This application claims priority to and the benefit of Chinese Patent Application 202211068769.8, filed on Aug. 31, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor device. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a silicon carbide semiconductor device.
Silicon carbide has wide bandgap, high thermal conductivity, and large electron drift velocity. Accordingly, silicon carbide devices have better performance than silicon devices and can meet application requirements under difficult conditions, such as high temperature, high frequency, large power, and so on. Specifically, trench silicon carbide devices have even better capability to withstand high power.
However, due to the existence of carbon elements, silicon dangling bonds, carbon dangling bonds, and/or carbon-carbon bonds, trench silicon carbide devices have high-density interface state at the interface between silicon dioxide and silicon carbide substrate. Its interface state is two orders of magnitude higher than the interface state that silicon devices have at the interface between silicon dioxide and silicon substrate. Such high-density interface state causes delamination and malfunction of trench silicon carbide devices. Thus, trench silicon carbide devices with greater reliability are desired.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a silicon carbide substrate, trench structures, mesa structures, a first oxide layer, a conductive layer, a second oxide layer, a dielectric layer, and an insulation layer. The trench structures are formed on a surface of the silicon carbide substrate. Each trench structure has sidewalls and a bottom. Each respective mesa structure is formed between the respective adjacent trench structures. The first oxide layer is formed on the sidewalls of the trench structures. The conductive layer is formed on the bottom of the trench structures and on a top surface of each mesa structure. The second oxide layer is formed on the first oxide layer and the conductive layer. The dielectric layer is formed on the second oxide layer. The insulation layer is formed on the dielectric layer.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes: providing a silicon carbide substrate; forming trench structures on a surface of the silicon carbide substrate, wherein each trench structure has sidewalls and a bottom; forming a first oxide layer on the sidewalls of the trench structures, wherein the first oxide layer comprises silicon dioxide; and performing thermal oxidation treatment.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a silicon carbide substrate, source regions, a drain region, trench structures, mesa structures, channel implantation regions, gate regions, and a first oxide layer. The source regions are formed on a top surface of the silicon carbide substrate. The drain region is formed on a bottom layer of the silicon carbide substrate. The trench structures are formed on a surface of the silicon carbide substrate. Each trench structure has sidewalls and a bottom. Each respective mesa structure is formed between the respective adjacent trench structures. Each respective channel implantation region is formed in each respective mesa structure below the source region and located between the respective adjacent trench structures. The gate regions are formed on a top surface of the silicon carbide substrate. Each gate region surrounds the sidewalls and the bottom of each trench structure. The first oxide layer is formed on the sidewalls of the trench structures. Via a thermal oxidation treatment, oxygen flows through the first oxide layer and reaches to the silicon carbide substrate that is connected to the first oxide layer, and the silicon carbide substrate is oxidized and forms a thermal oxide layer.
The present disclosure can be further understood with reference to following detailed description and appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with like reference numerals. These drawings are only for illustration purpose, thus may only show part of the devices and are not necessarily drawn to scale.
The use of the same reference label in different drawings indicates the same or like components.
Various embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described. In the following description, some specific details, such as example circuits and example values for these circuit components, are included to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the present disclosure can be practiced without one or more specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, processes or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the present disclosure.
Throughout the specification and claims, the terms “left”, “right”, “in”, “out”, “front”, “back”, “up”, “down”, “top”, “atop”, “bottom”, “on”, “over”, “under”, “above”, “below”, “vertical” and the like, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that embodiments of the technology described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. The phrases “in one embodiment”, “in some embodiments”, “in one implementation”, and “in some implementations” as used includes both combinations and sub-combinations of various features described herein as well as variations and modifications thereof. These phrases used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may. Those skilled in the art should understand that the meanings of the terms identified above do not necessarily limit the terms, but merely provide illustrative examples for the terms. It is noted that when an element is “connected to” or “coupled to” the other element, it means that the element is directly connected to or coupled to the other element, or indirectly connected to or coupled to the other element via another element. Particular features, structures or characteristics may be included in an integrated circuit, an electronic circuit, a combinational logic circuit, or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. In addition, it is appreciated that the figures provided herewith are for explanation purposes to persons ordinarily skilled in the art and that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
The first oxide layer 101 is formed on the sidewalls S2 of the trench structures TH and are directly on the surface of the silicon carbide substrate 10. Each first oxide layer 101 has a first surface and a second surface S3, and the first surface is directly in contact with the silicon carbide substrate 10. In one embodiment, the material of the first oxide layer 101 includes silicon dioxide. In one implementation, the thickness of the first oxide layer 101 is between 1300 Å-1700 Å. In another implementation, the thickness of the first oxide layer 101 is around 1500 Å.
The conductive layer 102 is formed on the bottom S1 of the trench structure TH and on the top surface of the mesa structures MESA. Each conductive layer 102 has a first surface and a second surface S4, and the first surface is directly in contact with the silicon carbide substrate 10 at the bottom S1 of the trench structures TH. In one embodiment, the conductive layer 102 is formed by depositing metal material. In another embodiment, the conductive layer 102 is formed by depositing nickel. In one embodiment, the thickness of the conductive layer 102 is between 300 Å-700 Å. In another embodiment, the thickness of the conductive layer 102 is around 500 Å.
The second oxide layer 103 is formed on the conductive layer 102 and the first oxide layer 101. It is worth noting that, in some embodiments, there are vias in the second oxide layer 103 configured to electrically connect the conductive layer 102 to an external device or component. In one embodiment, the material of the second oxide layer 103 includes silicon dioxide. In one implementation, the thickness of the second oxide layer 103 is between 600 Å-1300 Å. As a result, the second oxide layer 103 with such thickness effectively relieves the stress between the conductive layer 102 and a dielectric layer 104 caused by the change in temperature. It is worth noting that, when the thickness of the second oxide layer 103 is smaller, the effect on relieving the stress between the conductive layer 102 and the dielectric layer 104 will be not ideal, and delamination may occur in the surface between the conductive layer 102 and the second oxide layer 103, and delamination may occur in the surface between the second oxide layer 103 and the dielectric layer 104. In one embodiment, the first oxide layer 101 are formed before the conductive layer 102 is formed, and the second oxide layer 103 is formed after the conductive layer 102 is formed.
In one embodiment, the semiconductor device 200 further includes a dielectric layer 104 and an insulation layer 105. The dielectric layer 104 is formed on the second oxide layer 103. In one embodiment, the material of the dielectric layer 104 includes silicon nitride. In one embodiment, the thickness of the dielectric layer 104 is between 1700 Å-2900 Å. As a result, the stress between the dielectric layer 104 and the second oxide layer 103 is reduced, and thus preventing delamination occurred between the dielectric layer 104 and the second oxide layer 103 that is caused by the change in temperature. Thus, the reliability of the semiconductor device 200 is improved. It is worth noting that, when the thickness of the dielectric layer 104 is greater, the stress between the dielectric layer 104 and the second oxide layer 103 will increase, and delamination may occur in the surface between the second oxide layer 103 and the dielectric layer 104.
The insulation layer 105 is formed on the dielectric layer 104. In one embodiment, the material of the insulation layer 105 includes borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG). In the embodiment of
The gate regions 107 are formed on the top surface of the silicon carbide substrate 10. Each gate region 107 surrounds each trench structure TH. In the embodiment of
The drain region 108 is formed on a bottom layer of the silicon carbide substrate 10. In the embodiment of
The channel implantation regions 109 are formed in the mesa structure MESA between the two adjacent gate regions 107. In the embodiment shown in
In one embodiment, the semiconductor device 300 includes a Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET). When a voltage VDS is applied between the drain region 108 and the source region 106 of the JFET and zero voltage is applied to the gate regions 107, the JFET is conducted via the channel formed between the source region 106 and the drain region 108. When a reversed bias applied across the gate regions 107 and the source regions 106 reaches a threshold voltage, i.e., the pinch-off voltage VP, the channel region of the JFET is pinched off by the depletion regions, and no current flows between the source and the drain of the JFET. In one embodiment, the channel implantation region 109 may advantageously allow easier and better control to the pinch off threshold voltage VP of the JFET.
In one embodiment, the semiconductor device 300 further includes a drift region 110. The drift region 110 is formed in the silicon carbide substrate 10 between the channel implantation regions 109 and the drain region 108. In the embodiment of
The gate extension region 111 is formed in the mesa structure MESA and below the source region 106. The gate extension region 111 is connected to the gate region 107 and located between the connected gate region 107 and the channel implantation region 109. Specifically, the gate extension region 111 is located between the second gate region 107b and the channel implantation region 109. The gate extension region 111 and the second gate region 107b are both of the second conductive type, and the doping concentration of the gate extension region 111 is less than the doping concentration of the second gate region 107b. In some embodiments, the gate extension region 111 is configured for controlling the width of the channel of the JFET. It is worth noting that, although in
At the step ST1, the trench structures TH are formed on the silicon carbide substrate 10. In some embodiments, the method 500 further includes providing the silicon carbide substrate 10 before performing the step ST1.
At the step ST2, the first oxide layer 101 is formed.
At the step ST3, a thermal oxide layer is formed on the surface of the silicon carbide substrate 10 by performing thermal oxidation treatment.
In one embodiment, the method 500 further includes steps ST4-ST7 for forming a silicon carbide device.
At the step ST4, the conductive layer 102 is formed.
At the step ST5, the second oxide layer 103 is formed.
At the step ST6, the dielectric layer 104 is formed.
At the step ST7, the insulation layer 105 is formed.
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With reference to
Still with reference to
In one embodiment, compared with the first oxide layer 101, the thermal oxide layer has higher density and smaller thickness. Thus, due to the higher density of the thermal oxide layer, the viscosity between the first oxide layer 101 and the silicon carbide substrate 10 increases, and therefore delamination between them may be avoided.
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It is worth noting that only essential steps are described above with reference to
At the step STA, the gate extension region 111 is formed.
At the step STB, the source region 106 is formed.
At the step STC, the channel implantation region 109 is formed.
At the step STD, the gate region 107 is formed.
It is obvious to persons skilled the art that these steps could be performed in any order.
With reference to
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It is worth noting that
In the present disclosure, via the thermal oxidation treatment, the thermal oxide layer is formed on the surface of the silicon carbide substrate 10 that is connected to the first oxide layer 101. Specifically, the oxygen flows through the first oxide layer 101 and reaches to the silicon carbide substrate 10, and thus the silicon carbide substrate 10 that is connected to the first oxide layer 101 is oxidized and forms the thermal oxide layer. By the thermal oxide layer, the viscosity between the first oxide layer 101 and the silicon carbide substrate 10 increases, and the delamination may be avoided. In addition, by adjusting the thickness of the second oxide layer 103 and the thickness of the dielectric layer 104, the effect on relieving stress resulting from temperature change may be further improved. Therefore, delamination may be avoided, and the semiconductor devices of the present disclosure have great reliability.
While various embodiments have been described above to illustrate the semiconductor device and its manufacturing method of the present disclosure, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Rather, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the following claims and includes combinations and sub-combinations of the various features described above, as well as variations and modifications thereof, which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202211068769.8 | Aug 2022 | CN | national |