Silicon carbide semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same

• US 7,541,300 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2007
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kumar, Malhan Rajesh, Takeuchi, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nhu; David
• Application Number:
  US11/826,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20080014702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 438/197, 438/259, 438/265, 438/510, 438/513, 438/289, 438/680, 438/700, 438/931
• US Class Current: 438/259
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/1608 Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66666 Vertical transistors H01L29/66712, H01L29/66742 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7391 Gated diode structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7397 and a gate structure lying on a slanted or vertical surface or formed in a groove, e.g. trench gate IGBT
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7828 without inversion channel, e.g. vertical ACCUFETs, normally-on vertical MISFETs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/931 Silicon carbide semiconductor

Abstract

A silicon carbide semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor substrate having a silicon carbide substrate, a first semiconductor layer, a second semiconductor layer, and a third semiconductor layer; a trench penetrating the second and the third semiconductor layers to reach the first semiconductor layer; a channel layer on a sidewall and a bottom of the trench; an oxide film on the channel layer; a gate electrode on the oxide film; a first electrode connecting to the third semiconductor layer; and a second electrode connecting to the silicon carbide substrate. A position of a boundary between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer is disposed lower than an utmost lowest position of the oxide film.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a silicon carbide semiconductor device comprising the steps of:

preparing a semiconductor substrate including a silicon carbide substrate having a first conductivity type or a second conductivity type, a first semiconductor layer made of first conductivity type silicon carbide and having an impurity concentration lower than that of the silicon carbide substrate, a second semiconductor layer made of second conductivity type silicon carbide, and a third semiconductor layer made of the first conductivity type silicon carbide, which are stacked in this order;

forming a trench in a cell region of the semiconductor substrate, the trench penetrating the second and the third semiconductor layers to reach the first semiconductor layer;

forming a fourth semiconductor layer having the first conductivity type in the trench by an epitaxial growth method in such a manner that a part of the fourth semiconductor layer disposed on a bottom of the trench is thicker than that on a sidewall of the trench;

forming an oxide film on an inner wall of the trench by a thermal oxidation method in such a manner that the oxide film includes a part for functioning as a gate oxide film, which contacts the fourth semiconductor layer, so that the fourth semiconductor layer provides a channel layer;

forming a gate electrode on a surface of the oxide film in the trench;

forming a first electrode electrically connecting to the third semiconductor layer; and

forming a second electrode electrically connecting to the silicon carbide substrate, wherein

in the step of forming the oxide film, the thermal oxidation method is performed so that a position of a boundary between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer is disposed lower than an utmost lowest position of the oxide film in the trench.

2. The method for manufacturing the silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising:

forming a fifth semiconductor layer on the fourth semiconductor layer on the sidewall and on the bottom of the trench, the fifth semiconductor layer having a dopant concentration of the first conductivity type impurity higher than that of the fourth semiconductor layer, wherein

in the step of forming the oxide film, the thermal oxidation method is performed until a part of the fifth semiconductor layer formed on the sidewall of the trench is completely oxidized so that the oxide film is formed, and that a low resistance layer having the first conductivity type is formed under the oxide film on a bottom of the trench by maintaining the fifth semiconductor layer without oxidation.

3. The method for manufacturing the silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

in the step of forming the trench, a plane orientation of the sidewall of the trench is set to be a (1-100)-surface or a (11-20)-surface.

4. The method for manufacturing the silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein

in the step of forming the fourth semiconductor layer, the thickness of the part of the fourth semiconductor layer formed on the bottom of the trench is set to be once to five times larger than that formed on the sidewall of the trench.

5. The method for manufacturing the silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein

in the step of forming the fourth semiconductor layer, a dopant concentration of a first conductivity type impurity in the part of the fourth semiconductor layer formed on the sidewall of the trench is set to be once to five times larger than that formed on the bottom of the trench.

6. The method for manufacturing the silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

the step of preparing the semiconductor substrate, in a case where the silicon carbide substrate has the first conductivity type, including the steps of:

forming a plurality of second trenches on a backside of the substrate, each second trench reaching the first semiconductor layer; and

embedding the second trenches with an impurity layer having the second conductivity type.

7. The method for manufacturing the silicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

the step of preparing the semiconductor substrate, in a case where the silicon carbide substrate has the second conductivity type, including the steps of:

forming a plurality of second trenches on a backside of the substrate, each second trench reaching the first semiconductor layer; and

embedding the second trenches with an impurity layer having the second conductivity type.