阅读说明：本技术 具有场电极和改进的雪崩击穿行为的晶体管 (Transistor with field plate and improved avalanche breakdown behavior ) 是由 R·西明耶科 M·聪德尔 K-H·巴赫 F·希尔勒 C·坎彭 W·舒斯特德 于 2016-06-14 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明的各个实施例涉及具有场电极和改进的雪崩击穿行为的晶体管。公开了一种半导体器件和用于形成该半导体器件的方法。该半导体器件的一个实施例包括至少一个晶体管单元,其中该至少一个晶体管单元包括：在半导体本体中的,第一掺杂类型的漂移区域、第一掺杂类型的源极区域、第二掺杂类型的本体区域以及第一掺杂类型的漏极区域；栅极电极；场电极；其中漂移区域雪崩区域,其中场电极布置在沟槽中,以及其中雪崩区域包括比起接近半导体本体的由源极区域限定出来的表面更接近底部平面的至少一个部分。(Various embodiments of the present invention relate to transistors having field plates and improved avalanche breakdown behavior. A semiconductor device and a method for forming the same are disclosed. One embodiment of the semiconductor device includes at least one transistor cell, wherein the at least one transistor cell includes: a drift region of a first doping type, a source region of the first doping type, a body region of a second doping type and a drain region of the first doping type in the semiconductor body; a gate electrode; a field electrode; wherein the drift region avalanche region, wherein the field electrode is arranged in the trench, and wherein the avalanche region comprises at least one portion which is closer to the bottom plane than to a surface of the semiconductor body defined by the source region.)

1. A transistor device comprising a plurality of transistor cells, wherein each transistor cell of the plurality of transistor cells comprises:

in the semiconductor body, a drift region of a first doping type, a source region of the first doping type, a body region of a second doping type and a drain region of the first doping type, wherein the body region is arranged between the source region and the drift region, and wherein the drift region is arranged between the body region and the drain region;

a field electrode dielectrically insulated from the drift region by a field electrode dielectric;

wherein said drift region comprises an avalanche region, wherein said avalanche region has a higher doping concentration than the portion of said drift region adjacent to said avalanche region and is spaced apart from said field electrode dielectric in a direction perpendicular to a current flow direction of said transistor device,

wherein the field electrode is arranged in a first trench of the semiconductor body, the first trench being a needle trench,

wherein the transistor device further comprises a gate electrode adjacent to and dielectrically insulated from the body region by a gate dielectric, the gate electrode being disposed in a second trench spaced apart from the first trench, an

Wherein the avalanche region is arranged below the second trench in the current flow direction.

2. The transistor device of claim 1 wherein a vertical dimension of the pin trenches is at least 2 times a maximum lateral dimension of the pin trenches.

3. The transistor device of claim 1

Wherein the field electrode is arranged in a trench having a bottom in a bottom plane of the semiconductor body, an

Wherein at least a portion of the avalanche region is closer to the bottom plane than to a surface of the semiconductor body defined by the source region.

4. The transistor device of claim 3, wherein each portion in the avalanche region is closer to the bottom plane than to the first surface.

5. The transistor device of claim 3, wherein a distance between the at least one portion of the avalanche region and the bottom plane is less than 30%, 20%, or 10% of a distance between the bottom plane and the surface.

6. The transistor device of claim 3, wherein a distance between the at least one portion of the avalanche region and the bottom is less than 50%, 30%, 20%, or 10% of a distance between the bottom plane and the gate electrode.

7. The transistor device of claim 3, wherein the avalanche region is spaced apart from a pn junction between the body region and the drift region in the current flow direction of the transistor device.

8. The transistor device of claim 1, wherein the bottom plane is spaced apart from the pn junction.

9. The transistor device of claim 1, wherein a ratio of a maximum doping concentration at the avalanche region to a doping concentration of a portion of the drift region adjacent to the avalanche region is between 2 and 10.

10. The transistor device of claim 8, wherein a ratio of a maximum doping concentration at the avalanche region to a doping concentration of a portion of the drift region adjacent to the avalanche region is between 4 and 7.

11. The transistor device of claim 1, wherein the current flow direction is a vertical direction of the semiconductor body.

12. The transistor device of claim 1, wherein the gate electrode and the field electrode are dielectrically insulated from each other.

13. The transistor device of claim 1, wherein the gate electrode is electrically connected with the field electrode.

14. The transistor device of claim 1, wherein each cell of the plurality of transistor cells further comprises a source electrode configured to surround the field electrode.

15. The transistor device of claim 1, wherein the gate electrode defines a first grid, the avalanche region defines a second grid corresponding to the first grid, and the first trenches are disposed in openings of the first and second grids.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to transistor devices, and in particular to MOSFETs (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors).

Background

Transistors, such as MOSFETs, are widely used in automotive, industrial or consumer electronics applications to drive loads, convert power, and the like. These transistors, often referred to as power transistors, have different voltage blocking capabilities. The "voltage blocking capability" defines the maximum voltage level that the transistor can withstand in the off-state (when off). When a voltage having a level higher than the maximum voltage level is applied to the transistor in an off state, avalanche breakdown may occur at an internal pn junction of the transistor.

It is desirable to design a transistor, in particular a MOSFET, such that it can repeatedly withstand avalanche breakdown without being destroyed or without degradation effects such as, for example, a reduction in the charge blocking capability.

Disclosure of Invention

One embodiment relates to a transistor device. The transistor device comprises at least one transistor cell comprising: in the semiconductor body, a drift region of a first doping type, a source region of the first doping type, a body region of a second doping type and a drain region of the first doping type, wherein the body region is arranged between the source region and the drift region, and wherein the drift region is arranged between the body region and the drain region; a gate electrode adjacent to the body region and dielectrically insulated therefrom by a gate dielectric; and a field electrode dielectrically insulated from the drift region by a field electrode dielectric. The drift region comprises an avalanche region, wherein the avalanche region has a higher doping concentration than the portion of the drift region adjacent to the avalanche region and is spaced apart from the field electrode dielectric in a direction perpendicular to a current flow direction of the transistor device. The field electrode is arranged in a trench having a bottom in a bottom plane of the semiconductor body, and at least one portion of the avalanche region is closer to the bottom plane than to a surface of the semiconductor body defined by the source region.

One embodiment relates to a method for forming a transistor device having at least one transistor cell. The method comprises the following steps: in the semiconductor body in the drift region of the transistor cell, an avalanche region is formed, which has a higher doping concentration than a part of the drift region adjacent to the avalanche region. The forming of the avalanche region includes: an avalanche region is formed such that it is spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the current flow direction from a field electrode dielectric dielectrically insulating the field electrode from the drift region and in the current flow direction from the pn-junction between the body region and the drift region, and such that at least one portion of the avalanche region is closer to a bottom plane than to a surface of the semiconductor body, while the field electrode is arranged in a trench having a bottom in the bottom plane.

Another embodiment relates to a transistor device. The transistor device comprises at least one transistor cell comprising: in the semiconductor body, a drift region of a first doping type, a source region of the first doping type, a body region of a second doping type and a drain region of the first doping type, wherein the body region is arranged between the source region and the drift region, and wherein the drift region is arranged between the body region and the drain region; a gate electrode adjacent to the body region and dielectrically insulated therefrom by a gate dielectric; and a field electrode dielectrically insulated from the drift region by a field electrode dielectric. The drift region comprises an avalanche region, wherein the avalanche region has a higher doping concentration than the portion of the drift region adjacent to the avalanche region and is spaced apart from the field electrode dielectric in a direction perpendicular to a current flow direction of the transistor device. The field electrode is arranged in the needle-shaped trench.

Drawings

Examples are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are intended to illustrate certain principles and thus only illustrate various aspects that are necessary for an understanding of these principles. The figures are not drawn to scale. In the drawings, like reference numerals designate similar features.

Fig. 1 illustrates a vertical cross-sectional view of a transistor device according to an embodiment;

fig. 2A and 2B show graphs illustrating doping concentrations in an avalanche region and a surrounding region in the transistor device shown in fig. 1;

fig. 3 shows a modification of the transistor device shown in fig. 1;

fig. 4 shows another modification of the transistor device shown in fig. 1;

fig. 5 shows a detail of the transistor device shown in fig. 4;

fig. 6 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view in a first cross-section of a transistor device of one of the types illustrated in fig. 1, 3, and 4, in accordance with one embodiment;

fig. 7 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view in a second cross-section of a transistor device of one of the types illustrated in fig. 1, 3, and 4, in accordance with one embodiment;

fig. 8 shows a modification of the transistor device shown in fig. 7;

fig. 9 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view in a first cross-section of a transistor device of one of the types illustrated in fig. 1, 3, and 4, in accordance with another embodiment;

fig. 10 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view in a second cross-section of a transistor device of one of the types illustrated in fig. 1, 3, and 4, in accordance with another embodiment;

fig. 11-13 illustrate horizontal cross-sectional views in a second cross-section of a transistor device of one of the types illustrated in fig. 1, 3, and 4, according to further embodiments;

fig. 14 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a transistor device according to another embodiment;

fig. 15 shows a horizontal cross-sectional view in a first cross-section of a transistor device of the type shown in fig. 14 in accordance with one embodiment;

fig. 16 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view in a second cross-section of a transistor device of the type illustrated in fig. 14, in accordance with one embodiment;

fig. 17 shows a modification of the transistor device shown in fig. 16;

fig. 18 shows a horizontal cross-sectional view in a second cross-section of a transistor device of the type shown in fig. 14, in accordance with another embodiment;

fig. 19 shows a horizontal cross-sectional view in a first cross-section of the transistor device shown in fig. 18;

fig. 20 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view in a first cross-section of a transistor device of the type illustrated in fig. 14 in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 21 shows a perspective view of a transistor device of the type shown in FIG. 20;

fig. 22-24 illustrate horizontal cross-sectional views in a second cross-section of a transistor device of the type illustrated in fig. 14, in accordance with further embodiments;

figures 25A and 25B illustrate one embodiment of a method for producing an avalanche region in a drift region of a transistor device;

fig. 26A and 26B illustrate another embodiment of a method for producing an avalanche region in a drift region of a transistor device; and

fig. 27A and 27B illustrate another embodiment of a method for producing an avalanche region in a drift region of a transistor device.

Detailed Description

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings constitute a part of this specification and show by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that features of the various embodiments described herein may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.

Fig. 1 illustrates a vertical cross-sectional view of a transistor device according to an embodiment. The transistor device comprises at least one transistor cell 10, whereas in fig. 1 two transistor cells are shown. However, as illustrated by the dashed lines, the transistor device may comprise a plurality of transistor cells, such as up to thousands or even millions of transistor cells.

Referring to fig. 1, the at least one transistor cell 10 comprises in a semiconductor body 100: a drift region 11 of the first doping type, a source region 14 of the first doping type, a body region 15 of the second doping type and a drain region 17 of the first doping type. The body region 15 is arranged between the source region 14 and the drift region 11, and the drift region 11 is arranged between the body region 15 and the drain region 17.

The source region 14 and the drain region 17 are spaced apart in the direction of current flow of the transistor device. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the current flow direction is the vertical direction x of the semiconductor body 100. The "vertical direction" x is a direction perpendicular to the first surface 101 of the semiconductor body 100. However, the principles explained below are not limited to use in transistor devices in which the direction of current flow is the vertical direction of the semiconductor body, such transistor devices being commonly referred to as vertical transistor devices. Furthermore, the principles explained below may also be applied to lateral transistor devices in which the source region and the drain region are spaced apart in a lateral direction, which is a direction parallel to the surface of the semiconductor body.

According to one embodiment, the source region 14 adjoins the body region 15, and the body region 15 adjoins the drift region 11. Since the body region 15 and the drift region 11 have complementary doping types, a pn-junction exists between the body region 15 and the drift region 11. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the drain region 17 adjoins the drift region 11. However, this is only one example. According to another embodiment, a field stop region (shown by a dashed line in fig. 1) of the same doping type as the drain region 17 and the drift region 11, but doped higher than the drift region 11, is arranged between the drift region 11 and the drain region 17.

The semiconductor body 100 may comprise conventional semiconductor materials such as, for example, silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), and the like. If the semiconductor body 100 consists of silicon, the doping concentration of the individual device regions can be as follows. For example, in a transistor device having a semiconductor body 100 made of Si, the doping concentration of the drift region 11 is selected from 1E14cm^-3And 1E17cm^-3In the range between, the doping concentration of the source region 14 is selected from 1E19cm^-3And 1E21cm^-3In the range between, the doping concentration of the drain region 17 is selected from 1E19cm^-3And 1E21cm^-3And the doping concentration of the body region 15 is selected from 1E15cm^-3And 1E18cm^-3In the range of

Referring to fig. 1, the at least one transistor cell 10 further comprises at least one gate electrode 21. The gate electrode 21 is adjacent to the body region 15 and is dielectrically insulated from the body region 15 by a gate dielectric 22. In the current flow direction of the transistor device, which is the vertical direction x in the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the gate electrode 21 extends from the source region 14 through the body region 15 to the drift region 11, so that it can control a conducting channel in the body region 15 along the gate dielectric 22 between the source region 14 and the drift region 11. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the gate electrode 21 is a trench electrode. That is, the gate electrode 21 is arranged in a trench which extends in the vertical direction x of the semiconductor body 100 starting from the first surface 101. The gate electrode 21 may comprise a conventional gate electrode material. Examples of such gate electrode materials include, but are not limited to, metals, silicides, and highly doped polycrystalline semiconductor materials (such as polysilicon). The gate electrode 22 may comprise a conventional gate dielectric material. Examples of the gate dielectric material include, but are not limited to, oxides, nitrides, and combinations of oxides and nitrides.

Referring to fig. 1, the at least one transistor cell 10 further comprises a field electrode 31, the field electrode 31 being adjacent to the drift region 11 and being dielectrically insulated from the drift region 11 by a field electrode dielectric 32. Referring to fig. 1, the field electrode 31 may be implemented as a trench electrode whose length in the current flow direction (vertical direction x in the embodiment shown in fig. 1) may be at least 50%, at least 70%, or at least 90% of the length of the drift region 11 in the current flow direction. The length of the drift region 11 is the distance in the direction of current flow between the body region 15 and the drain region 17 (or optional field stop region) (which is the vertical direction x in the embodiment shown in fig. 1). The length of the drift region 11 depends inter alia on the desired voltage blocking capability of the transistor device. Depending on the desired application, the transistor device may be designed with a voltage blocking capability selected from the range between 12V and 400V. The field electrode 31 may comprise conventional field electrode materials. Examples of such field electrode materials include, but are not limited to, metals, silicides, and highly doped polycrystalline semiconductor materials (such as polysilicon). The field electrode dielectric may comprise a conventional field electrode dielectric material. Examples of the field electrode dielectric material include, but are not limited to, oxides, nitrides, and combinations of oxides and nitrides.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the gate electrode 21 and the field electrode 31 are located in a common trench extending from the first surface 101 into the semiconductor body 101. However, this is only one example. It is also possible to implement the gate electrode 21 and the field electrode 31 in separate trenches. This example will be explained below with reference to fig. 14 to 24.

The transistor device further comprises a source electrode 41, which source electrode 41 is electrically connected to the source region 14. Source electrode 41 is electrically coupled to source node S, drain region 17 is electrically coupled to drain node D, and gate electrode 21 is electrically coupled to gate node G of the transistor device. These source, drain, and gate nodes S, D, G are only schematically illustrated in fig. 1. The field electrode 31 is electrically connected to either the source node S or the gate node G. However, the connection between the field electrode 32 and one of the source and gate nodes S, G is not shown in fig. 1.

In a transistor device comprising a plurality of transistor cells 10, the individual transistor cells 10 are connected in parallel by having the gate electrode 21 electrically connected to a gate node, and by having the source region 14 connected to a source node S. The plurality of transistor cells may have a common drift region 11 and drain region 17. Also, two or more transistor cells may share one field electrode 31 and one gate electrode 21, and/or two or more transistor cells may share one source electrode 41 and one body region 15.

According to one embodiment, the source electrode 41 in the at least one transistor cell 10 is further connected to the body region 15. In the embodiment illustrated in fig. 1, this is achieved by a source electrode 41, which source electrode 41 extends from the first surface 101 of the semiconductor body 100 through the source region 14 into the body region 15. In this case, the source electrode 41 is connected to the source region 14 along the sidewalls of the trench in which it is arranged, and to the body region 15 at least along the bottom of the trench. Optionally, there is a connection region 16 of the second doping type, which connection region 16 electrically connects the body region 15 to the source electrode 41. The connection region 16 has a higher doping concentration than the body region 15 and provides an ohmic contact between the source electrode 41 and the body region 15.

The transistor device may be implemented as an n-type transistor device or a p-type transistor device. In the first case, the first doping type (of the drift region 11, the source region 14 and the drain region 17) is n-type and the second doping type (of the body region 15 and the connection region 16) is p-type. In the second case, the first doping type is p-type and the second doping type is n-type. Also, the transistor device may be implemented as an enhancement mode device or a depletion mode device. In an enhancement mode device, the body region 15 of the second doping type adjoins the gate dielectric 22. In a depletion mode device there is a channel region of the first doping type (shown by the dashed line in figure 1) between the gate dielectric 22 and the body region 15.

The transistor device may operate like a conventional transistor device. That is, the transistor device can be turned on and off by applying an appropriate drive potential to the gate electrode G. The transistor device is in an on-state when a drive potential applied to the gate electrode G is such that there is a conductive channel in the body region 15 along the gate dielectric between the source region 14 and the drift region 11, and in an off-state when a drive potential applied to the gate node G is such that the conductive channel in the body region 15 between the source region 14 and the drift region 11 is interrupted. In the off-state, a space charge region (depletion region) may expand in the drift region 11, starting at the pn-junction between the body region 15 and the drift region 11. For example, in an n-type transistor device, when a positive voltage is applied between the drain node D and the source node S, and when the transistor device is in an off state, the space charge region expands in the drift region 11. The space charge region is associated with ionized dopant atoms in the drift region 11 (which are positively charged in the n-type drift region 11). The opposite charge to these ionized dopant atoms in the drift region 11 is provided by the body region 15 and by the field electrode 31. When a voltage is applied between the drain node D and the source node S such that the magnitude of the electric field at the pn junction reaches a critical level (often referred to as the critical electric field E)_crit) At this time, avalanche breakdown may occur at the pn junction between the body region 15 and the drift region 11. The voltage level of the voltage at which such an avalanche breakdown may occur between the drain node D and the source node S depends, inter alia, on the doping concentration of the drift region 11, the length of the drift region 11 in the direction of current flow (vertical direction x), the specific implementation of the field electrode 31, etc.

Avalanche breakdown at field electrode dielectric 32 is highly undesirable. The avalanche breakdown is associated with charge carriers flowing through the drift region 11. These charge carriers, which are also referred to as thermal charge carriers, may end up in the field electrode dielectric 32 where they may accumulate and remain permanently. These charge carriers, which remain in the field electrode dielectric 32, can adversely affect the switching behavior of the transistor device. In particular, these charge carriers may increase the on-resistance of the transistor device in the on-state. The on-resistance is the resistance of the transistor device between the source node S and the drain node D when the transistor device is in an on-state.

In order to prevent avalanche breakdown at the gate dielectric 32, the at least one transistor cell 10 comprises an avalanche region 13 in the drift region 11. The avalanche region 13 has a higher doping concentration than the part of the drift region 11 adjacent to the avalanche region 13 and is spaced apart from the field electrode dielectric in a direction perpendicular to the current flow direction of the transistor device. Furthermore, the avalanche region 13 is spaced apart from the pn junction between the body region and the drift region in the direction of current flow of the transistor device. Referring to fig. 1, one avalanche region 13 may be located in the semiconductor mesa region between the field electrode dielectrics 32 of two adjacent transistor cells, so that one avalanche region may be shared by two transistor cells.

The avalanche region 13 defines a local maximum of the doping concentration in the drift region 13 and, therefore, defines a region in which the voltage blocking capability of the transistor device is locally reduced. When the transistor device is in the off-state and a voltage is applied between the drain and source nodes D, S that reverse biases the pn-junction between the body region 15 and the drift region 11, and when the voltage level of this voltage increases, avalanche breakdown occurs at the avalanche region 13 before avalanche breakdown may occur at any other location in the drift region 11. Since the avalanche region 13 is spaced apart from the field electrode dielectric 32, the avalanche breakdown occurs away from the field electrode dielectric 31, so that there is no risk of the thermoelectric charge carriers associated with the avalanche breakdown being injected into the field electrode dielectric 32.

In conventional transistor devices, i.e. transistor devices of the type shown in fig. 1 in which the avalanche region is omitted, avalanche breakdown typically occurs in a region close to the bottom of the trench where the field electrode 31 is arranged. In fig. 1, a dashed line B indicates the plane (horizontal plane) of the drift region 11 in which the bottoms of the trenches are located. This plane is referred to below as the bottom plane. According to an embodiment, in the transistor device shown in fig. 1, at least one portion of the avalanche region 13 is arranged closer to the bottom plane B than to the first surface 101 to ensure that avalanche breakdown is prevented in the region at the bottom of the trench. According to another embodiment, in the transistor device shown in fig. 1, at least one portion of the avalanche region 13 is arranged closer to the bottom plane B than to the pn junction (between the drift region 11 and the body region 15) to ensure that avalanche breakdown is prevented from occurring in the region of the trench bottom. I.e. the part of the avalanche region 13 facing the drain region 17 is closer to the bottom plane B than to the first surface 101 or the pn junction. Let d1 be the (shortest) first distance between the bottom plane B and the first surface 101, and let d2 be the (shortest) second distance between the bottom plane B and the pn junction. The part of the avalanche region 13 facing the drain region 17 is brought closer to the bottom plane B than to the first surface 101, corresponding to a distance between the part and the bottom plane B being less than 50% of the first distance d1, and the part of the avalanche region 13 facing the drain region 17 is brought closer to the bottom plane B than to the pn junction, corresponding to a distance from the bottom plane B at the part being less than 50% of the second distance d 2.

According to one embodiment, the avalanche region 13 comprises at least one portion which is spaced from the bottom plane by less than 30% of the first distance d1, less than 20%, or even less than 10% of the first distance d 1. According to one embodiment, the avalanche region 13 comprises at least one portion which is spaced from the bottom plane by less than 30% of the second distance d2, less than 20%, or even less than 10% of the second distance d 2.

According to one embodiment the complete avalanche region 13 is closer to the bottom plane B than to the first surface 101 or the pn junction, respectively. I.e. each part of the avalanche region 13 is closer to the bottom plane B than to the first surface 101 or the pn-junction, respectively. That is, the shortest distance between each part of the avalanche region 13 and the bottom plane B is less than 50% of the distance d1 between the bottom plane B and the first surface or the distance d2 between the bottom plane B and the pn junction, respectively. According to one embodiment, the shortest distance between each portion of the avalanche region 13 and the bottom plane B is less than 30% of d1 (or d2), less than 20% of d1 (or d2), or even less than 10% of d1 (or d 2). According to another embodiment, the (shortest) distance between the at least one portion of the avalanche region 13 and the bottom region B is less than 50%, less than 30%, less than 20%, or even less than 10% of the (shortest) third distance d3, which (shortest) third distance d3 is the distance between the bottom plane B and the gate electrode 21. According to another embodiment, the (shortest) distance between each part of the avalanche region 13 and the bottom region B is less than 50%, less than 30%, less than 20%, or even less than 10% of d 3.

According to another embodiment the avalanche region 13 extends into the bottom plane B in the current flow direction. That is, in a device of the type shown in fig. 1, the avalanche region 13 includes a portion below the bottom plane.

In the embodiment illustrated in fig. 1, the surface 101 of the semiconductor body 100 is drawn as a horizontal region of the semiconductor body 100 between the source electrode 41 and the gate dielectric 22. However, this is only one example. The source region 14 may be narrowed towards the first surface 101 so that in an extreme case the surface 101 may have a very small size.

Fig. 2A shows the doping concentration along a line I-I extending in the current flow direction (vertical direction) x) and through the connection region 16, the body region 15 and the avalanche region 13. Fig. 2B shows the doping concentration along a line II-II extending in a direction y perpendicular to the current flow direction, which direction y is the lateral direction of the semiconductor body 100 in this embodiment. As can be seen from fig. 2A and 2B, the avalanche region 13 defines a local maximum of the doping concentration in the drift region 11 in the current flow direction as well as in the direction perpendicular to the current flow direction. In particular, the avalanche region 13 defines a local maximum of the doping concentration in the mesa region 12 of the drift region 11. The mesa region 12 is the region between the pn junction and the field electrode dielectric 32 of the adjacent field electrode 31 and does not extend beyond the bottom of the trench accommodating the field electrode in the direction of current flow.

In FIGS. 2A and 2B, N13_MAXRepresents the maximum of the doping concentration in the avalanche region 13 in the drift region 11, and N13_MINIndicating the doping concentration of those parts of the drift region 11 adjacent to the avalanche region 13. According to one embodiment, the doping concentration is selected from the concentration N13 in the region adjacent to the avalanche region 13_MINMonotonically increasing to the maximum concentration N13 in the avalanche region 13_MAX. According to one embodiment, the maximum doping concentration N13_MAXDoping concentration N13 in drift region 11 adjacent to avalanche region 13_MINA ratio of between 2 and 10, in particular between 3 and 7.

As explained above, the avalanche region 13 defines a local maximum of the doping concentration in the drift region. For physical reasons and as can be seen from fig. 2A and 2B, at this maximum value N13_MAXDoping concentration N13 with the region surrounding the avalanche region 13_MINThere is no possibility of sudden changes in the doping concentration therebetween. For the purpose of illustration, and in particular when referring to the distance between the avalanche region 13 and other structures in the device, such as the first surface 101, a pn junction or a field electrode dielectric, to name a few, it is assumed that the doped region comprised in the avalanche region 13 is of maximum concentration N13_MAXOf at least 50% doping concentration.

Referring to the above, the avalanche region 13 is spaced apart from the field electrode dielectric 32. The field electrode dielectric 32 has a thickness which is the (shortest) distance between the field electrode 31 and the drift region 32. According to one embodiment, the distance between the avalanche region 13 and the field electrode dielectric is at least 50% of the thickness of the field electrode dielectric. According to another embodiment, the distance is at least 50 nanometers (nm), at least100nm or even at least 200 nm. According to one embodiment, and as explained above, the distance is such that the doping concentration of the field electrode dielectric 32 and the avalanche region 13 is the maximum doping concentration N13_MAXMeasured between at least 50% of the portion of the avalanche region.

Fig. 3 shows a modification of the transistor device shown in fig. 1. In the transistor device shown in fig. 3, the connection region 16, which electrically connects the body region 15 to the source electrode 41, extends from the source electrode 41 through the body region 15 into the drift region 11. In this embodiment, the flux lines of the electric field are concentrated in the middle of the plateau region 12.

Referring to the above, the field electrode 31 may be connected to the gate node G. This may be achieved by electrically connecting the field electrode 31 to the gate node G or to the gate electrode 21, respectively, in the region of the transistor device not shown in fig. 1 and 3. According to another embodiment shown in fig. 4, the gate electrode 21 and the field electrode 31 are formed by one trench electrode. The portion of the trench electrode adjacent to the body region 15 and dielectrically insulated from the body region 15 by a gate dielectric 22, forming a gate electrode 21; while the part of the trench electrode adjacent to the drift region 11 and dielectrically insulated from the drift region 11 by a field electrode dielectric 32 forms the field electrode 31.

Fig. 5 shows a detail a in the transition region between the gate dielectric 22 and the field electrode dielectric 32 of the transistor device shown in fig. 4. Referring to the above, the field electrode dielectric 32 is thicker than the gate dielectric 22, so that, starting from the gate dielectric 22, the thickness of the dielectric layers forming the gate dielectric 21 and the field electrode dielectric 32 is increased. In fig. 4 and 5, d4 represents the distance between locations where the thickness of the dielectric layer corresponds to 1.5 times the thickness d22 of the gate dielectric 22. The thickness d22 may be an average thickness of the gate dielectric 22 along the body region 15, a maximum thickness of the gate dielectric 22 along the body region 15, or a thickness of the gate electrode 22 at a middle of the body region 15 between the source region 14 and the drift region 11. According to an embodiment, the distance between the at least one portion of the avalanche region 13 and the bottom plane B is less than 50% of d4, less than 30% of d4, less than 20% of d4, or even less than 10% of d 4. According to an embodiment, the distance between each part of the avalanche region 13 and the bottom region B is less than 50% of d4, less than 30% of d4, less than 20% of d4, or even less than 10% of d 4.

Fig. 6 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view of a transistor device of the type illustrated in fig. 1 in accordance with one embodiment. Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view in a cross-section a-a through the source region 14. In this embodiment, the gate electrodes of the plurality of transistor cells are elongated electrodes substantially parallel to each other. In fig. 6, reference numeral 20 denotes a gate structure including a gate electrode (21 in fig. 1, 3, 4) and a gate dielectric (22 in fig. 1, 3, 4). The source electrode 41 may be implemented as an elongated electrode in the horizontal plane, as shown on the left side in fig. 6. Alternatively, between the two gate structures 20, there are a plurality of spaced apart source electrodes 41, as shown on the right in fig. 6.

Fig. 7 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view of a transistor device of the type illustrated in fig. 1, in accordance with one embodiment. Fig. 7 shows a horizontal cross-sectional view in a cross-section B-B through the field electrodes and the avalanche regions 13 of the plurality of transistor cells. In fig. 7, reference numeral 30 denotes field electrode structures, wherein each of these field electrode structures comprises a field electrode (31 in fig. 1, 3 and 4) and a field electrode dielectric (32 in fig. 1, 3 and 4). Referring to fig. 7, the field electrode structure 30 may be an elongated structure in a horizontal plane, whereas two adjacent field electrode structures 30 define a semiconductor mesa region 12 in which an avalanche region 13 is arranged. In the embodiment shown in fig. 7, the avalanche region 13 is an elongated region having a region extending substantially parallel to the field electrode structure 30.

According to another embodiment, shown in fig. 8, the mesa region between two elongated field electrode structures 30 comprises a plurality of avalanche regions 13. These avalanche regions 13 are spaced apart in a direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the elongated field electrode structure 30. In the horizontal plane, the avalanche region 13 may have a substantially circular shape (as shown on the left side in fig. 8), an elliptical shape (as shown on the right side in fig. 8), or the like.

Fig. 9 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view of a transistor device of the type illustrated in fig. 1 in accordance with another embodiment. In this embodiment, the gate structure 20 is a stud (needle) shape. The source electrode 41 defines a grid, and the source region 14 and the body region 15 (not shown in fig. 9) and the gate structure 20 are arranged in openings of the grid defined by the source electrode 41.

Fig. 10 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view in the cross-section B-B illustrated in fig. 1 of the transistor device illustrated in fig. 9. In this embodiment, the field electrode structure 30, such as the gate electrode structure shown in fig. 9, is peg-shaped (needle-shaped). Also, the avalanche region 13 has the form of a grid. In the context of the shape (form) of the field electrode structure 30, "needle-shaped" means that the dimension of the field electrode structure 30 in the vertical direction of the semiconductor body 100 is larger than the dimension of the field electrode structure 30 in each of the horizontal (lateral) directions. According to one embodiment, the vertical dimension is at least 2 times, 5 times or even 10 times the maximum lateral dimension of the needle-shaped field electrode structure 30.

Fig. 11 shows a modification of the transistor device shown in fig. 10. In this embodiment, there are a plurality of avalanche regions 13. These avalanche regions 13 are spaced apart from each other and from the pin field electrode structure 30. In the embodiment shown in fig. 11, one avalanche region 13 is substantially in the middle between two adjacent field electrode structures 30. The gate structure 20 and the source electrode 41 (not shown in fig. 11) may be implemented as explained with reference to fig. 9. Alternatively, the source electrode 41 includes a plurality of needle-shaped electrodes above the avalanche region 13, instead of having a mesh shape as shown in fig. 9.

Fig. 12 shows a modification of the embodiment shown in fig. 11. In the embodiment shown in fig. 12, one avalanche region 13 is arranged substantially in the middle between four adjacent field electrode structures 30. The gate structure 20 and the source electrode 41 (not shown in fig. 12) may be implemented as explained with reference to fig. 11.

Fig. 13 illustrates another embodiment of a transistor device having a stub field electrode structure 30. In the present embodiment, the field electrode structures 30 are arranged such that one field electrode structure 30 is substantially in the middle between four adjacent field electrode structures and is surrounded by the ring-shaped avalanche region 13. The gate structure 20 (not shown in fig. 13) may be implemented to have a needle shape as shown in fig. 9. The source electrode 41 (not shown in fig. 13) may have the form of an avalanche region and may be arranged above the avalanche region 13, as shown in fig. 1, 3 and 4.

Fig. 14 illustrates a vertical cross-sectional view of a transistor device according to another embodiment. This transistor device differs from the transistor device shown in fig. 1, 3 and 4 in that the gate electrode 21 and the field electrode 31 of one transistor cell 10 are not arranged in the same trench, but in different trenches. In this embodiment, two or more transistor cells may share one gate electrode 21. In this embodiment the trench with the gate electrode 21 is arranged between trenches with two adjacent transistor cell field electrodes 31. Each transistor cell 10 may comprise a source electrode 41, which source electrode 41 is electrically connected to the source region 14 and the body region 15. The source electrode 41 of one transistor cell 10 may be located in a trench extending from the first surface 101 of the semiconductor body through the source region 14 into the body region 15 and arranged between the trench with the field electrode structures 31, 32 and the trench with the gate structures 21, 22.

Referring to fig. 14, the avalanche region 13 is arranged in the drift region 11 such that the drift region 11 is spaced apart from the pn junction between the body region 15 and the drift region 11 in the current flow direction (which is the vertical direction of the semiconductor body 100 in the embodiment shown in fig. 14) and from the field electrode dielectric 32 in a direction perpendicular to the current flow direction (which is the horizontal direction of the semiconductor body 100 in the embodiment shown in fig. 14). In the current flow direction, the avalanche region 13 is substantially above the bottom region of the trench comprising the field electrode 31 and the field electrode dielectric 32, as in the embodiments shown in fig. 1, 3 and 4. That is, the avalanche region 13 is the mesa region 12 in the current flow direction, and does not extend beyond the bottom of the trench in the direction of the drain region 17.

Referring to fig. 14, the avalanche region 13 may be located under the trench having the gate electrode 21. In this embodiment, two adjacent transistor cells 10 share one avalanche region 13. Additionally or alternatively, the avalanche region 13 in one transistor cell 10 is located below the trench comprising the source electrode 41.

The avalanche region 13 may be positioned in the mesa region 12 between the trenches with the field electrodes 31 in the manner outlined above. That is, at least one partial or entire avalanche region 13 may be located closer to the bottom plane B than to the first surface 101, the pn-junction or the gate electrode 21, respectively.

Fig. 15 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view of a transistor device of the type illustrated in fig. 14 in accordance with one embodiment. Fig. 15 shows a horizontal cross-sectional view in the cross-section D-D shown in fig. 14, which cross-section D-D extends through the source region 14 of the transistor cell 10. In the embodiment shown in fig. 15, the field electrode structures 30 and the gate structures 20 of the individual transistor cells are substantially parallel elongated structures. The source electrode 41 may be an elongated electrode extending substantially parallel to the field electrode structure 30 and the gate electrode structure 20, as shown on the left side in fig. 14. Alternatively, there are spaced apart source electrodes 41 between one gate structure 20 and one field electrode structure 30, as shown on the right in fig. 14.

Fig. 16 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view of a transistor device of the type illustrated in fig. 14 in accordance with one embodiment. Fig. 16 shows a horizontal sectional view in the section E-E shown in fig. 14. The cross section E-E intersects the field electrode structure 30 and the avalanche region 13. In the embodiment shown in fig. 16, the field electrode structure 30 is an elongated structure and the avalanche region 13 is an elongated structure extending substantially parallel to the field electrode structure 30. Alternatively, as shown in fig. 17, the transistor device may comprise a plurality of spaced-apart avalanche regions 13 between two adjacent elongated field plate structures 30.

Fig. 18 illustrates a horizontal cross-sectional view of a transistor device of the type illustrated in fig. 14 in accordance with another embodiment. Fig. 18 shows a horizontal sectional view in the section E-E shown in fig. 14. In this embodiment, the field electrode structure 30 is needle-shaped and the avalanche region 13 has the shape of a grid. This structure corresponds to the structure described with reference to fig. 10. In the transistor device shown in fig. 18, a gate structure (not shown in fig. 18) may be located over the avalanche region 13, as shown in fig. 14. The gate structure may have a mesh shape. A horizontal cross-sectional view of the transistor device in section D-D with the grid-shaped gate structure 20 is shown in fig. 19. The source electrode 41 may surround the field electrode structure 30 as shown in fig. 19. According to another embodiment, each transistor cell comprises one or more pin-shaped source electrodes 41.

Fig. 20 shows a horizontal cross-sectional view in a first cross-section D-D of a transistor device with a needle field electrode structure 30 according to another embodiment. In this embodiment, the gate structure 20 is an elongated structure. That is, the dimension of the gate structure 20 in a first lateral direction of the semiconductor body 100 is much larger than in a second lateral direction (which may be perpendicular to the first direction). As with the gate structure 20, in the embodiment shown in fig. 20, the source electrode 41 is an elongated structure. However, this is only one example; according to another embodiment (not shown), the source electrode 41 includes a plurality of pin-shaped electrode portions.

Fig. 21 shows a perspective view of the transistor device shown in fig. 20. In fig. 21, the semiconductor body 100 is drawn to be transparent in order to illustrate the shape and position of the needle-shaped field electrode structures 30 (only four of which are shown), the elongated gate structures 20 (only one of which is shown), and the elongated source electrodes 41 (only two of which are shown). In the embodiment shown in fig. 21, one avalanche region 13 is shown spaced apart from four field electrode structures. However, this is only an example, and according to another embodiment, there is the avalanche region 13 in a mesh shape as shown in fig. 18. Further embodiments of how the avalanche region 13 can be implemented in a transistor device with a needle-shaped field electrode structure 30 are shown in fig. 22 to 24 and are explained below.

Fig. 22 to 24 show vertical cross-sectional views in a second cross-section E-E of a transistor device of the type shown in fig. 14 or of the type shown in fig. 21. According to these embodiments, the field electrode structures 30 are implemented to have a needle shape, whereas a plurality of spaced apart avalanche regions 13 are arranged between these needle-shaped field electrode structures 30 in the drift region 11. The embodiment shown in fig. 22 and 23 corresponds to the embodiment shown in fig. 11 and 12. In the transistor device shown in fig. 22 and 23, the gate structure (not shown in fig. 22 and 23) may be implemented to have a mesh shape as shown in fig. 19. Alternatively, the transistor device may comprise pin-shaped gate structures, wherein the gate structures may be located above separate avalanche regions 13, as shown in fig. 14.

According to another embodiment, shown in fig. 24, the field electrode structures 30 may be needle-shaped, wherein a plurality of these field electrode structures are surrounded by the avalanche region 13. This corresponds to the embodiment shown in the referenced fig. 13. In the transistor device shown in fig. 24, the gate structure (not shown in fig. 24) may be implemented as shown in fig. 19. According to another embodiment, the transistor device comprises a plurality of gate electrodes having a shape in a horizontal plane corresponding to the shape of the avalanche region 13 and located above the avalanche region 13, as shown in fig. 14.

Fig. 25A and 25B illustrate one embodiment of a method for producing the at least one avalanche region 13. Referring to fig. 25A, the method comprises forming a trench 110 in the first surface 101 of the semiconductor body 100. Etching the trench 110 may include a conventional etching process such as, for example, an anisotropic etching process using the etch mask 200. The method further comprises implanting particles into the drift region 11 via the bottom of the trench 110 so as to form an implanted region 13'. The implant region 13' includes particles that are implanted during the implant process. The implantation process may comprise a plurality of implantation steps at different implantation energies in order to implant the particles into different vertical positions of the semiconductor body 100. In order to prevent particles from being implanted into the first surface 101, the implantation process comprises: an implantation mask is used which covers the first surface 101 and does not cover the trenches 110. According to one embodiment, the etch mask 200 used to etch the trenches 110 is also used as an implant mask during the implantation process.

According to one embodiment, the implanted particles are dopant atoms of a first type. If the first type is n-type, these particles are, for example, boron (B) ions or aluminum (Al) ions.

Forming the avalanche region 13 further includes an annealing process in which implanted dopant atoms are electrically activated. Such an annealing process may be performed immediately after the implantation of the particles, or at a later stage in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device. For example, the temperature during this annealing is between 900 ℃ and 1100 ℃. The annealing process may be an RTA (rapid thermal annealing) process lasting between seconds and minutes, or a conventional annealing (tempering) process lasting longer.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 25A, the body region 15 and the source region 14 have been formed before the implantation of the particles. However, this is only one example. According to another embodiment, the body region 15 and the source region 14 are formed after the particles have been implanted. Forming the source and body regions 14, 15 may comprise an implantation process. According to another embodiment, the dopant atoms for forming the body region 15 and the source region 14 have been implanted before the implantation of the particles forming the implanted region 13' and are activated for forming the source region 14, the body region 15 and the avalanche region 13 in a common annealing process.

Referring to fig. 25B, the method further includes forming a source electrode 41 in the trench 110. Forming the source electrode 41 may include filling the trench with one of the electrode materials described above.

Fig. 26A and 26B show another embodiment of a method for producing the avalanche region 13. The method illustrated in fig. 26A and 26B is different from the method illustrated in fig. 25A and 25B in that the gate dielectric 22 and the gate electrode 21 are formed in the trench 110 after the particles are implanted. Forming the gate dielectric may include one of an oxidation process and a deposition process. Forming the gate electrode 21 may include filling the remaining trench with one of the electrode materials described above.

Fig. 27A and 27B show another embodiment of a method for producing the avalanche region 13. In this embodiment, after the drift region 11 is formed, the avalanche region 13 is formed, or at least the dopant atoms forming the avalanche region 13 in the finished device are introduced. Forming the drift region 11 may include an epitaxial process in which an epitaxial layer (not shown) is grown on the substrate. Referring to fig. 27A, the method includes implanting dopant atoms into the drift region 11 by using the implantation mask 201 to form an implantation region 13'. In a next process step, the result of which is shown in fig. 27B, at least the implanted region 13' is annealed in order to form the avalanche region 13.

In the next process steps, the body region 15 and the source region 14 may be formed in order to obtain a device structure with the drift region 11, the body region 15 and the source region 14 as explained above. Forming the body region 15 and the source region may comprise at least one epitaxial process in which an epitaxial layer forming the body region 15 and the source region 14 in the finished device is grown on the drift region. According to another embodiment, the body region 15 and the source region 14 are formed in the drift region 11 by implanting dopant atoms and activating the implanted dopant atoms. According to a further embodiment, an epitaxial layer with the doping type and doping concentration of the body region 15 is grown on the drift region 11 and the source region 14 is formed in the epitaxial layer by implanting and activating dopant atoms.

If, in the method illustrated in fig. 27A and 27B, forming the body region 15 and the source region 14 includes an implantation and annealing (activation) process. A common annealing process may be used to activate the dopant atoms in the avalanche region 13 and in the body region 15 and the source region 14.

According to a further embodiment of the method for forming the avalanche region 13, the implantation region 13' is formed after the body region 15 and the avalanche region 14 have been formed, but before the trenches accommodating the gate electrode 21 and/or the source electrode 41 have been formed. This method is a modification of the method shown in fig. 27A and 27B, in which the source region 14 and the body region 15 are illustrated by broken lines.

Other structures of the transistor device, such as the field electrode structure 30, are not shown in fig. 25A and 25B and fig. 26A and 26B. These field electrode structures 30 can be produced in a conventional known manner.

When the semiconductor body 100 is made of silicon, the method may comprise implanting non-doping particles, such as protons or helium ions, instead of implanting dopant atoms (dopant ions) to form the implanted region 13' shown in fig. 25A and 26A. These implanted non-doped particles create defects in the implanted region 13', however during subsequent annealing, radiation-induced defects are formed that behave like donors. In the case of irradiation with protons, these donors may be referred to as proton-induced donors, or proton-associated shallow thermal donors. In the case of irradiation with helium ions, these donors may be referred to as twin thermal donors. The annealing process comprises a temperature between 380 ℃ and 500 ℃, in particular between 380 ℃ and 450 ℃. The duration of the annealing process is, for example, between 30 minutes and 2 hours.

The formation of the dual thermal donor requires oxygen in addition to irradiation with helium ions. Such oxygen may be retained in the semiconductor body 100 by the manufacturing process when the semiconductor body 100 is a silicon wafer obtained from a czochralski (cz) wafer. However, oxygen may also be introduced into the semiconductor body 100 during an oxidation process, such as an oxidation process for forming one of the gate dielectric 22 and the field electrode dielectric 32.

In those embodiments in which the drift region 11 is an n-type drift region, the avalanche region 13 may include radiation-induced donors. At higher temperatures, these donor-like defects dissipate. Thus, according to one embodiment, the avalanche region 13 is produced without a temperature process involving more than 500 ℃ or more than 550 ℃ occurring during the manufacturing process.

Unlike doping processes in which dopant atoms are implanted, donors (i.e., complexes that behave like donors) are only generated in those regions in which undoped particles are implanted during radiation-induced doping. Thus, these donors do not diffuse into the unimplanted regions. Thereby, the size of the avalanche region 13 in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which protons are implanted can be precisely defined by the implantation mask. In particular, the distance between the avalanche region 13 and the field electrode dielectric can be precisely defined.

Forming the avalanche region 13 may include multiple implantation processes at different implantation energies in order to implant dopant atoms or non-doping particles into different vertical positions of the semiconductor body. As a result, the shape of the avalanche region 13 in the current flow direction (vertical direction) can be defined.

Helium ions are heavier than protons, so that implanting helium ions into a specific vertical position of the semiconductor body requires a higher implantation energy than implanting protons into the same position. Since protons are implanted deeper than helium ions or conventional dopant atoms at a given implantation energy, protons are suitable for producing an avalanche region 13 deep into the semiconductor body.

According to another embodiment, in the method of implanting dopant atoms to form the avalanche region 13, there are at least two implantation processes and at least two annealing processes. During the annealing process, the implanted dopant atoms diffuse in the semiconductor body, however the extent of this diffusion increases with the duration and/or temperature of the annealing process. Thus, by appropriately selecting the parameters of the annealing process, the size of the avalanche region 13 in the horizontal direction (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the current flow direction) can be adjusted. According to one embodiment, forming the avalanche region 13 includes: a first implantation process followed by a first annealing process; and at least one second implantation process followed by a second annealing process.

According to yet another embodiment, multiple implantation masks are used to implant dopant atoms or non-doped particles into the mesa region 12 at different horizontal positions. This helps to further define the shape of the avalanche region.

In processes using multiple implantation processes, the same type of dopant may be used in a single implantation process. According to another embodiment, at least two different types of dopants are used. According to a further embodiment, forming the avalanche region 13 includes: at least a first implantation process, the first implantation process implanting a dopant followed by at least one annealing process that activates the dopant; and at least one second implantation process that implants non-doping particles (such as protons) followed by a second annealing process that results in the formation of donor-like complexes.

By the above method, the avalanche region 13 having a shape selected from various different shapes can be formed. In a plane (a vertical plane in the embodiments shown in fig. 1, 3, 4, and 14) extending in the current flow direction, examples of those shapes include an elliptical shape (as shown), a triangular shape with rounded corners, and the like.