Silicon carbide metal-insulator semiconductor field effect transistor

• US 5,719,409 A
• Filed: 06/06/1996
• Issued: 02/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wolfspeed, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cree Research, Inc.
• Inventors: Singh, Ranbir, Palmour, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crane, Sara W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hardy, David B.
• Application Number:
  US08/659,412
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 257/327, 257/328, 257/329, 257/330, 257/331, 257/332, 257/334, 257/76, 257/77
• US Class Current: 257/77
• 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 29/41741 for vertical or pseudo-vertical devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/41766 with at least part of the source or drain electrode having contact below the semiconductor surface, e.g. the source or drain electrode formed at least partially in a groove or with inclusions of conductor inside the semiconductor H01L29/41733 - H01L29/41758 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66068 the devices being controllable only by the electric current supplied or the electric potential applied, to an electrode which does not carry the current to be rectified, amplified or switched, e.g. three-terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7802 Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7813 with trench gate electrode, e.g. UMOS transistors trench gate electrodes per se H01L29/4236

Abstract

A silicon carbide (SIC) metal-insulator semiconductor field effect transistor having a u-shaped gate trench and an n-type SiC drift layer is provided. A p-type region is formed in the SiC drift layer and extends below the bottom of the u-shaped gate trench to prevent field crowding at the corner of the gate trench. A unit cell of a metal-insulator semiconductor transistor is provided having a bulk single crystal SiC substrate of n-type conductivity SiC, a first epitaxial layer of n-type SiC and a second epitaxial layer of p-type SiC. First and second trenches extend downward through the second epitaxial layer and into the first epitaxial layer with a region of n-type SiC between the trenches. An insulator layer is formed in the first trench with the upper surface of the insulator on the bottom of the trench below the second epitaxial layer. A region of p-type SiC is formed in the first epitaxial layer below the second trench. Gate and source contacts are formed in the first and second trenches respectively and a drain contact is formed on the substrate.

Claims

1. A unit cell of a metal-insulator semiconductor transistor, said unit cell comprising:

a bulk single crystal silicon carbide substrate of n-type conductivity silicon carbide, said substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite said upper surface;

a first epitaxial layer of n-type conductivity silicon carbide formed on said upper surface of said substrate, wherein the carrier concentration of said substrate is higher than the carrier concentration of said first epitaxial layer, said first epitaxial layer forming a drift layer for said transistor;

a second epitaxial layer of p-type conductivity silicon carbide formed on said first epitaxial layer, said second epitaxial layer forming a base layer for said transistor;

a first trench extending downward through said second epitaxial layer and into said first epitaxial layer, said trench having sidewalls and a bottom;

a second trench, adjacent said first trench and extending downward through said second epitaxial layer and into said first epitaxial layer so as to form a base region between said first trench and said second trench, said second trench having sidewalls and a bottom;

regions of n-type conductivity formed between said first trench and said second trench and adjacent said second epitaxial layer, wherein said n-type conductivity regions have a higher carrier concentration than said first and said second epitaxial layers and wherein said n-type regions have an upper surface opposite said second epitaxial layer;

an insulator layer formed on said sidewalls and said bottom of said first trench and extending onto said upper surface of said n-type regions between said first and said second trench to create a gate insulator layer, wherein the upper surface of said gate oxide layer formed on the bottom of said first trench is below the lower surface of said second epitaxial layer;

a region of p-type conductivity silicon carbide formed in said first epitaxial layer below said second trench, wherein said region of p-type conductivity silicon carbide has a higher carrier concentration than said second epitaxial layer;

an ohmic contact formed on said lower surface of said substrate to form a drain contact;

an ohmic contact formed on said sidewall and said bottom of said second trench and extending onto said upper surface of said n-type regions between said first and said second trench to form a source contact; and

a conducting layer formed in said first trench to form a gate contact.

2. A unit cell of a silicon carbide metal-insulator semiconductor field effect transistor according to claim 1 wherein said second epitaxial layer has a thickness of less than about 5 μ

m.

3. A unit cell of a silicon carbide metal-insulator semiconductor field effect transistor according to claim 1 wherein said second epitaxial layer has a carrier concentration of less than about 2×

10¹⁸ cm^-3.

4. A silicon carbide metal-insulator semiconductor transistor comprising a plurality of the unit cells of claim 1.

5. A unit cell of a silicon carbide metal-insulator semiconductor field effect transistor according to claim 1 wherein said insulating layer comprises an oxide layer.

6. A unit cell of a silicon carbide metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor according to claim 5 wherein said n-type regions comprise a third epitaxial layer of n-type silicon carbide formed on said second epitaxial layer and having an upper surface opposite said second epitaxial layer, and wherein said first and said second trench extend downward through said third and said second epitaxial layers.

7. A unit cell of a silicon carbide metal-insulator semiconductor field effect transistor according to claim 1 further comprising a buffer layer of n-type silicon carbide formed between said first epitaxial layer and said substrate.

8. A metal-oxide semiconductor transistor comprising:

a bulk single crystal silicon carbide substrate of n-type conductivity silicon carbide, said substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite said upper surface;

a first epitaxial layer of n-type conductivity silicon carbide formed on said upper surface of said substrate, wherein the carrier concentration of said substrate is higher than the carrier concentration of said first epitaxial layer;

a second epitaxial layer of p-type conductivity silicon carbide formed on said first epitaxial layer;

a first trench extending downward through said second epitaxial layer and into said first epitaxial layer, said trench having sidewalls and a bottom;

a second trench, adjacent said first trench and extending downward through said second epitaxial layer and into said first epitaxial layer so as to form a base region between said first trench and said second trench, said second trench having sidewalls and a bottom;

a third trench, adjacent said first trench and opposite said second trench such that said first trench is disposed between said second trench and said third trench, said third trench extending downward through said second epitaxial layer and into said first epitaxial layer and said third trench having sidewalls and a bottom;

regions of n-type conductivity silicon carbide formed between said first and said second trenches and said first and said third trenches and adjacent said second epitaxial layer, wherein said regions of n-type conductivity silicon carbide have a higher carrier concentration than said first and said second epitaxial layers and wherein said regions of n-type conductivity silicon carbide have an upper surface opposite said second epitaxial layer;

an oxide layer formed on said sidewalls and said bottom of said first trench and extending onto said upper surface of said regions of n-type conductivity silicon carbide between said first and said second trench to create a gate oxide layer, wherein the upper surface of said gate oxide layer formed on the bottom of said first trench is below said second epitaxial layer;

regions of p-type conductivity silicon carbide formed in said first epitaxial layer below said second trench and said third trench, wherein said regions of p-type conductivity silicon carbide has a higher carrier concentration than said second epitaxial layer;

an ohmic drain contact formed on said lower surface of said substrate to form a drain contact;

an ohmic source contact formed on said sidewall and said bottom of said second trench and extending onto said upper surface of said regions of n-type conductivity silicon carbide between said first and said second trench to form a source contact;

an ohmic contact formed on said sidewall and said bottom of said third trench and electrically connected to said ohmic source contact; and

a conductive layer formed in said first trench on said oxide layer to form a gate contact.

9. A silicon carbide metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor according to claim 8 wherein said second epitaxial layer has a thickness of less than about 5 μ

m.

10. A silicon carbide metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor according to claim 8 wherein said second epitaxial layer has a carrier concentration of less than about 2×

10¹⁸ cm^-3.

11. A silicon carbide metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor according to claim 8 further comprising a buffer layer of n-type conductivity silicon carbide formed between said first epitaxial layer and said substrate.

12. A silicon carbide metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor according to claim 11 wherein said n-type regions comprise a third epitaxial layer of n-type silicon carbide formed on said second epitaxial layer and having an upper surface opposite said second epitaxial layer, and wherein said first and said second trench extend downward through said third and said second epitaxial layers.

13. A silicon carbide metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor according to claim 8 wherein said silicon carbide comprises 4H silicon carbide.