Semiconductor component and method for fabricating it

• US 20060209586A1
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria Ag (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria Ag (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Hirler, Franz
• Granted Patent: US 7,741,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/149
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/407 Recessed field plates, e.g. trench field plates, buried field plates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/4236 within a trench, e.g. trench gate electrode, groove gate electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/42368 the thickness being non-uniform
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/42372 characterised by the conducting layer, e.g. the length, the sectional shape or the lay-out H01L29/42324 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7811 with an edge termination structure guard regions per se H01L29/0619; field plates per se H01L29/402
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7813 with trench gate electrode, e.g. UMOS transistors trench gate electrodes per se H01L29/4236

Abstract

A semiconductor component has a semiconductor body in which a trench structure is provided. An electrode structure embedded in the trench structure is at least partly insulated from its surroundings by an insulation structure, and is contact-connected in a contact-connecting region via a contact hole that penetrates through an upper region of the insulation structure. The semiconductor component has at least two trenches running next to one another, at least one of said trenches containing a part of the electrode structure. The trenches are oriented so that at least the regions of the insulation structure which are provided in the upper region of the trenches overlap one another in an overlap region. The contact hole is arranged above the at least two trenches in such a way that at least parts of the overlap region and at least one of the electrode structure parts are contact-connected via the contact hole.

Claims

1. A semiconductor component comprising:

semiconductor body including a trench structure, the trench structure including at least two trench regions disposed adjacent to each other, at least one trench region including at least a part of an electrode structure, the electrode structure being embedded in the trench structure and at least partly insulated from its surroundings by an insulation structure,

wherein the two trench regions are oriented relative to one another in such a way that at least portions of the insulation structure which are provided in an upper region of the two trench regions overlap one another in an overlap region; and

wherein a contact hole is arranged above the at least two trench regions in such a way that at least parts of the overlap region and at least one electrode structure part are contact-connected via the contact hole.

2. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two trench regions have approximately the same dimensions as cell array trenches of the semiconductor component.

3. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact hole is arranged in such a way that at least two electrode structure parts are situated in different of the at least two trench regions.

4. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one electrode structure part that is contact-connected via the contact hole comprises part of a gate electrode structure.

5. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one electrode structure part that is contact-connected via the contact hole comprises part of a field electrode structure.

6. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1, wherein distances between the two trench regions, dimensions of the two trench regions and also the insulation structure are configured in such a way that the two trench regions form a common trench.

7. A method for fabricating a contact-connecting region of an electrode structure provided in a semiconductor body of a semiconductor component, the method comprising:

forming a trench structure in the semiconductor body, said trench structure having a contact-connecting region within which are located at least two trench regions disposed adjacent one another;

forming an electrode structure embedded in the trench structure in such a way that at least one trench region contains a part of the electrode structure;

forming an insulation structure operable to insulate the electrode structure from surrounding areas, wherein parts of the insulation structure that are situated in upper regions of the two trench regions overlap one another in an overlap region; and

forming a contact hole above the at least two trench regions, the contact hole being arranged in such a way that at least parts of the overlap region and at least one electrode structure part are contact-connected via the contact hole.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least two trench regions have approximately the same dimensions as cell array trenches of the semiconductor component;

and

wherein forming a trench structure further comprises forming the at least two trench regions with the cell array trenches in a common process step.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least two electrode structure parts are situated in different trench regions.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one electrode structure part that is contact-connected via the contact hole is part of a gate electrode structure.

11. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one electrode structure part that is contact-connected via the contact hole is part of a field electrode structure.

12. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein distances between the at least two trench regions, dimensions of the at least two trench regions and the insulation structure are selected in such a way that the at least two trench regions form a common trench.

13. The method as claimed in one of claims 12, wherein the formation of an insulation structure comprises:

oxidizing a part of the semiconductor body located between the at least two trench regions to produce the overlap region.

14. A trench transistor having a semiconductor body, the trench transistor comprising:

at least two trenches adjacent each other in a contact-connecting region of the semiconductor body, each trench including;

an electrode structure; and

an insulation structure configured to at least partly insulate the electrode structure from surrounding areas; and

a contact hole formed above the at least two trenches in the contact-connecting region;

wherein portions of the insulation structures of the at least two trenches are merged to form an insulation structure overlap region; and

wherein the contact hole is configured to contact-connect the electrode structures of the at least two trenches and at least a part of the overlap region.

15. The trench transistor as claimed in claim 14, wherein the contact hole is arranged centrally with respect to the overlap region such that the contact hole makes contact substantially equally with each of the electrode structures of the at least two trenches.

16. The trench transistor as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least two trenches are v-shaped.

17. The trench transistor as claimed in claim 16, wherein the overlap region comprises merged portions of the insulation structures that are located in upper regions of each of the v-shaped trenches.

18. The trench transistor as claimed in claim 14, wherein the at least two trenches have approximately the same dimensions as cell array trenches of the trench transistor.

19. The trench transistor as claimed in claim 14, wherein at least one electrode structure part that is contact-connected via the contact hole comprises part of a gate electrode structure.

20. The trench transistor as claimed in claim 14, wherein at least one electrode structure part that is contact-connected via the contact hole comprises part of a field electrode structure.