Semiconductor device and its manufacturing method

• US 20040248330A1
• Filed: 05/04/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Kunimasa, Kitabatake, Makoto, Uchida, Masao, Kusumoto, Osamu, Yamashita, Kenya
• Granted Patent: US 7,230,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/17
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0603 Bonding areas having different sizes, e.g. different heights or widths
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/371 with a principal constituent of the material being a metal or a metalloid, e.g. boron [B], silicon [Si], germanium [Ge], arsenic [As], antimony [Sb], tellurium [Te] and polonium [Po], and alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/40137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45015 being circular
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45124 Aluminium (Al) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4813 Connecting within a semiconductor or solid-state body, i.e. fly wire, bridge wire
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48465 the other connecting portion not on the bonding area being a wedge bond, i.e. ball-to-wedge, regular stitch
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4903 Connectors having different sizes, e.g. different diameters
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49113 the connectors connecting different bonding areas on the semiconductor or solid-state body to a common bonding area outside the body, e.g. converging wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73221 Strap and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/84205 Ultrasonic bonding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49562 for devices being provided for in H01L29/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49575 Assemblies of semiconductor devices on lead frames
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/62 Protection against overvoltage, e.g. fuses, shunts
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/37 of an individual strap connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/40 of an individual strap connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/45 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 : of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/49 : of a plurality of wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/072 : the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0653 : adjoining the input or output region of a field-effect device, e.g. the source or drain region
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/1608 : Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7806 : the other device being a Schottky barrier diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7828 : without inversion channel, e.g. vertical ACCUFETs, normally-on vertical MISFETs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7838 : without inversion channel, e.g. buried channel lateral MISFETs, normally-on lateral MISFETs, depletion-mode lateral MISFETs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00012 : Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 : the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01004 : Beryllium [Be]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 : Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 : Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01012 : Magnesium [Mg]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 : Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01014 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01015 : Phosphorus [P]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01027 : Cobalt [Co]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01028 : Nickel [Ni]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 : Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01047 : Silver [Ag]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0105 : Tin [Sn]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/09701 : Low temperature co-fired ceramic [LTCC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10272 : Silicon Carbide [SiC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12032 : Schottky diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12036 : PN diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12042 : LASER
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1301 : Thyristor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1305 : Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13055 : Insulated gate bipolar transistor [IGBT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13062 : Junction field-effect transistor [JFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13063 : Metal-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MESFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 : Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/2076 : equal to or larger than 100 microns
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance

Abstract

A semiconductor module comprises independently operable segments 1 (semiconductor elements) on a SiC substrate. Each segment 1 comprises a source electrode pad 2 and a gate electrode pad 3 both provided to the principal surface side of the SiC substrate, and a drain electrode pad provided on the back surface side of the SiC substrate. The semiconductor module further comprises an isolation region such as a trench or a Schottky diode for electrically isolating the adjacent segments 1 from each other. Only electrode pads 2 and 3 of each of the segments 1 determined as conforming items by a test are connected to electrode terminals 41 and 43, respectively.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a plurality of semiconductor elements each including an active region made of a wide band-gap semiconductor and at least two electrode pads to which an operating voltage is applied, said plurality of semiconductor elements being operable independently of one another;

a plurality of electrode terminals; and

a plurality of connection members for electrically connecting each of the electrode pads of each of a plurality of particular semiconductor elements, which are at least some of the plurality of semiconductor elements, to a corresponding one of the plurality of electrode terminals,

wherein said plurality of particular semiconductor elements operate in parallel with one another.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of connection members is composed of a material that is blown out by the flow of a current exceeding a fixed value.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of connection members is composed of metal.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of semiconductor elements are formed on a common substrate, and at least one of the electrode pads of each of the semiconductor elements other than the particular semiconductor elements of the plurality of semiconductor elements is not electrically connected to either of the plurality of electrode terminals.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor elements other than the particular semiconductor elements of the plurality of semiconductor elements include those determined as having a malfunction by a test.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor elements other than the particular semiconductor elements of the plurality of semiconductor elements include those determined as operating well by the test, and the number of the particular semiconductor elements is set at a fixed value.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising an isolation region serving as a Schottky diode for electrically isolating the plurality of semiconductor elements from one another.

8. The semiconductor device of any one of claim 1, wherein the area of each of the semiconductor elements is within the range between 0.1 mm² and 50 mm².

9. The semiconductor device of any one of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor elements include at least either MISFETs or Schottky diodes.

10. The semiconductor device of any one of claim 1, wherein the wide band-gap semiconductor is silicon carbide.

11. A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a plurality of semiconductor elements each including an active region made of a wide band-gap semiconductor and at least two electrode pads to which an operating voltage is applied, said plurality of semiconductor elements being operable independently of one another;

(b) determining whether or not each of the plurality of semiconductor elements operates well;

(c) connecting each of the electrode pads of each of a plurality of particular semiconductor elements determined as operating well in the step (b) to a corresponding one of electrode terminals; and

(d) incorporating at least the plurality of particular semiconductor elements into one package after the step (c).

12. The method for fabricating a semiconductor device of claim 11, wherein

in the step (a), the plurality of semiconductor elements are formed on a common substrate,

in the step (c), at least one of the electrode pads of each of the semiconductor elements other than the particular semiconductor elements of the plurality of semiconductor elements is not electrically connected to either of the plurality of electrode terminals, and

in the step (d), all of the plurality of semiconductor elements are incorporated into one package.

13. The method for fabricating a semiconductor device of claim 11, wherein

in the step (a), the plurality of semiconductor elements are formed physically separated from one another, and

in the step (d), only those of the plurality of semiconductor elements determined as operating well are incorporated into one package.