Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of semiconductors, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device.
A semiconductor device (or may be referred to as a semiconductor element, component, apparatus, and so on) may include a substrate, a drift layer and an electrode layer. For example, materials mainly used in the substrate and the drift layer may be silicon carbide (Sic). Furthermore, some regions may be buried within the drift layer.
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This section introduces aspects that may facilitate a better understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is in the prior art or what is not in the prior art.
However, it was found by the inventor that a depletion layer is difficult to expand around the lower region 105 as compared with the upper region 104 when a backward biasing voltage is applied. Therefore, an electric field of the upper region 104 is still high; a breakdown behavior and a long-term reliability of the semiconductor device need to be further improved.
In order to solve at least part of the above problems, methods, apparatus, devices are provided in the present disclosure. Features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will also be understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of embodiments of the present disclosure.
In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device.
In a first aspect, a semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a drift layer having a first conductivity type; an electrode layer configured on the drift layer, a contact surface being formed in a first direction between the drift layer and the electrode layer; a first region having a second conductivity type, the first region being configured within the drift layer and contacting the contact surface; a second region having the first conductivity type, the second region being configured within the drift layer and connected to the first region in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction, a doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second region being lower than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer; and a third region having the second conductivity type, the third region being configured within the drift layer and connected to the second region in the second direction.
In one embodiment, the semiconductor device further includes a fourth region having the first conductivity type, the fourth region being configured within the drift layer and being adjacent to the first region, the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the fourth region being higher than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer.
In one embodiment, the semiconductor device further includes a substrate having the first conductivity type, the drift layer being configured on the substrate, the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer being lower than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the substrate.
In one embodiment, the first conductivity type is n-doping and the second conductivity type is p-doping.
In one embodiment, a plurality of the first regions are configured within the drift layer and arranged along the contact surface.
In one embodiment, corresponding to the first region, a plurality of the second regions and/or the third regions are configured within the drift layer.
In one embodiment, as distances from the contact surface in the second direction are increased, widths of the second regions and/or the third regions are decreased.
In one embodiment, as distances from the contact surface in the second direction are increased, the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second regions and/or the doping concentration of the second conductivity type in the third regions is decreased.
In one embodiment, the second region and the third region are alternatively configured along the second direction.
In one embodiment, a surface of the fourth region towards (or facing) the drift layer is configured to enlarge a contact area which is formed between the fourth region and the drift layer.
In one embodiment, a cross-section of the fourth region comprises one of the following shapes: a triangle shape, a ladder shape and a curved shape.
In a second aspect, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes providing a drift layer which has a first conductivity type; providing an electrode layer which is configured on the drift layer, a contact surface being formed in a first direction between the drift layer and the electrode layer; providing a first region which has a second conductivity type, the first region being configured within the drift layer and contacted to the contact surface; providing a second region which has the first conductivity type, the second region being configured within the drift layer and connected to the first region in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction, a doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second region being lower than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer; and providing a third region which has the second conductivity type, the third region being configured within the drift layer and connected to the second region in the second.
In one embodiment, the method further includes providing a fourth region which has the first conductivity type, the fourth region being configured within the drift layer and being adjacent to the first region, the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the fourth region being higher than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer.
In one embodiment, the method further includes providing a substrate which has the first conductivity type, the drift layer being configured on the substrate and the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer being lower than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the substrate.
According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a middle region (the second region) having the first conductivity type is configured between the upper region (the first region) and the lower region (the third region), and a doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second region is lower than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer.
Therefore, the depletion layer may be extended and connected to the lower region when the backward biasing voltage is applied. An electric field of the upper region may be reduced; a breakdown behavior and a long-term reliability of the semiconductor device may be further improved.
The above and other aspects, features, and benefits of various embodiments of the disclosure will become more fully apparent, by way of example, from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals or letters are used to designate like or equivalent elements. The drawings are illustrated for facilitating better understanding of the embodiments of the disclosure and not necessarily drawn to scale, in which:
The present disclosure will now be described with reference to several example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are discussed only for the purpose of enabling those skilled persons in the art to better understand and thus implement the present disclosure, rather than suggesting any limitations on the scope of the present disclosure.
It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” or “contacted” to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled or contacted to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” or “directly contacted” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between”, “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent”, etc.).
As used herein, the terms “first” and “second” refer to different elements. The singular forms “a” and “an” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and/or “including” as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components and the like, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and/or combinations thereof.
The term “based on” is to be read as “based at least in part on”. The term “cover” is to be read as “at least in part cover”. The term “one embodiment” and “an embodiment” are to be read as “at least one embodiment”. The term “another embodiment” is to be read as “at least one other embodiment”. Other definitions, explicit and implicit, may be included below.
In this disclosure, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
A semiconductor device is provided in those embodiments.
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In this embodiment, a doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second region 304 is lower than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer 301. For example, the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer 301 is denoted by “n” and the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second region 304 is denoted by “n-”.
It should be appreciated that silicon or another material may be mainly used in the semiconductor device. For example, silicon carbide may be used in the drift layer 301, and a metal may be used in the electrode layer 302. However, it is not limited thereto, for example, semiconductor materials with a larger band gap may also be used. Next, silicon carbide may be used as an example of a material of the semiconductor device.
Furthermore, the semiconductor device may be one of the following apparatus or some components of the apparatus, e.g., Schottky diode, p-n diode, bipolar transistor, field effect transistor, metal oxide semiconductor transistor or junction gate field effect transistor. However, it is not limited thereto in this disclosure.
In an embodiment, the first conductivity type may be n-doping and the second conductivity type may be p-doping; however, it is not limited thereto in this disclosure.
In an embodiment, a plurality of the first regions may be configured within the drift layer and arranged along with the contact surface. Accordingly, one or more second regions and/or third regions may be configured for each of the first regions; however, it is not limited in this disclosure.
It should be appreciated that only one first region 303, one second region 304 and one third region 305 are illustrated as examples in
In an embodiment, the semiconductor device may further include a fourth region having the first conductivity type; the fourth region is configured within the silicon carbide drift layer and is adjacent to the first region; the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the fourth region is higher than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the silicon carbide drift layer.
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In this embodiment, the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the fourth region 406 is higher than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the silicon carbide drift layer 401. The doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second region 404 is lower than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the silicon carbide drift layer 401. The doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the silicon carbide drift layer 401 is lower than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the silicon carbide substrate 407.
For example, the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the silicon carbide drift layer 401 is denoted by “n”. The doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the fourth region 406 is denoted by “n+”. The doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second region 404 is denoted by “n-”. The doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the silicon carbide substrate 407 is denoted by “n++”.
Furthermore, the depletion layer 501 may be extended and connected to the third region 405 when the backward biasing voltage is applied. Therefore, an electric field of the first region 403 may be reduced; a breakdown behavior and a long-term reliability of the semiconductor device 400 may be further improved.
In an embodiment, corresponding to each of the first regions, a plurality of the second regions and/or the third regions may be configured within the silicon carbide drift layer.
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The second region 604 has the first conductivity type. The second region 604 is configured within the silicon carbide drift layer 601 and is connected to the first region 603 in a second direction (such as Y direction) which is basically orthogonal to the first direction.
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The third region 605 has the second conductivity type. The third region 605 is configured within the silicon carbide drift layer 601 and is connected to the second region 604 in the second direction.
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That is, the farther the distance from the contact surface 6011 is, the shorter the width of the third region 605 is; the closer the distance to the contact surface 6011 is, the longer the width of the third region 605 is.
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That is, the farther the distance from the contact surface 6011 is, the shorter the width of the second region 604 is; the closer the distance to the contact surface 6011 is, the longer the width of the second region 604 is.
Therefore, an electric field of the first region 603 may further be reduced; a breakdown behavior and a long-term reliability of the semiconductor device 600 may further be further improved.
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The second region 704 has the first conductivity type. The second region 704 is configured within the silicon carbide drift layer 701 and is connected to the first region 703 in a second direction (such as Y direction) which is basically orthogonal to the first direction.
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The third region 705 has the second conductivity type. The third region 705 is configured within the silicon carbide drift layer 701 and is connected to the second region 704 in the second direction.
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That is, the farther the distance from the contact surface 7011 is, the lower the doping concentration of the second conductivity type in the third region 705 is; the closer the distance to the contact surface 7011 is, the higher the doping concentration of the second conductivity type in the third region 705 is.
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That is, the farther the distance from the contact surface 7011 is, the lower the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second region 704 is; the closer the distance to the contact surface 7011 is, the higher the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second region 704 is.
Therefore, an electric field of the first region 703 may further be reduced; a breakdown behavior and a long-term reliability of the semiconductor device 700 may further be further improved.
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Furthermore, the structure of the semiconductor device 600 in
In an embodiment, a surface of the fourth region towards (or facing) the silicon carbide drift layer may be configured to enlarge a contact area which is formed between the fourth region and the silicon carbide drift layer.
For example, a cross-section of the fourth region may include one of the following shapes: a triangle shape, a ladder (or stepped) shape and a curved shape. However, it is not limited thereto in this disclosure.
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Therefore, an electric field of the first region may further be reduced; a breakdown behavior and a long-term reliability of the semiconductor device may further be further improved.
It should be appreciated that
It is to be understood that, the above examples or embodiments are discussed for illustration, rather than limitation. Those skilled in the art would appreciate that there may be many other embodiments or examples within the scope of the present disclosure.
As can be seen from the above embodiments, a middle region (the second region) having the first conductivity type is configured between the upper region (the first region) and the lower region (the third region), and a doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second region is lower than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer.
Therefore, the depletion layer may be extended and connected to the lower region when the backward biasing voltage is applied. An electric field of the upper region may be reduced; a breakdown behavior and a long-term reliability of the semiconductor device may be further improved.
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided in these embodiments. The semiconductor device is illustrated in the first aspect of embodiments, and the same contents as those in the first aspect of embodiments are omitted.
Block 1001, providing a drift layer which has a first conductivity type.
Block 1002, providing an electrode layer which is configured on the drift layer; a contact surface is formed in a first direction between the drift layer and the electrode layer.
Block 1003, providing a first region which has a second conductivity type; the first region is configured within the drift layer and contacted to the contact surface.
Block 1004, providing a second region which has the first conductivity type; the second region is configured within the drift layer and connected to the first region in a second direction which is basically orthogonal to the first direction; and
Block 1005, providing a third region which has the second conductivity type; the third region is configured within the drift layer and connected to the second region in the second direction.
In this disclosure, a doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second region is lower than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer.
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Block 1006, providing a fourth region which has the first conductivity type; the fourth region is configured within the drift layer and is adjacent to the first region. The doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the fourth region is higher than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer.
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Block 1007, providing a substrate which has the first conductivity type; the drift layer is configured on the substrate. The doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer is lower than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the substrate.
It should be appreciated that
In an embodiment, corresponding to the first region, a plurality of the second regions and/or the third regions may be configured within the drift layer.
In an embodiment, as distances from the contact surface in the second direction are increased, widths of the plurality of the second regions and/or the third regions may be gradually decreased.
In an embodiment, as distances from the contact surface in the second direction are increased, the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second regions and/or the doping concentration of the second conductivity type in the third regions may be gradually decreased.
In an embodiment, a cross-section of the fourth region may include one of the following shapes: a triangle shape, a ladder shape and a curved shape.
As can be seen from the above embodiments, a middle region (the second region) having the first conductivity type is configured between the upper region (the first region) and the lower region (the third region), and a doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the second region is lower than the doping concentration of the first conductivity type in the drift layer.
Therefore, the depletion layer may be extended and connected to the lower region when the backward biasing voltage is applied. An electric field of the upper region may be reduced; a breakdown behavior and a long-term reliability of the semiconductor device may be further improved.
Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill, notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example, available time, current technology, and economic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such software instructions and programs and integrated circuits (ICs) with minimal experimentation.
Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device.
While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it will be appreciated that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.
Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.
Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.
Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.