Semiconductor device

• US 8,022,474 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria Ag (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria Ag (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Hirler, Franz, Rieger, Walter, Haeberlen, Oliver, Krumrey, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Jr.; Jerome
• Assistant Examiner(s): Budd; Paul A
• Application Number:
  US12/241,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20100078707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 257/330, 257/331, 257/332, 257/401, 257/E29.028, 257/E29.066
• US Class Current: 257/331
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/26586 characterised by the angle between the ion beam and the crystal planes or the main crystal surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0629 in combination with diodes, or resistors, or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0623 Buried supplementary region, e.g. buried guard ring multi-RESURF H01L29/0634
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0834 Anode regions of thyristors or gated bipolar-mode devices, e.g. supplementary regions surrounding anode regions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/086 Impurity concentration or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0878 Impurity concentration or distribution
• 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 29/404 Multiple field plate structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/407 Recessed field plates, e.g. trench field plates, buried field plates
• 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 29/42368 the thickness being non-uniform
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/495 the conductor material next to the insulator being a simple metal, e.g. W, Mo H01L29/4908, H01L29/4983 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/4966 the conductor material next to the insulator being a composite material, e.g. organic material, TiN, MoSi2 H01L29/4908, H01L29/4983 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66727 with a step of recessing the source electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66734 with a step of recessing the gate electrode, e.g. to form a trench gate electrode
• 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 29/7803 structurally associated with at least one other device assemblies H01L25/00; integrated circuits H01L27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7805 in antiparallel, e.g. freewheel diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7813 with trench gate electrode, e.g. UMOS transistors trench gate electrodes per se H01L29/4236

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a source metallization, a source region of a first conductivity type in contact with the source metallization, a body region of a second conductivity type which is adjacent to the source region. The semiconductor device further includes a first field-effect structure including a first insulated gate electrode and a second field-effect structure including a second insulated gate electrode which is electrically connected to the source metallization. The capacitance per unit area between the second insulated gate electrode and the body region is larger than the capacitance per unit area between the first insulated gate electrode and the body region.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a source metallization;

a first field-effect structure including a source region of a first conductivity type, the source region being electrically connected to the source metallization;

a body region of a second conductivity type adjacent to the source region;

a first gate electrode and a first insulating region which is arranged at least between the first gate electrode and the body region, the first gate electrode, the first insulating region and the body region forming a first capacitance, the first capacitance having a first capacitance per unit area;

wherein the first gate electrode is in a trench in the body region;

a second field-effect structure including a source region of the first conductivity type;

a body region of the second conductivity type adjacent to the source region;

a second gate electrode and a second insulating region which is arranged at least between the second gate electrode and the body region, the source region and the second gate electrode being electrically connected to the source metallization;

the second gate electrode, the second insulating region and the body region forming a second capacitance, the second capacitance having a second capacitance per unit area;

wherein the second gate electrode is in a trench in the body region;

the second capacitance per unit area being larger than the first capacitance per unit area;

the first insulating region having a first thickness d₁ between the first gate electrode and the body region;

the second insulating region having a second thickness d₂ between the second gate electrode and the body region; and

wherein the second thickness d₂ is smaller than the first thickness d₁.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the second capacitance per unit area is larger than about 4.3 nF/mm².

3. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the first insulating region has a first permittivity and wherein the second insulating region has a second permittivity which is higher than the first permittivity.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is selected from a group consisting of, a UMOSFET, a DMOSFET, a Superjunction-MOSFET or an reverse conducting IGBT.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising a common drift region of the first conductivity type;

the common drift region forming a pn-junction with both body regions;

wherein the body region of the first field effect structure and the common drift region form a body diode;

wherein the second field effect structure forms a MOS-gated diode (MGD) connected in parallel to the body diode;

wherein the total current through the semiconductor device in forward biasing of the body diode is dominated by an unipolar current above an average current flow density in the drift region; and

wherein the average current flow density is about 1 mA/mm².

6. The semiconductor device of claim 5, wherein the MOS-controlled diode has a channel region for forming an inversion channel at a threshold voltage which is lower than about 0.26 V for a total current per channel width of 10 mA/m, wherein the inversion channel extends in a first direction from the source region to the drift region with a length and has in a direction perpendicular to the first direction a channel width.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 1, comprising a plurality of first field-effect structures and second field-effect structures, wherein at least a part of the plurality of first field-effect structures and second field-effect structures are arranged in a regular pattern.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 7, wherein, in the regular pattern, the ratio between the first field-effect structures and the second field-effect structures is in a range between about 1:

1 to 100;

1.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the body region includes a first body sub-region adjoining the first insulating region and a second body sub-region adjoining the second insulating region, wherein the doping concentration of the second body sub-region is lower than the doping concentration of the first body sub-region.

10. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and the second field-effect structures further includes at least one field plate electrically connected to the source metallization.

11. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the first gate electrode includes a material having a first workfunction, and wherein the second gate electrode includes a material having a second workfunction which is smaller than the first work function.

12. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a source metallization;

a first field-effect structure including a source region of a first conductivity type, the source region being electrically connected to the source metallization;

a body region of a second conductivity type adjacent to the source region;

a first gate electrode and a first insulating region which is arranged at least between the first gate electrode and the body region, the first gate electrode, the first insulating region and the body region forming a first capacitance, the first capacitance having a first capacitance per unit area;

wherein the first gate electrode is in a trench in the body region;

a second field-effect structure including a source region of the first conductivity type;

a body region of the second conductivity type adjacent to the source region;

a second gate electrode and a second insulating region which is arranged at least between the second gate electrode and the body region, the source region and the second gate electrode being electrically connected to the source metallization;

the second gate electrode, the second insulating region and the body region forming a second capacitance, the second capacitance having a second capacitance per unit area;

wherein the second gate electrode is in a trench in the body region;

the second capacitance per unit area being larger than the first capacitance per unit area; and

wherein the first insulating region has a first permittivity and wherein the second insulating region has a second permittivity which is higher than the first permittivity.

13. The semiconductor device of claim 12, wherein the first insulating region has a first thickness d₁ between the first gate electrode and the body region;

wherein the second insulating region has a second thickness d₂ between the second gate electrode and the body region; and

wherein the second thickness d₂ is smaller than the first thickness d₁.

14. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a source metallization;

a first field-effect structure including a source region of a first conductivity type, the source region being electrically connected to the source metallization;

a body region of a second conductivity type adjacent to the source region;

a first gate electrode and a first insulating region which is arranged at least between the first gate electrode and the body region, the first gate electrode, the first insulating region and the body region forming a first capacitance, the first capacitance having a first capacitance per unit area;

wherein the first gate electrode is in a trench in the body region;

a second field-effect structure including a source region of the first conductivity type;

a body region of the second conductivity type adjacent to the source region;

a second gate electrode and a second insulating region which is arranged at least between the second gate electrode and the body region, the source region and the second gate electrode being electrically connected to the source metallization;

the second gate electrode, the second insulating region and the body region forming a second capacitance, the second capacitance having a second capacitance per unit area;

wherein the second gate electrode is in a trench in the body region;

the second capacitance per unit area being larger than the first capacitance per unit area; and

wherein the body region includes a first body sub-region adjoining the first insulating region and a second body sub-region adjoining the second insulating region, wherein the doping concentration of the second body sub-region is lower than the doping concentration of the first body sub-region.

15. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a source metallization;

a first field-effect structure including a source region of a first conductivity type, the source region being electrically connected to the source metallization;

a body region of a second conductivity type adjacent to the source region;

a first gate electrode and a first insulating region which is arranged at least between the first gate electrode and the body region, the first gate electrode, the first insulating region and the body region forming a first capacitance, the first capacitance having a first capacitance per unit area;

wherein the first gate electrode is in a trench in the body region;

a second field-effect structure including a source region of the first conductivity type;

a body region of the second conductivity type adjacent to the source region;

a second gate electrode and a second insulating region which is arranged at least between the second gate electrode and the body region, the source region and the second gate electrode being electrically connected to the source metallization;

the second gate electrode, the second insulating region and the body region forming a second capacitance, the second capacitance having a second capacitance per unit area;

wherein the second gate electrode is in a trench in the body region;

the second capacitance per unit area being larger than the first capacitance per unit area; and

wherein the first gate electrode includes a material having a first workfunction, and wherein the second gate electrode includes a material having a second workfunction which is smaller than the first work function.

16. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a source metallization;

a first field-effect structure including a source region of a first conductivity type, the source region being electrically connected to the source metallization;

a body region of a second conductivity type adjacent to the source region;

a first gate electrode and a first insulating region which is arranged at least between the first gate electrode and the body region, the first gate electrode, the first insulating region and the body region forming a first capacitance, the first capacitance having a first capacitance per unit area;

wherein the first gate electrode is in a trench in the body region;

a second field-effect structure including a source region of the first conductivity type;

a body region of the second conductivity type adjacent to the source region;

a second gate electrode and a second insulating region which is arranged at least between the second gate electrode and the body region, the source region and the second gate electrode being electrically connected to the source metallization;

the second gate electrode, the second insulating region and the body region forming a second capacitance, the second capacitance having a second capacitance per unit area;

wherein the second gate electrode is in a trench in the body region;

the second capacitance per unit area being larger than the first capacitance per unit area; and

wherein the second capacitance per unit area is larger than about 4.3 nF/mm².

17. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a common source metallization;

a first field-effect structure including a source region of a first conductivity type, the source region being electrically connected to the common source metallization;

a body region of a second conductivity type adjacent to the source region;

a first gate electrode and a first insulating region of a first equivalent oxide thickness which is arranged at least between the first gate electrode and the body region;

wherein the first gate electrode is in a trench in the body region; and

a second field-effect structure including a source region of the first conductivity type;

a body region of the second conductivity type adjacent to the source region;

a second gate electrode and a second insulating region of a second equivalent oxide thickness which is arranged at least between the second gate electrode and the body region, the source region and the second gate electrode being electrically connected to the common source metallization;

the second equivalent oxide thickness being lower than the first equivalent oxide thickness;

wherein the second gate electrode is in a trench in the body region.