1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the semiconductor power devices. More particularly, this invention relates to a novel and improved manufacture method and device configuration for a P-channel metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) trenched power device manufactured with channel oriented on a (110) crystal plane of a silicon wafer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Even thought the techniques to provide improved carrier mobility for a P-channel MOSFET, i.e., metal oxide silicon field effect transistors, by forming the transistor on a (110) crystal plane is known, the difficulties of high interface state density is still a limitation for practical implementation of such configurations. Specifically, Sze disclosed in “Physics of Semiconductor Devices” (Wiley-Interscience, 1969, pp. 16, pp. 473) and B. Goebel, D. Schumann, E. Bertagnolli disclosed in IEEE Trans. Electronics Devices, Vol. 48, No. 5, May 2001, pp. 897-906 that there is a thicker oxidation and higher interface state density along a (110) crystal plane. The thicker oxidation thus results in a thick gate oxide layer and lead to an adversely affected higher threshold voltage.
Historically, the MOS devices are formed on the silicon wafer along a crystal orientation of a (100) plane because the oxide layer grown on a (100) plane has the lowest fixed charge and interface state density. For these reasons, the trench walls of the N-channel and P-channel of the trenched MOSFETs are typically oriented along the (100) plane as well. Specifically, for a N-channel device, the channel formed along the (100) orientation has the benefit for achieving higher channel mobility. In contrast, the oxide layer grown along the (110) plane has greater thickness and higher interface state density. A thicker oxide layer often leads to a higher threshold voltage and lower transconductance. Furthermore, measured data also provide some evidence that thicker oxide layer also causes a degradation of channel mobility. Due to these concerns, forming the MOSFET power devices using a (100) crystal orientation has become a common rule in the conventional design methods. However, there are potential benefits of forming the power MOSFET devices or at least part of the transistors on the (110) plane. These potential benefits are often ignored due to the common practice as typically carried out by those of ordinary skill in the art without further exploration. Furthermore, even when there are several US patents and patent applications that explored the techniques of building the MOS devices on a semiconductor substrate having a (110) crystal orientation, these disclosures are still limited by several technique difficulties due to different practical configuration and manufacture constraints due to the oxide layer thickness variations along different crystal orientations as will be discussed below.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,298, entitled “Method of making high speed semiconductor device having a silicon-on-insulator structure”, Hasegawa discloses a CMOS silicon-on-insulation structure fabricated by first forming an insulating SiO2 layer on a silicon substrate having a (110) plane. Openings are then formed in the SiO2 layer to expose a part of the substrate, and a polycrystalline or an amorphous silicon layer is deposited on the SiO2 layer and in the openings. The deposited silicon layer is divided into islands so that a first island includes one of the openings and a second island does not include any openings. A laser beam is then irradiated onto the islands so as to melt the islands, and when the laser light irradiation is discontinued, the melted islands recrystallize so that the first island forms a (110) plane and the second island forms a (100) plane. A p-channel MOSFET is fabricated on the first island, and an re-channel MOSFET is fabricated on the second island. The thus paired CMOS operates at high speeds, because the p-channel MOSFET using positive holes as the carrier is fast in a (110) crystal, and the n-channel MOSFET using electrons as the carrier is fast in a (100) crystal. Hasegawa disclose the benefits of building a p-channel MOSFET in a (110) crystal plane, however the configurations and method as disclosed would be too complicate and costly with limited merits for practical application to build a commercial MOSFET product.
In another U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,615 entitled “Method and apparatus on (110) surfaces of silicon structures with conduction in the (110) direction” Noble et al. disclosed methods and structures that are lateral to surfaces with a (110) crystal plane orientation such that an electrical current of such structures is conducted in the (110) direction for the purposed of achieving improvements in hole carrier mobility. The structure's channel is oriented in a (110) plane such that the electrical current flow is in the (110) direction. A method of forming an integrated circuit includes forming a trench in a silicon wafer with the trench wall oriented to have a (110) crystal plane orientation. A semiconductor device is also formed lateral to the trench wall such that the semiconductor device is capable of conducting an electrical current in a (110) direction. The method disclosed by Noble et al. provides for forming an integrated circuit including an array of MOSFETs and another method includes forming an integrated circuit including a number of lateral transistors. The disclosure also includes structures as well as systems incorporating such structures all formed according to the methods provided in this application. Noble's disclosures are however for a lateral device. A vertical trench MOS device would require different considerations.
Table 1 shows the measured data that summarizes the characteristics of two identical MOSFETs next to each other on the same wafer, with the channel formed on (100) and (110) interfaces respectively on a (100) wafer. An (110) orientation is achieved by simply rotating the FETs by 45 degrees as can be seen from
It is clear from those measured data that there is a significant increase in threshold voltage, i.e., Vth, caused by the thicker oxide for (110) oriented device. However, there is a marked improvement in on-resistance, especially at higher gate bias, showing that there must be a large improvement in the hole-channel mobility.
Therefore, a need still exists in the art of MOSFET device design and manufacture to provide new design method and device configuration in forming the MOSFET channel along the (110) plane to achieve device performances.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new design and manufacturing methods and device configuration for the power MOSFET devices to take advantages of building the devices on planes of different crystal orientations such that the limitations of the conventional methods can be overcome.
Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved MOSFET devices manufactured with a trenched gate by forming the sidewalls of the trench on a (110) crystal orientation of a semiconductor substrate. The trench is covering with a dielectric oxide layer along the sidewalls and the bottom surface or the termination of the trench formed along different crystal orientations of the semiconductor substrate. Special manufacturing processes such as oxide annealing process, special mask or SOG processes are implemented to overcome the limitations of the non-uniform dielectric layer growth. In a special preferred embodiment, forming the trenches with a stripe configuration, and choosing a different orientation of the seed crystal can produce an orientation of the trench with all sidewalls and bottom surface align along a (110) crystal orientation of the semiconductor substrate.
Briefly in a preferred embodiment this invention discloses a trenched MOSFET power transistor that includes a gate disposed in a trench formed in a semiconductor substrate. The trench further includes sidewalls and a trench bottom surface all formed along a (110) crystal orientation of the semiconductor substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the MOSFET power transistor is a P-channel MOSFET power transistor. In another preferred embodiment, the MOSFET power transistor is a N-channel MOSFET power transistor. In a different preferred embodiment, this invention further discloses a trenched MOSFET power transistor comprising a gate disposed in a trench formed in a semiconductor substrate. The trench further includes sidewalls formed along a first crystal orientation of the semiconductor substrate and a trench bottom surface formed along a second crystal orientation of the semiconductor substrate different from the first crystal orientation. The trench further includes an oxide layer covering the sidewalls having a substantially a same thickness as an oxide layer covering the bottom surface of the trench.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after having read the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in the various drawing figures.
For P-channel implementations,
Referring to
In order to overcome the technical difficulties caused by a non-uniform thickness of the gate dielectric layer when part of the device is formed along different crystal orientations, the thickness of oxide layer around (100) plane is enhanced to provide a gate oxide layer with uniform thickness or even thicker at the trench bottom or at the trench termination. Numerals oxide thickening techniques may be used to achieve the above design goal. Several measures are disclosed in this invention.
Other techniques and any of combinations of these techniques including those mentioned above can be used to increase the thickness of thin dielectric layer portion in the trench when part of the device is formed along different crystal orientations. will improve the device rating without deteriorate the performance.
After the gate dielectric layer is formed in the trench, standard trench MOSFET processes are carried out to complete the fabrication of a MOSFET device 400 as that shown in
Referring to
Thus this invention discloses a N-channel MOSFET device having a trench wherein a sidewall of the trench is oriented along a different crystal orientation than a bottom of the sidewall. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom of the trench is oriented along a (110) crystal plane. In another preferred embodiment, the sidewall is oriented along a (100) crystal plane. In yet another embodiment, the trench and gate is formed before the formation of body or source. In yet another embodiment, the trench and gate is formed after the formation of body or source.
Although the present invention has been described in terms of the presently preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that such disclosure is not to be interpreted as limiting. Various alterations and modifications will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as covering all alterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10996561 | Nov 2004 | US |
Child | 11634031 | US |