Silicon carbide semiconductor device

• US 7,470,930 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2006
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Okuno, Eiichi, Sakakibara, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Elms; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERNSTEIN, ALLISON
• Application Number:
  US11/396,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20060231841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 257/66, 257/77, 257/329, 257/341
• US Class Current: 257/66
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/823487 with a particular manufacturing method of vertical transistor structures, i.e. with channel vertical to the substrate surface with a current flow parallel to the substrate surface H01L21/823431
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/088 the components being field-effect transistors with insulated gate
• 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

Abstract

A silicon carbide semiconductor device includes a semiconductor element disposed in a semiconductor substrate having a first conductive type silicon carbide layer and a silicon substrate. The device includes: a trench on the silicon carbide layer to reach the silicon substrate; and a conductive layer in the trench between the silicon carbide layer and the silicon substrate to connect to both of them. The semiconductor element is a vertical type semiconductor element so that current flows on both of a top surface portion and a backside surface portion of the semiconductor substrate. The current flows through the conductive layer.

Claims

1. A silicon carbide semiconductor device including a semiconductor element, wherein the semiconductor element is disposed in a semiconductor substrate having a first conductive type silicon carbide layer and a silicon substrate, and wherein the first conductive type silicon carbide layer is disposed on a principal surface of the silicon substrate, the device comprising:

a trench disposed on a surface of the silicon carbide layer to reach the silicon substrate; and

a conductive layer disposed in the trench at a boundary portion between the silicon carbide layer and the silicon substrate to connect to both of the silicon carbide layer and the silicon substrate, wherein

the semiconductor element is a vertical type semiconductor element so that current flows on both of a top surface portion and a backside surface portion of the semiconductor substrate,

the current flows through the conductive layer, and

a low resistance layer disposed at a boundary portion between the silicon carbide layer and the silicon substrate in such a manner that an impurity concentration of a first conductive type impurity in the low resistance layer is higher than that of the silicon carbide layer,

the trench penetrates the low resistance layer and reaches the silicon substrate,

the conductive layer is disposed in the trench to connect between the low resistance layer and the silicon substrate,

the low resistance layer is made of silicon carbide,

the low resistance layer and the silicon carbide layer are epitaxially disposed on the silicon substrate so that the low resistance layer, the silicon carbide layer and the silicon substrate provide a heteroepitaxial structure,

the current flows from the top surface portion to the backside surface portion through the silicon carbide layer, the low resistance layer, the conductive layer and the silicon substrate, and

the silicon carbide layer provides a drift layer, and the low resistance layer provides a drain.

2. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an insulation film disposed on a sidewall of the trench.

3. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

the semiconductor element is a vertical type power MOSFET including:

a base region having a second conductive type, which is disposed on a surface portion of the silicon carbide layer;

a source region having the first conductive type, which is disposed on a surface portion of the base region;

a gate insulation film disposed on a channel region, which is provided by a portion of the surface of the base region, the portion sandwiched between the silicon carbide layer and the source region;

a gate electrode disposed on the gate insulation film;

an inter layer insulation film for covering the gate electrode, wherein a contact hole is disposed in the interlayer insulation film for connecting to both of the source region and the base region; and

a source electrode for electrically connecting to both of the source region and the base region through the contact hole in the interlayer insulation film.

4. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein

the vertical type power MOSFET is a planar type vertical power MOSFET, in which the channel region is parallel to the principal surface of the silicon substrate.

5. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

a part of the conductive layer that is contacting the silicon substrate is made of titanium, and

another part of the conductive layer that is contacting the silicon carbide layer is made of nickel.

6. The silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an insulation film disposed on a part of a sidewall of the trench, wherein

the part of the sidewall is only disposed in the silicon carbide layer,

the conductive layer directly contacts the silicon substrate, the low resistance layer and the insulation film, and

the insulation film insulates and separates the conductive layer from the silicon carbide layer.