiconductor component of claim 1, further comprising a III-Nitride back barrier situated between the III-Nitride buffer layer and the III-Nitride device.

12. The semiconductor component of claim 11, wherein the III-Nitride back barrier comprises AlGaN.

13. The semiconductor component of claim 11, wherein the III-Nitride buffer layer is grown at a lower temperature than the III-Nitride back barrier so as to have a higher impurity concentration than the III-Nitride back barrier.

14. The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein the III-Nitride device comprises a III-Nitride high electron mobility transistor (HEMT).

15. A method for producing a semiconductor component, comprising:

forming a substrate;

forming a III-Nitride intermediate stack over the substrate, the III-Nitride intermediate stack comprising a transition body situated over a protrusion propagation body, the protrusion propagation body comprising a protrusion inducing layer, a protrusion generating layer, a plurality of protrusion spreading multilayers, and a plurality of protrusions originating from the protrusion generating layer and propagating into the protrusion spreading multilayers, the protrusions propagating laterally in a direction normal to the substrate from a lower layer of the protrusion spreading multilayers to a layer of the protrusion spreading multilayers above the lower layer;

forming a III-Nitride buffer situated over the III-Nitride intermediate stack;

forming a III-Nitride device fabricated over the III-Nitride buffer layer.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising forming a III-Nitride back barrier between the III-Nitride buffer layer and the III-Nitride device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a growth temperature of the III-Nitride buffer layer is lower than a growth temperature of the III-Nitride back barrier so that the III-Nitride buffer layer has a higher impurity concentration than the III-Nitride back barrier.

18. The method of claim 15, comprising forming the protrusion generating layer at a growth temperature higher than that of the protrusion inducing layer, but lower than that of a nucleation layer situated over the substrate.