Semiconductor device comprising regions of different current drive capabilities

• US 9,859,238 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Godo, Shinsuke, Kawamoto, Atsunobu, Yamamoto, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Valentine, Jami M
• Application Number:
  US15/121,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20160358869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 257 77
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 3/055 with protective means to prevent damage to the circuit, e.g. semiconductor devices or the ignition coil
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 3/0552 Opening or closing the primary coil circuit with semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/04042 Bonding areas specifically adapted for wire connectors, e.g. wirebond pads
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05013 being rectangular
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05015 being circular or elliptic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0502 Disposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05552 in top view
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05553 being rectangular
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05554 being square
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05555 being circular or elliptic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0556 Disposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0603 Bonding areas having different sizes, e.g. different heights or widths
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45124 Aluminium (Al) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4847 the connecting portion on the bonding area of the semiconductor or solid-state body being a wedge bond
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/85205 Ultrasonic bonding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4824 Pads with extended contours, e.g. grid structure, branch structure, finger structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/05 of an individual bonding area
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/45 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/85 using a wire connector wire bonding in general B23K20/004
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/04 : the substrate being a semiconductor body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0629 : in combination with diodes, or resistors, or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0664 : Vertical bipolar transistor in combination with diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/06 : characterised by their shape; characterised by the shapes, relative sizes, or dispositions of the semiconductor regions ; characterised by the concentration or distribution of impurities within semiconductor regions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0619 : with a supplementary region doped oppositely to or in rectifying contact with the semiconductor containing or contacting region, e.g. guard rings with PN or Schottky junction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0638 : for preventing surface leakage due to surface inversion layer, e.g. with channel stopper channel stoppers in combination with isolation region for integrated circuits H01L21/762
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0696 : of cellular field-effect devices, e.g. multicellular DMOS transistors or IGBTs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/08 : with semiconductor regions connected to an electrode carrying current to be rectified, amplified or switched and such electrode being part of a semiconductor device which comprises three or more electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/10 : with semiconductor regions connected to an electrode not carrying current to be rectified, amplified or switched and such electrode being part of a semiconductor device which comprises three or more electrodes
• 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 29/12 : characterised by the materials of which they are formed
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/1608 : Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/40 : Electrodes ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/402 : Field plates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/417 : carrying the current to be rectified, amplified or switched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/739 : controlled by field-effect, e.g. bipolar static induction transistors [BSIT] unijunction transistors H01L29/705
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7395 : Vertical transistors, e.g. vertical IGBT
• 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 29/78 : with field effect produced by an insulated gate H01L29/7725, H01L29/775, H01L29/778 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00012 : Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 : the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10272 : Silicon Carbide [SiC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13055 : Insulated gate bipolar transistor [IGBT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/351 : Thermal stress

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device capable of eliminating unevenness of current distribution in a plane. A semiconductor device according to the present invention is a semiconductor device including a transistor cell region where a plurality of transistor cells is arranged on a semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor device including an electrode pad which is arranged avoiding the transistor cell region on the semiconductor substrate and is electrically connected to a one-side current electrode of each of the cells, in which the transistor cell region contains a plurality of regions each of which has a different current drive capability from each other depending on a distance from the electrode pad.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device including a transistor cell region where a plurality of transistor cells is arranged on a semiconductor substrate,

said semiconductor device comprising an emitter pad which is arranged avoiding said transistor cell region on said semiconductor substrate and is electrically connected to a one-side current electrode of each of said cells, wherein

said transistor cell region contains a plurality of regions, each of which has a different current drive capability from each other depending on a distance from said emitter pad.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

said emitter pad has a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or a polygonal shape having at least five or more vertices.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

at least part of said cells includes, in addition to said one-side current electrode, a current detection electrode having a smaller area than that of said one-side current electrode.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature detection diode which detects a temperature of said semiconductor device.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein

an anode of said temperature detection diode is connected to said emitter pad.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 3, further comprising a temperature detection diode which detects a temperature of said semiconductor device.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein said semiconductor substrate includes a silicon carbide substrate.

8. A semiconductor device including a transistor cell region where a plurality of transistor cells is arranged on a semiconductor substrate, said semiconductor device comprising:

an electrode pad which is arranged avoiding said transistor cell region on said semiconductor substrate and is electrically connected to a one-side current electrode of each of said cells; and

a gate pad directly connected to each of the plurality of transistor cells, wherein

said transistor cell region contains a plurality of regions, each of which has a different current drive capability from each other depending on a distance from said electrode pad.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein

said electrode pad has a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or a polygonal shape having at least five or more vertices.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein

at least part of said cells includes, in addition to said one-side current electrode, a current detection electrode having a smaller area than that of said one-side current electrode.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, further comprising a temperature detection diode which detects a temperature of said semiconductor device.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein

an anode of said temperature detection diode is connected to said electrode pad.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, further comprising a temperature detection diode which detects a temperature of said semiconductor device.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein said semiconductor substrate includes a silicon carbide substrate.

15. A semiconductor device including a transistor cell region where a plurality of transistor cells is arranged on a semiconductor substrate, said semiconductor device comprising:

an electrode pad which is arranged avoiding said transistor cell region on said semiconductor substrate and is electrically connected to a one-side current electrode of each of said cells; and

a temperature detection diode which detects a temperature of said semiconductor device, wherein

said transistor cell region contains a plurality of regions, each of which has a different current drive capability from each other depending on a distance from said electrode pad, and

an anode of said temperature detection diode is connected to said electrode pad.