Semiconductor component with a high-voltage endurance edge structure

• US 6,037,631 A
• Filed: 09/18/1998
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Deboy, Gerald, Stengl, Jens-Peer, Gassel, Helmut
• Primary Examiner(s): Guay, John
• Application Number:
  US09/156,429
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 257/139, 257/144, 257/170, 257/171, 257/339, 257/394, 257/401, 257/409, 257/494
• US Class Current: 257/339
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0696 of cellular field-effect devices, e.g. multicellular DMOS transistors or IGBTs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/086 Impurity concentration or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0865 Disposition
• 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 29/7811 with an edge termination structure guard regions per se H01L29/0619; field plates per se H01L29/402

Abstract

A semiconductor component having a high-voltage endurance edge structure in which a multiplicity of parallel-connected individual components are disposed in a multiplicity of cells of a cell array. In an edge region, the semiconductor component has cells with shaded source zone regions. During commutation of the power semiconductor component, the shaded source zone regions suppress the switching on of a parasitic bipolar transistor caused by the disproportionately large reverse flow current density. Moreover, an edge structure having shaded source zone regions can be produced very easily in technological terms, in particular in the case of self-adjusting processes, and can thus be produced cost-effectively.

Claims

1. A semiconductor component having a high-voltage endurance edge structure, comprising:

a semiconductor body having a first surface;

at least one inner zone having a first conductivity type disposed in said semiconductor body and bordering at least partially on said first surface of said semiconductor body;

at least one drain zone bordering on said at least one inner zone;

base zones having a second conductivity type embedded in said semiconductor body along said first surface;

source zones having the first conductivity type embedded in said base zones and forming a cell array, said cell array having a multiplicity of cells and an edge region;

a multiplicity of parallel-connected individual components disposed in said multiplicity of cells; and

at least a portion of said source zones disposed in said edge region of said cell array having shaded source zone regions for suppressing a switching-on of a parasitic diode formed of a respective one of said source zones and one of said base zones during a reverse flow of charge carriers, said cell array having cell rows with at least one outermost cell row of said cell rows disposed in said edge region and said source zones of said at least one outermost cell row having said shaded source zone regions.

2. The semiconductor component according to claim 1, wherein said cell array has square cells.

3. The semiconductor component according to claim 2, wherein said cell array has cell rows with at least two outermost cell rows disposed in said edge region and said source zones of said at least two outermost cell rows have said shaded source zone regions.

4. The semiconductor component according to claim 2, wherein said cell array has cell rows with an outermost cell row disposed in said edge region and said source zones of said outermost cell row are said shaded source zone regions.

5. The semiconductor component according to claim 1, wherein said cell array has strip-shaped cells.

6. The semiconductor component according to claim 5, wherein said cell array has an outermost cell row disposed in said edge region, said edge region having an outer edge, said outermost cell row having a half directed toward said outer edge and said source zones disposed in said half are said shaded source zone regions.

7. The semiconductor component according to claim 1, wherein said shaded source zone regions have a same conductivity type and a same doping concentration as a respective base zone.

8. The semiconductor component according to claim 1, wherein said shaded source zone regions have a same conductivity type and a lower doping concentration than a respective source zone.

9. The semiconductor component according to claim 1, wherein said semiconductor body is a body of a vertical power transistor.

10. The semiconductor component according to claim 1, wherein said semiconductor body is a body of an IGBT.

11. A semiconductor component having a high-voltage endurance edge structure, comprising:

a semiconductor body having a first surface;

at least one inner zone having a first conductivity type disposed in said semiconductor body and bordering at least partially on said first surface of said semiconductor body;

at least one drain zone bordering on said at least one inner zone;

base zones having a second conductivity type embedded in said semiconductor body along said first surface;

source zones having the first conductivity type embedded in said base zones and forming a cell array, said cell array having a multiplicity of hexagonal cells and an edge region;

a multiplicity of parallel-connected individual components disposed in said multiplicity of cells; and

at least a portion of said source zones disposed in said edge region of said cell array having shaded source zone regions for suppressing a switching-on of a parasitic diode formed of a respective one of said source zones and one of said base zones during a reverse flow of charge carriers.

12. The semiconductor component according to claim 11, wherein said cell array has cell rows with an outermost cell row disposed in said edge region and said sources zones of said outermost cell row are said shaded source zone regions.