Silicon carbide switching device with rectifying-gate

• US 5,396,085 A
• Filed: 12/28/1993
• Issued: 03/07/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 78 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: North Carolina State University (University of North Carolina System)
• Inventors: Baliga, Bantval J.
• Primary Examiner(s): James, Andrew J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Monin, Jr., Donald L.
• Application Number:
  US08/174,690
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 257/77, 257/260, 257/261, 257/262, 257/263, 257/133, 257/134, 257/135, 257/136, 257/365, 257/267, 257/264
• US Class Current: 257/77
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/085 including field-effect components only
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/1608 Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/267 in different semiconductor regions , e.g. heterojunctions H01L29/263 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7813 with trench gate electrode, e.g. UMOS transistors trench gate electrodes per se H01L29/4236
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7832 the structure comprising a MOS gate and at least one non-MOS gate, e.g. JFET or MESFET gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/8083 Vertical transistors SIT H01L29/7722
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/8122 Vertical transistors SIT, PBT H01L29/7722

Abstract

A silicon carbide switching device includes a three-terminal interconnected silicon MOSFET and silicon carbide MESFET (or JFET) in a composite substrate of silicon and silicon carbide. For three terminal operation, the gate electrode of the silicon carbide MESFET is electrically shorted to the source region of the silicon MOSFET, and the source region of the silicon carbide MESFET is electrically connected to the drain of the silicon MOSFET in the composite substrate. Accordingly, three-terminal control is provided by the source and gate electrode of the silicon MOSFET and the drain of the silicon carbide MESFET (or JFET). The switching device is designed to be normally-off and therefore blocks positive drain biases when the MOSFET gate electrode is shorted to the source electrode. At low drain biases, blocking is provided by the MOSFET, which has a nonconductive silicon active region. Higher drain biases are supported by the formation of a depletion region in the silicon carbide MESFET (or JFET). To turn-on the device, the gate electrode is biased positive and an inversion layer channel of relatively low resistance is formed in the silicon active region. The channel electrically connects the source of the silicon carbide MESFET (or JFET) with the source of the silicon MOSFET to thereby turn-on the device when a positive drain bias is applied.

Claims

1. A three terminal gate controlled semiconductor switching device, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate having first and second opposing faces;

an insulated-gate field effect transistor having an insulated gate electrode, a first source region at the first face and a first drain region in the semiconductor substrate;

a rectifying-gate field effect transistor having a gate electrode, a second source region in the semiconductor substrate and a second drain region at the second face, wherein said gate electrode and said second source region are electrically connected to said first source region and said first drain region, respectively;

a drain contact electrically connected to said second drain region at the second face; and

a source contact electrically connected to said first source region at the first face.

2. The three terminal gate controlled switching device of claim 1, wherein said rectifying-gate field effect transistor comprises a JFET.

3. A three terminal gate controlled semiconductor switching device, comprising:

an insulated-gate field effect transistor having an insulated gate electrode, a first source region and a first drain region;

a rectifying-gate field effect transistor having a gate electrode, a second source region and a second drain region, wherein said gate electrode and said second source region are electrically connected to said first source region and said first drain region, respectively;

a drain contact electrically connected to said second drain region;

a source contact electrically connected to said first source region; and

wherein said rectifying-gate field effect transistor comprises a MESFET.

4. A three terminal gate controlled semiconductor switching device, comprising:

an insulated-gate field effect transistor having an insulated gate electrode, a first source region and a first drain region;

a rectifying-gate field effect transistor having a gate electrode, a second source region and a second drain region, wherein said gate electrode and said second source region are electrically connected to said first source region and said first drain region, respectively, wherein said first source region and said first drain region comprise silicon and wherein said second source region and said second drain region comprise silicon carbide;

a drain contact electrically connected to said second drain region; and

a source contact electrically connected to said first source region.

5. The three terminal gate controlled switching device of claim 4, wherein said insulated-gate field effect transistor comprises a MOSFET and said rectifying-gate field effect transistor comprises a JFET.

6. The three terminal gate controlled switching device of claim 4, wherein said insulated-gate field effect transistor comprises a MOSFET and said rectifying-gate field effect transistor comprises a MESFET.

7. A semiconductor switching device comprising:

a semiconductor substrate having first and second opposing faces;

a drift region of first conductivity type in said semiconductor substrate;

a source region of said first. conductivity type in said semiconductor substrate, extending to the first face;

a drain region of said first conductivity type in said semiconductor substrate, between said drift region and the second face, said drain region having a first conductivity type dopant concentration greater than said drift region;

insulated-gate transistor means having an active region in said substrate, between said source region at the first face and said drift region, for electrically connecting said source region to said drift region in response to a turn-on bias signal; and

rectifying-gate transistor means in said substrate, including a rectifying-gate adjacent said drift region, for controlling the conductivity of said drift region, said rectifying-gate electrically connected to said source region.

8. A semiconductor switching device, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a drift region of first conductivity type in said semiconductor substrate;

a source region of said first conductivity type in said semiconductor substrate, extending to a face thereof;

insulated-gate transistor means having an active region in said substrate, between said source region and said drift region, for electrically connecting said source region to said drift region in response to a turn-on bias signal;

rectifying-gate transistor means in said substrate, including a rectifying-gate adjacent said drift region, for controlling the conductivity of said drift region, said rectifying-gate electrically connected to said source region; and

a trench in said semiconductor substrate at said face, said trench having a sidewall extending between said source region and said drift region and a bottom adjacent said drift region,

wherein said insulated-gate transistor means includes an insulated-gate electrode which extends adjacent said sidewall and wherein said rectifying-gate extends adjacent said sidewall, between said insulated-gate electrode and said trench bottom.

10. The switching device of claim 8, wherein said active region is of second conductivity type and wherein said insulated-gate transistor means forms a first conductivity type channel region in said active region in response to said turn-on bias signal.

11. The switching device of claim 10, wherein said insulated-gate transistor means further comprises an intermediate drain region of first conductivity type in said semiconductor substrate, between said active region and said drift region, said intermediate drain region having a first conductivity type dopant concentration greater than the first conductivity type dopant concentration of said drift region.

12. The switching device of claim 10, wherein said insulated-gate transistor means comprises an N-channel enhancement-mode MOSFET and wherein said rectifying-gate forms a Schottky barrier rectifier with said drift region.

13. The switching device of claim 10, wherein said insulated-gate transistor means comprises an N-channel enhancement-mode MOSFET and wherein said rectifying-gate comprises a gate region of second conductivity type in said drift region, adjacent said trench sidewall, and a conductive gate electrode ohmically contacting said gate region.

14. The switching device of claim 10, wherein said drift region comprises silicon carbide and wherein said active region comprises monocrystalline silicon.

15. The switching device of claim 10, wherein said rectifying-gate extends adjacent said trench bottom and forms a Schottky barrier rectifier with said drift region, adjacent said trench bottom.

16. The switching device of claim 11, wherein said rectifying-gate extends adjacent said sidewall, between said intermediate drain region and said trench bottom.

9. A semiconductor switching device, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a drift region of first conductivity type in said semiconductor substrate;

a source region of said first conductivity type in said semiconductor substrate, extending to a face thereof;

insulated-gate transistor means having an active region in said substrate, between said source region and said drift region, for electrically connecting said source region to said drift region in response to a turn-on bias signal;

rectifying-gate transistor means in said substrate, including a rectifying-gate adjacent said drift region, for controlling the conductivity of said drift region, said rectifying-gate electrically connected to said source region; and

wherein said insulated-gate transistor means comprises an N-channel enhancement-mode silicon MOSFET and wherein said rectifying-gate transistor means comprises a field effect transistor selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide MESFETs and silicon carbide JFETs.

17. A semiconductor switching device comprising:

a semiconductor substrate having first and second opposing faces;

a source contact on said first face;

a drain contact on said second face;

a field effect transistor in said semiconductor substrate having a first source region in said substrate, a gate electrically connected to said source contact and a first drain region electrically connected to said drain contact; and

an insulated-gate field effect transistor having an insulated-gate electrode, a second source region electrically connected to said source contact and a second drain region electrically connected to said first source region, said insulated-gate field effect transistor being responsive to the application of a turn-on bias signal to said insulated-gate electrode for electrically connecting said second source region to said first source region and allowing majority carrier conduction therebetween when said drain contact is biased to a first polarity with respect to said source contact.

18. The switching device of claim 17, wherein said insulated-gate field effect transistor comprises a MOSFET and wherein said field effect transistor comprises a MESFET.

19. The switching device of claim 17, wherein said insulated-gate field effect transistor includes a silicon active region and wherein said first drain region comprises silicon carbide.

20. The switching device of claim 17, wherein said field effect transistor provides majority carrier conduction in said first drain region when said drain contact is biased to a second polarity with respect to said source contact, opposite said first polarity, irrespective of the value of said turn-on bias signal.

21. The switching device of claim 20, wherein said insulated-gate field effect transistor comprises a MOSFET and wherein said field effect transistor comprises a JFET.

22. A silicon carbide switching device, comprising:

a silicon carbide substrate having first and second opposing faces;

a source region of first conductivity type in said substrate, extending to said first face;

a drain region of first conductivity type in said substrate, extending to said second face;

a drift region of first conductivity type in said substrate, extending between said source region and said drain region, said drift region having a first conductivity type doping concentration below the doping concentration of said source region and said drain region;

first and second adjacent trenches in said substrate extending to said first face and defining a mesa including said source region therebetween, said mesa having first and second sidewalls extending between said drift region and said source region and said first trench having a bottom; and

a conductive layer at the bottom, electrically connected to said source region.

23. The silicon carbide switching device of claim 22, wherein said conductive layer forms a Schottky barrier rectifying junction with said drift region.

24. The silicon carbide switching device of claim 22, further comprising a region of second conductivity type in said mesa and wherein said conductive layer ohmically contacts said region of second conductivity type.

25. A three terminal semiconductor switching device, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

a silicon carbide field effect transistor in said substrate selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide JFETs and silicon carbide MESFETs, said silicon carbide field effect transistor having a first drain region, a first source region and a first gate;

a silicon insulated-gate field effect transistor in said substrate having a second drain region electrically connected to said first source region, a second source and a second gate;

drain contact electrically connected to said first drain; and

a source contact electrically connected to said first gate and said second source,

wherein the application of a turn-on bias signal to said second gate electrically connects said source contact to said drain contact when said first drain is biased to a first polarity with respect to said second source.

26. The three terminal semiconductor switching device of claim 25, wherein said silicon insulated-gate field effect transistor comprises an enhancement-mode MOSFET.

27. The three terminal semiconductor switching device of claim 25 wherein said silicon insulated-gate field effect transistor comprises an accumulation-mode MOSFET.

28. The three terminal semiconductor switching device of claim 26, further comprising a plurality of trenches in said substrate, extending to a face thereof, and wherein said second gate extends in adjacent ones of said trenches.