The present invention relates generally to a high-voltage and low-leakage group-III nitride semiconductor device and the method for fabricating the same.
To fabricate a Schottky barrier diode (SBD), the region outside the active regions of the device is first etched to the high-resistivity epitaxy layer before fabricating ohmic contacts on both sides of Schottky contacts, where the Schottky contacts are the anodes and the ohmic contacts are the cathodes. The greatest defect of the design is that the spacing between electrodes determines the forward current and the reverse breakdown voltage. As the spacing is shortened, the forward current is increased whereas the reverse breakdown voltage is lowered. Contrarily, when the spacing is increased, the reverse breakdown voltage is increased whereas the forward current is lowered. Thereby, according to the prior art, trade-offs occur between forward current and reverse breakdown voltage and hence bringing inconvenience for circuit design. In order to overcome the above defect, according to the prior art, the SBD is coupled to a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT). As shown in
A HEMT is generally classified into two modes: the depletion mode and the enhancement mode. According to the prior art, the channel of a depletion-mode HEMT is injected with fluorine ions (F−) so that the 2-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the injected region is raised above the Fermi energy level and forming an enhancement-mode HEMT. Nonetheless, no matter in which mode, the HEMTs according to the prior art still suffers from the trade-off between current collapse effect and drain to source breakdown voltage. In addition, for an active device, it is considered how to reduce the surface leakage current.
In the past, silicon dioxide (SiO2) is generally adopted as the surface passivation film of a HEMT for increasing it breakdown voltage as well as reducing the surface leakage current. By using the deep traps formed by using SiO2 as the passivation film interface, the electrons are trapped and thus increasing the breakdown voltage. Nonetheless, the deep traps induce the problem of slow current recovery when the drain of the HEMT is given a high voltage bias in off-mode (which by means the drain to gate is given a high voltage reverse bias) is switched to an on-mode (which by means the drain to source is given a high voltage forward bias). According to the prior art, there have been many discussions on reverse recovery current. Nevertheless, there is no publication focused on analysis or discussion of current collapse effect.
Accordingly, according to the prior art, there still exist the problems of inability in optimizing the forward current and the reverse breakdown voltage and in optimizing the forward recovery current and the surface leakage current.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a group-III nitride semiconductor device, which uses its structure property to own high reverse breakdown voltage and high forward current.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a group-III nitride semiconductor device, which uses its material property to own low surface leakage current and fast forward recovery current.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a method for fabricating the above device in a single process.
In order to achieve the above objectives and efficacies, the present invention discloses a group-III nitride semiconductor device, which comprises a substrate, a buffer layer, a semiconductor stack structure, and a passivation film. The buffer layer is disposed on the substrate. The semiconductor stack structure is disposed on the buffer layer and comprises a gate, a source, and a drain. In addition, a gate insulating layer is disposed between the gate and the semiconductor stack structure for forming a HEMT. The passivation film covers the HEMT and includes a plurality of openings corresponding to the gate, the source, and the drain, respectively. The material of the passivation film is silicon oxynitride.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the group-III nitride semiconductor device comprises a substrate, a buffer layer, a first semiconductor stack structure, a second semiconductor stack structure, and a passivation film. The buffer layer is disposed on the substrate. The first semiconductor stack structure is disposed on the buffer layer and comprises a gate, a source, and a drain. In addition, a gate insulating layer is disposed between the gate and the first semiconductor stack structure for forming a HEMT. The second semiconductor stack structure is disposed on the buffer layer and comprises an anode and a cathode for forming a SBD. The anode is connected to the gate and the cathode is connected to the drain. The passivation film covers the HEMT and the SBD, and includes a plurality of openings corresponding to the source and the anode, respectively.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the group-III nitride semiconductor device comprises a substrate, a buffer layer, a first semiconductor stack structure, a second semiconductor stack structure, and a passivation film. The buffer layer is disposed on the substrate. The first semiconductor stack structure is disposed on the buffer layer and comprises a first gate, a first source, and a first drain. In addition, a first gate insulating layer is disposed between the first gate and the first semiconductor stack structure for forming a first HEMT. The second semiconductor stack structure is disposed on the buffer layer and comprises a second gate, a second source, and a second drain. In addition, a second gate insulating layer is disposed between the second gate and the second semiconductor stack structure for forming a second HEMT. The first gate is connected to the second source and the first source is connected to the second drain. The passivation film covers the first HEMT and the second HEMT, and includes a plurality of openings corresponding to the first drain, the second gate, and the second source, respectively.
In order to make the structure and characteristics as well as the effectiveness of the present invention to be further understood and recognized, the detailed description of the present invention is provided as follows along with embodiments and accompanying figures.
Please refer to
The material of the substrate 10 is silicon; the material of the buffer layer 20 is gallium nitride; the materials of the semiconductor stack structure 30 are stacked gallium nitride and gallium aluminum nitride. The semiconductor stack structure 30 comprises a channel layer 301, a barrier layer 302, and a cover layer 303. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the above materials.
The material of the passivation film 40, which covers the HEMT, is silicon oxynitride, which has a refractive index between 1.46 and 1.98. By using oxynitride as the material of the passivation film 40, the deep traps at the interface between the passivation film 40 and the gallium aluminum nitride is reduced effectively and thus suppressing the surface leakage current as well as avoiding accumulation of excess charges that might lead to electrode burnout. In addition, trade-off should be made between the surface leakage current and the rate of current recovery. According to the lattice structure and the deep traps according to the present invention, the optimum refractive index of the oxynitride is between 1.46 and 1.98 with the optimum thickness greater than 100 nm. In addition to suppressing the surface leakage current, the device reliability is also increased under high-speed operations.
There exists a parasitic SBD between the gate 31 and the source 32. If this parasitic SBD is turned on, a negative current is very possibly generated. Thereby, according to the present invention, the gate insulating layer 34 is disposed for preventing the negative current due to turning on of the parasitic SBD between the gate 31 and the source 32. In addition, in selecting the material of the gate insulating layer 34, the current collapse effect caused by charge accumulation at the defects under the gate 31 should be considered. Thereby, like the passivation film 40 as described above, oxynitride with a refractive index between 1.46 and 1.98 is selected as the material of the gate insulating layer 34. Alternatively, the voltage endurance can be considered. Please refer to
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In the fabrication process, considering the materials of the passivation film 40 and the gate insulating layer 34 are both silicon oxynitride, while etching the stack structure 3, the depth is between 250 nm and 1000 nm. This is because while etching the stack structure 3, if the etching depth is deeper, more stress will be released by gallium nitride and gallium aluminum nitride. Then channel velocity changes and the reverse leakage current are increased accordingly. Besides, if the refractive index of the passivation film 40 is adjusted, the surface stress of the device is influenced as well. Thereby, when the passivation film 40 is silicon oxynitride and the refractive index is between 1.46 and 1.98, the optimum etching depth is between 250 nm and 1000 nm.
In order to avoid dangling bonds or defects on the surface of the cover layer from forming paths for leakage current, according to the present invention, a surface oxidation process is used for patching the surface. The surface oxidation process is a high-temperature oxidation with temperatures between 400 and 800° C. Alternatively, a plasma oxidation method can be adopted. In the second surface oxidation process of the process flow, the surface oxide can be first kept. It can be removed while forming the gate insulating layer 34 in later steps.
In addition to the above technical features, the group-III nitride semiconductor device according to the present invention can be formed along with the devices according to other embodiments of the present invention in the same process steps and on the same substrate. The other embodiments will be described later.
In addition, if the HEMT according to the present embodiment is an enhancement-mode HEMT, only one step is added for injecting fluorine ions. Injection of fluorine ions can be performed using an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) process.
Please refer to
The materials of the first semiconductor stack structure 30A and the second semiconductor stack structure 30B are stacked gallium nitride and gallium aluminum nitride. The first semiconductor stack structure 30A and the second semiconductor stack structure 30B comprise a channel layer 301, a barrier layer 302, and a cover layer 303, respectively. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the above materials.
The material of the passivation film 40 is silicon oxynitride with a refractive index between 1.46 and 1.98 and a thickness greater than 100 nm. By using the material of the passivation film 40, the surface leakage current of the device is reduced and the forward recovery current thereof is accelerated. This has been described above. The locations of the openings W of the passivation film 40 correspond to the source 32A and the anode 31B, respectively, for connection of the device to external circuits.
The group-III nitride semiconductor device according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes the depletion-mode HEMT and the SBD. By using the HEMT to protect the SBD, the reverse breakdown voltage of the device is increased. In addition, thanks to the protection by the passivation film 40, the surface leakage current can be suppressed effectively and thus allowing the device to operate in high speed. Moreover, the HEMT can further be an enhancement-mode HEMT, as shown in
Please refer to
The parameters and conditions of the second embodiment according to the present invention are identical to those of the first embodiment. Hence, the details will not be described again. According to the fabrication process of the second embodiment, the process can be performed in the same process of the first embodiment. Consequently, substantial time and costs can be saved.
In addition, if the HEMT according to the present embodiment is an enhancement-mode HEMT, only one step is added, which is injecting fluorine ions into the barrier layer. Injection of fluorine ions can be performed using an ICP process or Ion Implantation.
Please refer to
The materials of the first semiconductor stack structure 30C and the second semiconductor stack structure 30D are stacked gallium nitride and gallium aluminum nitride. The first semiconductor stack structure 30C and the second semiconductor stack structure 30D comprise a channel layer 301, a barrier layer 302, and a cover layer 303, respectively. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the above materials.
The material of the passivation film 40 is silicon oxynitride with a refractive index between 1.46 and 1.98 and a thickness greater than 100 nm. By using the material of the passivation film 40, the surface leakage current of the device is reduced and the forward recovery current thereof is accelerated. This has been described above. The locations of the openings W of the passivation film 40 correspond to the first drain 33C, the second gate 31D, and the second source 32D, respectively, for connection of the device to external circuits.
The group-III nitride semiconductor device according to the third embodiment of the present invention can be a mixed mode device. That is to say, one of the first and second HEMTs is a depletion-mode HEMT and the other is an enhancement-mode HEMT. By coupling HEMTs of different modes, the reverse breakdown voltage of the device can be increased. Besides, with the protection of the passivation film 40, the surface leakage current can be suppressed effectively. Furthermore, when the present invention is applied in the mixed mode, the depletion-mode HEMT is a normally-on device. It requires a sufficient negative voltage at the gate to be turned off. On the contrary, the enhancement-mode HEMT requires a positive voltage for operation. When it operates, there is a channel resistance. Thereby, a sufficient positive voltage applied to the enhancement-mode HEMT can turn on the depletion-mode HEMT as well. In addition, according to experiments, when the gate widths of two HEMTs are identical, the current in an enhancement-mode HEMT will be higher than that in a depletion-mode HEMT. Thereby, while fabricating the device according to the present invention, the gate width of the depletion-mode HEMT should be made wider than that of the enhancement-mode one. Otherwise, the current will be limited by the depletion-mode HEMT. According to experiments, when the ratio of the width of the enhancement-mode HEMT to that of the depletion-mode one is 1:3, ideal operating currents will be given.
Please refer to
The parameters and conditions of the third embodiment according to the present invention are identical to those of the first embodiment. Hence, the details will not be described again. According to the fabrication process of the third embodiment, the process can be performed in the same processes of the first and second embodiments. Consequently, substantial time and costs can be saved.
Please refer to
Although the reverse breakdown voltage of a PIN diode is lower than that of a HEMT, a PIN diode owns the recoverable property. This property enables a PIN diode to continue operating after breakdown. Contrarily, a HEMT is unrecoverable after breakdown. By using this property in circuit designs, PIN diodes can act as protection devices that reach breakdown first at reverse biases and thus protecting HEMTs.
The fabrication of protection diodes can be combined with the processes according to the previous embodiments. For example, in the process according to the first embodiment, while etching the stack structure 3, a second semiconductor stack structure 30F can be formed concurrently. A protection diode is then formed on the second semiconductor stack structure 30F. While removing the ohmic metal layer, a negative electrode 52 is formed on the protection diode. While etching the Schottky metal layer, a positive electrode 51 is formed on the protection diode. Accordingly, in a single process flow, a protection diode can be fabricated. This helps saving time and costs.
The group-III nitride semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a HEMT, which includes a passivation film covering thereon. The material of the passivation film 40 is silicon oxynitride with a refractive index between 1.46 and 1.98. By using oxynitride as the material of the passivation film, the deep traps at the interface between the passivation film and the gallium aluminum nitride is reduced effectively and thus suppressing the surface leakage current as well as avoiding accumulation of excess charges that might lead to electrode burnout. In addition, the rate of forward current recovery is accelerated, so that the device reliability is increased under high-speed operations. The material of the gate insulating layer of the HEMT is also silicon oxynitride with a refractive index between 1.46 and 1.98. According to the second embodiment, a SBD is further included for increasing the reverse breakdown voltage of the device. According to the third embodiment, HEMTs of different modes are included for achieving the efficacy of increasing reverse breakdown voltage. According to the fourth embodiment, a protection diode is further includes for protecting the device from occurring unrecoverable condition caused by reverse breakdown. In addition, the process according to each embodiment can be completed on a single substrate concurrently. This helps saving substantial time and costs.
Accordingly, the present invention conforms to the legal requirements owing to its novelty, nonobviousness, and utility. However, the foregoing description is only embodiments of the present invention, not used to limit the scope and range of the present invention. Those equivalent changes or modifications made according to the shape, structure, feature, or spirit described in the claims of the present invention are included in the appended claims of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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104109854 | Mar 2015 | TW | national |
This Application is being filed as Continuation-In-Part application of Ser. No. 15/079,227, filed on 24 Mar. 2016, currently pending, which claims the benefit of Taiwan Patent Application No. 104109854, filed on 26 Mar. 2015, which is incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15079227 | Mar 2016 | US |
Child | 15612292 | US |