Silicon carbide semiconductor device

• US 10,483,389 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shanghai Hestia Power Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hestia Power, Inc.
• Inventors: Yen, Cheng-Tyng, Hung, Chien-Chung, Lee, Chwan-Ying, Lee, Lurng-Shehng
• Primary Examiner(s): Swanson, Walter H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly, Kien C
• Application Number:
  US14/968,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20160111533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 29/0619 with a supplementary region doped oppositely to or in rectifying contact with the semiconductor containing or contacting region, e.g. guard rings with PN or Schottky junction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0688 characterised by the particular shape of a junction between semiconductor regions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0696 of cellular field-effect devices, e.g. multicellular DMOS transistors or IGBTs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/1095 Body region, i.e. base region, of DMOS transistors or IGBTs cell layout H01L29/0696
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/1608 Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/4238 characterised by the surface lay-out
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/45 Ohmic electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7806 the other device being a Schottky barrier diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/872 Schottky diodes

Abstract

A silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor device having a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) and integrated with an anti-parallelly connected Schottky diode includes: an n-type substrate, an n-type drift layer, a plurality of doped regions, a gate dielectric layer, a gate electrode, an inter-layer dielectric layer, a plurality of source openings, a plurality of junction openings, a plurality of gate openings, a first metal layer and a second metal layer. The second metal layer at the junction openings forms the Schottky diode.

Claims

1. A silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor device, comprising:

an n-type substrate, having a first doping concentration;

an n-type drift layer, disposed on the n-type substrate, having a second doping concentration less than the first doping concentration;

a plurality of doped regions, disposed at the n-type drift layer, spaced from each other and formed a plurality of junction field effect transistor (JFET) regions, each of the JFET regions having a third doping concentration therebetween, each of the doped regions comprising a p-well, a heavily doped n-type (n+) region located in the p-well, and a heavily doped p-type (p+) region;

a gate dielectric layer, disposed on the n-type drift layer;

a gate electrode, disposed on the gate dielectric layer;

an inter-layer dielectric layer, disposed on the gate dielectric layer and the gate electrode;

a plurality of source openings, penetrating through the inter-layer dielectric layer and the gate dielectric layer to a surface portion of the heavily doped n+ region and the heavily doped p+ region, and the plurality of source openings are separated by the gate electrode and the inter-layer dielectric layer, wherein a top surface of n-type drift layer and a top surface of the heavily doped p+ region are in a same first plane;

a plurality of junction openings, penetrating through the inter-layer dielectric layer and the gate dielectric layer to a surface portion of the plurality of JFET regions and the doped regions, and the plurality of junction openings are separated by the gate electrode and the inter-layer dielectric layer;

a plurality of gate openings, penetrating through the inter-layer dielectric layer to a surface portion of the gate electrode;

a first metal layer, disposed only at a bottom of the source openings, formed an Ohmic contact with the surface portion of the heavily doped n+ region and the heavily doped p+ region;

a second metal layer, comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion covers the source openings and the junction openings, is electrically connected to the first metal layer, and forms a Schottky contact with the surface portion of the plurality of JFET regions, the second portion covers the gate openings and is electrically insulated from the first portion, wherein a bottom surface of the first metal layer and a bottom surface of a part of the second metal layer are in a same second plane; and

wherein the third doping concentration is greater than the second doping concentration.

2. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of JFET regions having a first depth, the p-well having a second depth, the heavily doped n+ region having a third depth, the heavily doped p+ regions having a fourth depth, wherein the second depth is greater than the third depth.

3. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the first depth is greater than or equal to the second depth.

4. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the first depth is greater than or equal to the fourth depth.

5. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the heavily doped p+ region is surrounded by the p-well and the heavily doped n+ region, and at least a portion of the heavily doped p+ region overlaps with the p-well.

6. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a 4H-SiC substrate.

7. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the first metal layer comprising a silicide or a combination of silicides of a material selected from a group consisting of nickel, titanium, aluminum, molybdenum and niobium.

8. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the second metal layer is selected from a group or a combination consisting of titanium, molybdenum, nickel, aluminum, titanium silicide, molybdenum silicide, nickel silicide, aluminum silicide, titanium nitride, an aluminum copper alloy and an aluminum silicon copper alloy.

9. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein a planar contour of the p-well is selected from a group consisting of a square, a rectangle, a hexagon and a long stripe.

10. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein a planar contour of the source openings is selected from a group consisting of a quadrilateral, a hexagon, an octagon, a circle and a long stripe.

11. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein a planar contour of the junction openings is selected from a group consisting of a quadrilateral, a hexagon, an octagon, a circle and a long stripe.

12. A silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor device, comprising:

an n-type substrate, having a first doping concentration;

an n-type drift layer, disposed on the substrate, having a second doping concentration less than the first doping concentration;

a plurality of first doped regions and a plurality of second doped regions, disposed at the n-type drift layer, each of the first doped regions comprising a first p-well, a heavily doped n-type (n+) region located in the first p-well, and a first heavily doped p-type (p+) region located in the first p-well and surrounded by the heavily doped n+ region, each of the second doped regions comprising at least one sub-doped region, wherein each of a plurality of first junction field effect transistor (JFET) regions having a third doping concentration formed between each of the first doped regions and the second doped regions, and each of a plurality of second junction field effect transistor (JFET) regions having a fourth doping concentration formed between each of the sub-doped regions or enclosed by the sub-doped region;

a gate dielectric layer, disposed on the n-type drift layer;

a gate electrode, disposed on the gate dielectric layer;

an inter-layer dielectric layer, disposed on the gate dielectric layer and the gate electrode;

a plurality of source openings, penetrating through the inter-layer dielectric layer and the gate dielectric layer to a surface portion of the heavily doped n+ region and the first heavily doped p+ region, and the plurality of source openings are separated by the gate electrode and the inter-layer dielectric layer, wherein a top surface of n-type drift layer and a top surface of the heavily doped p+ region are in a same first plane;

a plurality of junction openings, penetrating through the inter-layer dielectric layer and the gate dielectric layer to a surface portion of the plurality of second JFET regions and the second doped regions, and the plurality of junction openings are separated by the gate electrode and the inter-layer dielectric layer;

a plurality of gate openings, penetrating through the inter-layer dielectric layer to a surface portion of the gate electrode;

a first metal layer, disposed only at a bottom of the source openings, formed an Ohmic contact with the surface portion of the heavily doped n+region and the first heavily doped p+ region;

a second metal layer, comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion covers the source openings and the junction openings, is electrically connected to the first metal layer, and forms a Schottky contact with the surface portion of the plurality of second JFET regions, the second portion covers the gate openings and is electrically insulated from the first portion, wherein a bottom surface of the first metal layer and a bottom surface of a part of the second metal layer are in a same second plane, and

wherein the third doping concentration is greater than the second doping concentration.

13. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein the sub-doped region is selected from a group consisted of a second p-well, a second heavily doped p-type (p+) region and the combination thereof.

14. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of first JFET regions having a first depth, the p-well having a second depth, the heavily doped n+ region having a third depth, the heavily doped p+ region having a fourth depth, wherein the second depth is greater than the third depth.

15. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 14, wherein the first depth is greater than or equal to the second depth.

16. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 14, wherein the first depth is greater than or equal to the fourth depth.

17. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein the first heavily doped p+ region is surrounded by the first p-well and the heavily doped n+ region, and at least a portion of the first heavily doped p+ region overlaps with the first p-well.

18. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein the substrate is a 4H-SiC substrate.

19. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein the first metal layer comprising a silicide or a combination of silicides of a material selected from a group consisting of nickel, titanium, aluminum, molybdenum and niobium.

20. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein the second metal layer is selected from a group or a combination consisting of titanium, molybdenum, nickel, aluminum, titanium silicide, molybdenum silicide, nickel silicide, aluminum silicide, titanium nitride, an aluminum copper alloy and an aluminum silicon copper alloy.

21. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein a planar contour of the first p-well and the sub-doped region are selected from a group consisting of a square, a rectangle, a hexagon and a long stripe.

22. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein a planar contour of the source openings is selected from a group consisting of a quadrilateral, a hexagon, an octagon, a circle and a long stripe.

23. The SiC semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein a planar contour of the junction openings is selected from a group consisting of a quadrilateral, a hexagon, an octagon, a circle and a long stripe.