JP2013251494A - Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique capable of improving performance of a semiconductor device.SOLUTION: A vertical MISFET50 comprises an ntype SiC substrate 10 in which a drain electrode 11 is formed on a lower surface thereof and an ntype epitaxial layer 12 is formed on an upper surface thereof. A P type body region 13 is formed in an upper layer part of the ntype epitaxial layer 12, and an ntype source region 14 and a ptype body contact region 15 are formed in an upper layer part of the p type body region 13. A first gate electrode 19 is formed on an upper surface of the portion sandwiched between the ntype source region 14 and the ntype epitaxial layer 12 in the p type body region 13 via a first gate insulating film 18. A second gate electrode 22 is formed on an upper surface of the ptype body contact region 15.

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a manufacturing technique thereof, and more particularly to a semiconductor device provided with a vertical MISFET and a technique effective when applied to manufacturing.

  The forbidden band width of silicon carbide (SiC) is larger than the forbidden band width of silicon (Si). Moreover, the dielectric breakdown electric field of SiC is about one digit larger than the dielectric breakdown electric field of Si. Therefore, a semiconductor element made of SiC is considered promising as a next-generation power device. In particular, a vertical power MISFET (Metal Insulator Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) made of SiC is excellent in pressure resistance in a wide operating voltage range of several hundreds V to several kV. Further, in the above-described operating voltage range, it is expected that the resistance (on-resistance) when the vertical power MISFET made of SiC is in the on state can be significantly reduced than the on-resistance of the conventional semiconductor element made of Si.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-188399 (Patent Document 1) describes a technique regarding a vertical power MISFET using SiC as a semiconductor region. In such a vertical power MISFET, an n-type drain region, a p-type base region, and an n-type source region are provided between the drain electrode and the source electrode, and a gate insulating film is interposed on the surface of the base region. A gate electrode is provided.

  In the on operation to turn on the vertical power MISFET, a positive voltage is applied to the drain electrode and the source electrode while a positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode and the source electrode. At this time, current flows from the drain electrode to the source electrode through the n-type drain region, the inversion layer formed in the surface layer portion (channel region) of the p-type base region, and the n-type source region.

  On the other hand, in the off operation for turning off the vertical power MISFET, a negative or zero voltage is applied to the gate electrode with respect to the source electrode. At this time, the current is interrupted by eliminating the inversion layer formed in the surface layer portion (channel region) of the p-type base region.

  Such a vertical power MISFET, which is composed of SiC, has a problem peculiar to SiC in that a large amount of interface states exist in a portion of the channel region near the interface with the gate insulating film. Electrons flowing through the channel region are trapped or scattered by the interface state. For this reason, the mobility in the channel region of the vertical MISFET made of SiC is significantly lower than the original mobility in SiC, and the on-resistance of the vertical MISFET made of SiC is increased.

  The vertical MISFET made of SiC has been devised in various ways to reduce its on-resistance. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-254119 (Patent Document 2), an n-type impurity is implanted (counter-implanted) into the surface of the p-type base region, so that the channel region is effectively formed in the p-type base region. There is described a buried channel technology that forms inside a surface layer portion (upper layer portion) rather than a surface layer portion (upper layer portion). According to such a buried channel technique, when the vertical MISFET is in the ON state, electrons pass through a portion of the base region that is away from the interface with the gate insulating film, so that the channel mobility is improved.

JP 2000-188399 A JP 2011-254119 A

  According to the study of the present inventor, the following has been found.

  Even when the above-described buried channel technology is used, when a higher voltage is applied to the gate electrode, electrons flowing through the inversion layer are attracted to the portion of the base region near the interface with the gate insulating film, resulting in movement. The degree drops. Therefore, even when the buried channel technique is used, there is a problem that it is actually difficult to reduce the on-resistance.

  Further, by performing the counter implantation using the above-described buried channel technique, the impurity concentration in the vicinity of the interface with the gate insulating film in the base region is lowered, so that the threshold voltage of the vertical MISFET is lowered. As a result, an inversion layer is easily formed even when no gate voltage is applied to the gate electrode, and it is difficult to reliably perform an operation of interrupting current when a gate voltage is not applied to the gate electrode, so-called normally-off operation. There's a problem.

  Thus, in a semiconductor device provided with a vertical MISFET, it is impossible to achieve both a reduction in on-resistance and a reliable normally-off operation, and the performance of the semiconductor device is degraded.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of improving the performance of a semiconductor device.

  The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

  Of the inventions disclosed in the present application, the outline of typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

A semiconductor device according to a typical embodiment is a vertical MISFET including an n ⁺ type SiC substrate having a drain electrode formed on the lower surface and an n ⁻ type epitaxial layer formed on the upper surface. A p-type body region is formed in the upper layer portion of the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer, and an n ⁺ -type source region and a p ⁺ -type body contact region are formed in the upper layer portion of the p-type body region. of the p-type body region n ⁺ -type source region and the n ^- -type epitaxial layer on an upper surface of a portion held with, a first gate electrode via a first gate insulating film is formed, p ⁺ -type body A second gate electrode is formed on the upper surface of the contact region.

In addition, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to a representative embodiment includes a drain electrode, an n ⁻ type epitaxial layer, and a first gate electrode, a source electrode, and a second gate electrode formed on the upper surface of the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer. A vertical MISFET provided with is formed. First, an n ⁻ type epitaxial layer is formed on the upper surface of the n ⁺ type SiC substrate, and a p type body region is formed in the upper layer portion of the formed n ⁻ type epitaxial layer. Next, an n ⁺ type source region and a p ⁺ type body contact region are formed in the upper layer portion of the p type body region. Next, an insulating film and a conductive film are sequentially formed on the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer, and the formed conductive film and the insulating film are patterned. Thus, the first gate electrode is formed on the upper surface of the p-type body region sandwiched between the n ⁺ -type source region and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer via the first gate insulating film, and the p ⁺ -type body contact region is formed. A second gate electrode is formed on the upper surface of the substrate via a second gate insulating film.

  Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, effects obtained by typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  According to the representative embodiment, the performance of the semiconductor device can be improved.

2 is a main-portion cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment; FIG. 2 is a top view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment. FIG. In FIG. 1, it is the figure which showed typically the path | route through which an electron flows, when a vertical MISFET is an ON state. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof; FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof; FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof; FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof; FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof; FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof; FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof; FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof; FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof; FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof; FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof; FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a principal part of a semiconductor device of Comparative Example 1. In FIG. 15, it is the figure which showed typically the path | route through which an electron flows, when vertical MISFET is an ON state. It is a graph which shows the dependence with respect to the depth from the surface of a channel region of conduction band energy. It is a graph which shows the dependence of the electron mobility with respect to the depth from the surface of a channel region. FIG. 10 is a main-portion cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device in the first modification example of the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a top view of a semiconductor device according to a second modification example of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a main-portion cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Embodiment 2; In FIG. 21, it is the figure which showed typically the path | route through which an electron flows, when vertical MISFET is an ON state. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Second Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Second Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Second Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Second Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Second Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof. FIG. 10 is a top view of the semiconductor device of the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a main-portion cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Embodiment 3; In FIG. 29, it is the figure which showed typically the path | route through which an electron flows, when vertical MISFET is an ON state. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Third Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Third Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Third Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Third Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Third Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Third Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Third Embodiment during a manufacturing step thereof.

  In the following embodiments, when it is necessary for the sake of convenience, the description will be divided into a plurality of sections or embodiments. However, unless otherwise specified, they are not irrelevant to each other. There are some or all of the modifications, details, supplementary explanations, and the like.

  Further, in the following embodiments, when referring to the number of elements (including the number, numerical value, quantity, range, etc.), especially when clearly indicated and when clearly limited to a specific number in principle, etc. Except, it is not limited to the specific number, and may be more or less than the specific number.

  Further, in the following embodiments, the constituent elements (including element steps and the like) are not necessarily indispensable unless otherwise specified and apparently essential in principle. Needless to say.

  Similarly, in the following embodiments, when referring to the shapes, positional relationships, etc. of the components, etc., the shapes are substantially the same unless otherwise specified, or otherwise apparent in principle. And the like are included. The same applies to the above numerical values and ranges.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiments, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted. In the following embodiments, the description of the same or similar parts will not be repeated in principle unless particularly necessary.

  In the drawings used in the embodiments, hatching may be omitted even in a cross-sectional view so as to make the drawings easy to see. Further, even a plan view may be hatched to make the drawing easy to see.

(Embodiment 1)
<Semiconductor device>
A semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The semiconductor device according to the present embodiment includes a vertical MISFET made of SiC.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view of the semiconductor device of the first embodiment. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2 shows a state in which the source electrode 20 (see FIG. 1) and the interlayer insulating film 23 (see FIG. 1) are removed (see through) for easy understanding. In FIG. 2, for easy understanding, the first gate electrode 19 or the second gate electrode 22 of the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, the p type body region 13, and the n ⁺ type source region 14 is covered. The broken portion is shown by a broken line. Further, in FIG. 2, for easy understanding, the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the source contact hole (opening) 24 formed in the interlayer insulating film 23 (see FIG. 1) is illustrated by a two-dot chain line.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vertical MISFET 50 that is the semiconductor device of the first embodiment includes an n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10, a drain electrode 11, an n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, a p type body region 13, n ^{A +} type source region 14 and a p ⁺ type body contact region 15 are provided. The vertical MISFET 50 includes a first gate insulating film 18, a first gate electrode 19, a source electrode 20, a second gate insulating film 21 and a second gate electrode 22.

The n ⁺ -type SiC substrate 10 is an n-type semiconductor substrate (first conductivity type semiconductor substrate) made of silicon carbide (SiC) into which an n-type impurity such as nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) is introduced. The impurity concentration of the n ⁺ -type SiC substrate 10 is relatively high, and can be, for example, about 1 × 10 ¹⁸ to 1 × 10 ²¹ cm ⁻³ . Moreover, the thickness of the n ⁺ -type SiC substrate 10 can be set to, for example, about 50 to 500 μm.

The drain electrode 11 is an electrode formed on the lower surface of the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10. Drain electrode 11 is electrically connected to n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10. As the drain electrode 11, for example, a conductive film in which titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), gold (Au), or the like is stacked can be used. By using such a conductive film, the drain electrode 11 and the n ⁺ -type SiC substrate 10 can be electrically connected with low resistance.

  In the specification of the present application, being formed on the lower surface of a certain substrate or on the lower surface of a certain layer means forming below the lower surface of the substrate or lower than the lower surface of the layer. Is included.

The n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 is formed on the upper surface of the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10, and is an n type semiconductor made of silicon carbide (SiC) into which an n type impurity such as nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) is introduced. A layer (first conductivity type semiconductor layer). The impurity concentration of n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 is lower than the impurity concentration of n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10, and can be, for example, about 1 × 10 ¹⁴ to 1 × 10 ¹⁷ cm ⁻³ . Further, the thickness of the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 can be set to about 5 to 50 μm, for example.

The n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 can be formed by, for example, an epitaxial growth method. Alternatively, for example, a p-type impurity such as aluminum (Al) or boron (B) was injected into the whole surface of the ^{n +} -type SiC substrate 10 by ion implantation, to lower the impurity concentration of the n-type impurity in the ^{n +} -type SiC substrate 10 The n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 can also be formed by the method (the same applies to the following embodiments).

  Note that in this specification, being formed on the upper surface of a certain substrate or on the upper surface of a certain layer means being formed above the upper surface of the substrate or above the upper surface of the layer. It is included.

The p-type body region 13 is formed in the upper layer portion of the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12 and is a p-type semiconductor made of silicon carbide (SiC) in which p-type impurities such as aluminum (Al) and boron (B) are diffused. This is a region (second conductivity type semiconductor region). The impurity concentration of the p-type body region 13 can be set to, for example, about 1 × 10 ¹⁶ to 1 × 10 ¹⁸ cm ⁻³ . Further, the thickness of the p-type body region 13 can be set to, for example, about 1 to 2 μm.

The n ⁺ -type source region 14 is formed in the upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13, and is an n-type semiconductor made of silicon carbide (SiC) into which an n-type impurity such as nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) is introduced. This is a region (first conductivity type semiconductor region). The impurity concentration of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 is higher than the impurity concentration of the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12 and can be, for example, about 1 × 10 ¹⁸ to 1 × 10 ²¹ cm ⁻³ . Further, the thickness of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 can be set to about 100 to 500 nm, for example.

The p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 is formed in the upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13 and is, for example, p-type made of silicon carbide (SiC) in which p-type impurities such as aluminum (Al) and boron (B) are diffused. This is a semiconductor region (second conductivity type semiconductor region). The impurity concentration of the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 is higher than the impurity concentration of the p-type body region 13 and can be, for example, about 1 × 10 ¹⁸ to 1 × 10 ²¹ cm ⁻³ . Further, the thickness of the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 can be set to about 100 to 500 nm, for example.

A region above the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12 and sandwiched between two adjacent p-type body regions 13 is a JFET (Junction Field Effect Transistor) region 16. Further, the upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13 is sandwiched between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the JFET region 16, that is, sandwiched between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12. This portion is the channel region 17.

The first gate insulating film 18 is an upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13 and is formed on the upper surface of the portion sandwiched between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12, that is, on the upper surface of the channel region 17. The formed insulating film. The first gate insulating film 18 is made of, for example, silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), silicon oxynitride (SiON), aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ), hafnium oxide (HfO ₂ ), or the like, for example, thermal oxidation or CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method or the like. Further, the thickness of the first gate insulating film 18 can be set to, for example, about several tens of nm.

The first gate electrode 19 is an electrode formed on the first gate insulating film 18. The first gate electrode 19 is an upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13 and is an upper surface of a portion sandwiched between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12, that is, an upper surface of the channel region 17. And an electrode formed through the first gate insulating film 18. The first gate electrode 19 is a conductive film made of, for example, polysilicon and formed by, for example, a CVD method.

The source electrode 20 is an electrode formed on the upper surface of the n ⁺ type source region 14. As the source electrode 20, for example, a conductive film made of titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), or the like can be used. By using such a conductive film, the source electrode 20 and the n ⁺ -type source region 14 can be electrically connected with low resistance.

The second gate insulating film 21 is an insulating film formed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15. The second gate insulating film 21 is made of a high dielectric constant material such as silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), silicon oxynitride (SiON), aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ), or hafnium oxide (HfO ₂ ), for example. For example, it is formed by a thermal oxidation method or a CVD method. Further, the thickness of the second gate insulating film 21 can be set to, for example, about several tens of nm.

The second gate electrode 22 is an electrode formed on the second gate insulating film 21. The second gate electrode 22 is an electrode formed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 via the second gate insulating film 21. The second gate electrode 22 is a conductive film made of, for example, polysilicon and formed by, for example, a CVD method.

  In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the second gate electrode 22 is electrically connected to the first gate electrode 19. The second gate electrode 22 is connected to the first gate electrode 19 at a position on the back side (or near side) of the cross section shown in FIG.

  An interlayer insulating film 23 is formed on the first gate electrode 19 and the second gate electrode 22, and a source electrode 20 is formed on the interlayer insulating film 23. A portion of the source electrode 20 on the interlayer insulating film 23 is not in direct contact with a portion of the first gate electrode 19 and the second gate electrode 22 that is covered with the interlayer insulating film 23. As a material of the interlayer insulating film 23, for example, PSG (Phospho Silicate Glass) or silicon oxide can be used.

In the interlayer insulating film 23, a source contact hole (opening) 24 is formed in a region on the n ⁺ type source region 14. On the bottom surface of the source contact hole (opening) 24, the upper surface of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 is exposed. The source electrode 20 is formed on the interlayer insulating film 23 so as to cover the bottom and inner walls of the source contact hole (opening) 24. With such a structure, the source electrode 20 is electrically connected to the n ⁺ type source region 14 through the source contact hole (opening) 24 formed in the interlayer insulating film 23.

<Operation of semiconductor device>
Next, the operation of the vertical MISFET 50 that is the semiconductor device of the first embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a path through which electrons flow when the vertical MISFET is in the ON state in FIG.

In the on operation for turning on the vertical MISFET 50 which is the semiconductor device of the first embodiment, a positive gate voltage VGS (VGS> 0 V) is applied to the source electrode 20 to the first gate electrode 19. At this time, an inversion layer is formed in the upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13 and the portion sandwiched between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12, that is, the channel region 17. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the path is indicated by PS ^< b> ¹ from the source electrode 20, the n ⁺ type source region 14, the inversion layer formed in the channel region 17, the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, and the n ⁺ type. It flows to the drain electrode 11 through the SiC substrate 10. That is, the current flows from the drain electrode 11 to the source electrode 20 through the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10, the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, the inversion layer formed in the channel region 17, and the n ⁺ type source region 14.

  On the other hand, in the off operation for turning off the vertical MISFET 50, a negative or zero gate voltage VGS (VGS ≦ 0 V) is applied to the first gate electrode 19 with respect to the source electrode 20. At this time, the current is interrupted by eliminating the inversion layer formed in the channel region 17.

In the first embodiment, the second gate electrode 22 is formed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 via the second gate insulating film 21. The second gate electrode 22 is electrically connected to the first gate electrode 19. Therefore, when the ON operation is performed, a positive gate voltage VGS (VGS> 0 V) is applied to the first gate electrode 19 with respect to the source electrode 20, so that the second gate electrode 22 is also applied to the source electrode 20. Thus, the positive gate voltage VGS is applied. By applying a positive gate voltage VGS to the second gate electrode 22, the potential of the p-type body region 13 can be modulated via the second gate insulating film 21 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both reduction of on-resistance and reliable normally-off operation.

<Manufacturing process of semiconductor device>
Next, an example of a manufacturing process of the semiconductor device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. 4 to 14 are main-portion cross-sectional views during the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device of First Embodiment.

First, an n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10 is prepared.

In the step of preparing the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, an n ⁺ type SiC substrate made of silicon carbide (SiC) into which an n type impurity such as nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) is introduced. 10 is prepared. As described above, the impurity concentration of the n ⁺ -type SiC substrate 10 is relatively high, and can be, for example, about 1 × 10 ¹⁸ to 1 × 10 ²¹ cm ⁻³ . Moreover, the thickness of the n ⁺ -type SiC substrate 10 can be set to, for example, about 50 to 500 μm.

Next, the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 is formed.

The n ^- in the step of forming a type epitaxial layer 12, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the ^{n +} -type SiC substrate 10, n by epitaxial growth ^- -type epitaxial layer 12. Specifically, for example, a Si atom-containing gas (SiH ₄ gas), a Cl atom-containing gas (HCl gas), a C atom-containing gas (C ₃ H ₈ gas), a reducing gas (H ₂ gas), or the like is used. By setting the temperature to, for example, about 1500 to 1800 ° C., the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 made of silicon carbide (SiC) is formed.

An n-type impurity such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), or arsenic (As) is introduced into the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12. As described above, n ^- impurity concentration type epitaxial layer 12, for example, be a ^{1 × 10 14 ~1 × 10 17} cm -3 approximately, n ^- the thickness of the type epitaxial layer 12, for example 5 It can be about 50 μm.

  Next, the p-type body region 13 is formed.

In the step of forming the p-type body region 13, a resist film R 1 is applied on the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12. Then, the resist film R1 is subjected to exposure / development processing using a photolithography technique to pattern the resist film R1 as shown in FIG. The patterning of the resist film R1 is performed so that the region where the p-type body region 13 is formed in the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12 is exposed. Then, a p-type impurity such as aluminum (Al) or boron (B) is introduced into the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12 by an ion implantation method using the patterned resist film R1 as a mask. Thereby, p-type body region 13 is formed in the upper layer portion of n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12. As described above, the impurity concentration of the p-type body region 13 can be, for example, about 1 × 10 ¹⁶ to 1 × 10 ¹⁸ cm ⁻³ . Further, the thickness of the p-type body region 13 can be set to, for example, about 1 to 2 μm.

  In addition, about the process of forming the p-type body area | region 13, it can heat-process, for example at about 1700 degreeC after the process, and can implant | stimulate the implanted impurity.

Next, the n ⁺ type source region 14 is formed.

In the step of forming the n ⁺ type source region 14, after removing the patterned resist film R 1, a resist film R 2 is applied on the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12. Then, the resist film R2 is subjected to exposure / development processing using a photolithography technique to pattern the resist film R2 as shown in FIG. The patterning of the resist film R2 is performed so that the region where the n ⁺ -type source region 14 is formed in the p-type body region 13 is exposed. Then, an n-type impurity such as nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) is introduced into the p-type body region 13 by an ion implantation method using the patterned resist film R2 as a mask. As a result, an n ⁺ type source region 14 is formed in the upper layer portion of the p type body region 13. As described above, the impurity concentration of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 can be, for example, about 1 × 10 ¹⁸ to 1 × 10 ²¹ cm ⁻³ . Further, the thickness of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 can be set to about 100 to 500 nm, for example.

Next, a p ⁺ type body contact region 15 is formed.

In the step of forming the p ⁺ type body contact region 15, after removing the patterned resist film R 2, a resist film R 3 is applied on the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12. Then, the resist film R3 is subjected to exposure / development processing using a photolithography technique to pattern the resist film R3 as shown in FIG. The patterning of the resist film R3 is performed so that a region where the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 is formed in the p type body region 13 or the n ⁺ type source region 14 is exposed. Then, a p-type impurity made of, for example, aluminum (Al) or boron (B) is introduced into the p-type body region 13 or the n ⁺ -type source region 14 by ion implantation using the patterned resist film R3 as a mask. As a result, the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 is formed in the upper layer portion of the p type body region 13. As described above, the impurity concentration of the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 can be, for example, about 1 × 10 ¹⁸ to 1 × 10 ²¹ cm ⁻³ . Further, the thickness of the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 can be set to about 100 to 500 nm, for example.

Note that the step of forming the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 is not limited to the above-described order, and any process can be used as long as a resist film that is appropriately patterned is used as a mask. You may carry out in order. In addition, with respect to the process of forming the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15, after each process or after all the processes are completed, a heat treatment is performed at, for example, about 1700 ° C. Can be activated.

  Next, the insulating film 31 is formed.

In the step of forming the insulating film 31, as shown in FIG. 9, the p-type body region 13, the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 are formed on the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12. An insulating film 31 is formed on the upper surface of the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12. The insulating film 31 is made of, for example, silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), silicon oxynitride (SiON), aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ), or hafnium oxide (HfO ₂ ), and is formed by, for example, a thermal oxidation method or a CVD method. Can do. Further, the thickness of the insulating film 31 can be set to, for example, about several tens of nm.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the insulating film 31 is formed on the upper surfaces of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15. The insulating film 31 is formed on the upper surface of the p-type body region 13 where neither the n ⁺ -type source region 14 nor the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 is formed. Furthermore, the insulating film 31 is formed on the upper surface of the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 where none of the p type body region 13, the n ⁺ type source region 14 and the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 is formed.

  Next, the conductive film 32 is formed.

  In the step of forming the conductive film 32, the conductive film 32 is formed on the insulating film 31, as shown in FIG. The conductive film 32 is made of polysilicon or the like in which an n-type impurity such as phosphorus (P) or arsenic (As) is diffused at a high concentration, and can be formed by, for example, a CVD method.

  Next, the first gate insulating film 18, the first gate electrode 19, the second gate insulating film 21, and the second gate electrode 22 are formed.

  In the step of forming the first gate insulating film 18, the first gate electrode 19, the second gate insulating film 21 and the second gate electrode 22, the conductive film 32 and the insulating film 31 are processed by a photolithography technique and a dry etching technique. (Patterning). For example, the first gate insulating film 18, the first gate electrode 19, and the second gate insulating film are processed (patterned) by a dry etching technique using a resist film patterned by a photolithography technique as a mask, as shown in FIG. A film 21 and a second gate electrode 22 are formed. The first gate insulating film 18 and the second gate insulating film 21 are made of an insulating film 31 (see FIG. 10), and the first gate electrode 19 and the second gate electrode 22 are made of a conductive film 32 (see FIG. 10).

At this time, regarding the pattern of the resist film to be formed, the pattern of the line part for forming the first gate insulating film 18 and the first gate electrode 19 is the upper layer part of the p-type body region 13, and n ⁺ It is assumed that it is formed on a portion sandwiched between the type source region 14 and the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12. As for the pattern of the resist film to be formed, it is assumed that the pattern of the line portion for forming the second gate insulating film 21 and the second gate electrode 22 is formed on the p ⁺ type body contact region 15. . Thereby, the second gate insulating film 21 and the second gate electrode 22 can be formed simultaneously with the first gate insulating film 18 and the first gate electrode 19, and the process can be simplified. At this time, the first gate insulating film 18 and the second gate insulating film 21 are made of the same material and have the same thickness. The first gate electrode 19 and the second gate electrode 22 are made of the same material and have the same thickness.

By performing the above-described steps, a first gate electrode 19 is formed on the upper surface of the p-type body region 13 via the first gate insulating film 18. The upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13 is sandwiched between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the JFET region 16, that is, between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12. This portion becomes the channel region 17. In addition, a region sandwiched between two adjacent p-type body regions 13 in the upper layer portion of the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12 becomes a JFET region 16.

Further, by performing the above-described steps, the second gate electrode 22 is formed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 with the second gate insulating film 21 interposed therebetween.

  Note that the second gate insulating film 21 and the second gate electrode 22 can be formed after the first gate insulating film 18 and the first gate electrode 19 are formed. At this time, first, the first gate insulating film 18 and the first gate electrode 19 are formed by processing (patterning) the insulating film 31 and the conductive film 32. Next, the insulating film 31 and the conductive film 32 are formed of an insulating film and a conductive film having different materials and thicknesses, respectively, and the formed conductive film and the insulating film are processed (patterned), whereby the second gate insulating film 21 is formed. Then, the second gate electrode 22 is formed.

  Next, an interlayer insulating film 23 is formed.

In the step of forming the interlayer insulating film 23, as shown in FIG. 12, the first gate insulating film 18, the first gate electrode 19, the second gate insulating film 21 and the second gate insulating film 21 are formed on the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12. An interlayer insulating film 23 is formed on the upper surface of the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 on which the two-gate electrode 22 is formed. For example, a silicon oxide film can be used as the interlayer insulating film 23 and can be formed by, for example, a CVD method.

  Next, a source contact hole (opening) 24 is formed.

In the step of forming the source contact hole (opening) 24, as shown in FIG. 13, the source contact hole (opening) 24 is formed in the interlayer insulating film 23 by using a photolithography technique and an etching technique. . The source contact hole (opening) 24 is formed in a region on the n ⁺ type source region 14. The upper surface of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 is exposed at the bottom surface of the source contact hole (opening) 24.

  Next, the source electrode 20 is formed.

  In the step of forming the source electrode 20, as shown in FIG. 14, for example, from aluminum (Al) or the like so as to cover the interlayer insulating film 23 and the bottom and inner walls of the source contact hole (opening) 24. A source electrode 20 is formed by depositing a conductive film to be formed by, for example, vapor deposition or sputtering.

  Next, the drain electrode 11 is formed.

In the step of forming the drain electrode 11, a conductive film in which, for example, titanium (Ti) and gold (Au) are stacked is deposited on the lower surface of the n ⁺ -type SiC substrate 10 by, for example, vapor deposition or sputtering. The drain electrode 11 is formed. Thereby, the vertical MISFET 50 as shown in FIG. 1 can be manufactured.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, after forming the drain electrode 11, a passivation film can be formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the vertical MISFET 50. Next, an opening is formed in a portion of the formed passivation film that becomes a pad region for electrically connecting the drain electrode 11, the first gate electrode 19, the source electrode 20, and the second gate electrode 22 to the outside. Can be formed.

<On-resistance and threshold voltage in vertical MISFET>
Next, the relationship between the on-resistance and the threshold voltage in the vertical MISFET will be described in comparison with the semiconductor device of Comparative Example 1.

  FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of main parts of the semiconductor device of Comparative Example 1. FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically showing a path through which electrons flow when the vertical MISFET is in the ON state in FIG.

In FIG. 15, the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10 and drain electrode 11 of the vertical MISFET 150, which is the semiconductor device of Comparative Example 1, and the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 are the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10 and drain electrode of the vertical MISFET 50, respectively. 11, which corresponds to the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 (see FIG. 1). Further, the p-type body region 13, the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 of the vertical MISFET 150 are respectively the p-type body region 13, the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the p ⁺ -type of the vertical MISFET 50. This corresponds to the body contact region 15 (see FIG. 1). The JFET region 16 and the channel region 17 of the vertical MISFET 150 correspond to the JFET region 16 and the channel region 17 of the vertical MISFET 50, respectively (see FIG. 1). The first gate insulating film 18, the first gate electrode 19, the source electrode 20, and the interlayer insulating film 23 of the vertical MISFET 150 are respectively the first gate insulating film 18, the first gate electrode 19, and the source electrode of the vertical MISFET 50. 20 corresponds to the interlayer insulating film 23 (see FIG. 1).

  However, in the vertical MISFET 150 which is the semiconductor device of Comparative Example 1, the second gate insulating film 21 (see FIG. 1) and the second gate electrode 22 (see FIG. 1) formed in the vertical MISFET 50 are formed. Not.

In the vertical MISFET 150, source contact holes (openings) 24 are formed in the interlayer insulating film 23 in regions on the n ⁺ type source region 14 and the p ⁺ type body contact region 15. On the bottom surface of the source contact hole (opening) 24, the upper surface of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the upper surface of the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 are exposed. The source electrode 20 is formed so as to cover the interlayer insulating film 23 and the bottom and inner walls of the source contact hole (opening) 24. With such a structure, the source electrode 20 is electrically connected to the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 via the source contact hole (opening) 24 formed in the interlayer insulating film 23. It is connected to the.

  In the on operation for turning on the vertical MISFET 150 that is the semiconductor device of Comparative Example 1, a positive gate voltage VGS (VGS> 0 V) is applied to the first gate electrode 19 with respect to the source electrode 20.

At this time, an inversion layer is formed in a portion sandwiched between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12, that is, in the channel region 17. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16 with the path indicated by PS2, electrons are supplied from the source electrode 20 to the n ⁺ -type source region 14, the inversion layer formed in the channel region 17, the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12, and the n ⁺ -type. It flows to the drain electrode 11 through the SiC substrate 10. That is, the current flows from the drain electrode 11 to the source electrode 20 through the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10, the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, the inversion layer formed in the channel region 17, and the n ⁺ type source region 14.

  On the other hand, in the off operation for turning off the vertical MISFET 150, a negative or zero gate voltage VGS (VGS ≦ 0 V) is applied to the first gate electrode 19 with respect to the source electrode 20. At this time, the current is interrupted by eliminating the inversion layer formed in the channel region 17.

  Here, the vertical MISFET 50 of the first embodiment is referred to as Example 1. At this time, for each of the vertical MISFET 150 of Comparative Example 1 and the vertical MISFET 50 of Example 1, the dependence of the conduction band energy and the electron mobility on the depth from the surface of the channel region 17 in the on state is Calculated by simulation. The simulation results obtained for the conduction band energy and the electron mobility are shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, respectively.

  In FIGS. 17 and 18, the result for the vertical MISFET 150 of Comparative Example 1 is indicated by a dotted line, and the result for the vertical MISFET 50 of Example 1 is indicated by a solid line. In FIGS. 17 and 18, the vertical axis represents conduction band energy and electron mobility, respectively, and the horizontal axis represents the depth from the surface of the channel region 17. Here, the surface of the channel region 17 means the interface between the channel region 17 and the first gate insulating film 18. The depth is set to 0 at the surface of the channel region 17, that is, at the interface between the channel region 17 and the first gate insulating film 18.

  As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 17, when the vertical MISFET 150 of Comparative Example 1 is in the on state, the depth from the surface of the channel region 17 is a predetermined value or more (the depth is 0 in the example shown in FIG. 17). In a region of about .15 μm), the conduction band energy is substantially constant regardless of the depth. In addition, in the region where the depth from the surface of the channel region 17 is less than a predetermined value (in the example shown in FIG. 17, the depth is less than about 0.15 μm), the conduction band energy decreases as the depth decreases, A relatively large gradient occurs in the conduction band energy. This is due to the gate voltage VGS (VGS> 0V) applied to the first gate electrode 19 in the channel region 17 that is the upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13 and in the vicinity of the interface with the first gate insulating film 18. This corresponds to the formation of an inversion layer in which electrons serving as carriers are accumulated.

  As a result, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 18, when the vertical MISFET 150 of Comparative Example 1 is in the on state, the electron mobility distribution of the electrons flowing through the channel region 17 is the first gate insulating film in the channel region 17. It can be seen that it concentrates in the vicinity of the interface with No. 18 and does not spread so much in the depth direction. That is, when the vertical MISFET 150 of Comparative Example 1 is in the on state, the distribution of electrons flowing in the channel region 17 in the depth direction is concentrated in a portion of the channel region 17 near the interface with the first gate insulating film 18. It does not spread much in the depth direction.

  However, in the vertical MISFET made of SiC, there is a problem peculiar to SiC in that a large amount of interface states exist in the vicinity of the interface with the gate insulating film in the channel region. For this reason, in the vertical MISFET 150 of Comparative Example 1, electrons flowing through the channel region 17 are trapped or scattered by the interface states, thereby reducing the electron mobility (mobility) and increasing the on-resistance. There's a problem.

  In order to solve such a problem of increasing the on-resistance and further reduce the on-resistance, a buried channel technique in which an n-type impurity is implanted (counter implantation) in a portion of the channel region in the vicinity of the interface with the gate insulating film. It can also be used. However, by performing the counter implantation using the buried channel technique, the impurity concentration of the p-type impurity in the channel region in the vicinity of the interface with the gate insulating film is lowered, so that the threshold voltage of the vertical MISFET is lowered. As a result, an inversion layer is easily formed even when a positive gate voltage is not applied to the gate electrode, and an operation of interrupting current when a positive gate voltage is not applied to the gate electrode, that is, a so-called normally-off operation can be reliably performed. There is a problem that it becomes difficult.

  Even when the vertical MISFET 150 of the comparative example 1 is in the OFF state, when a high voltage is applied to the drain electrode 11, a current flows through the channel region 17 due to the high voltage, so-called punch-through resistance. There is a problem that decreases.

Furthermore, in the vertical MISFET 150 of Comparative Example 1, when a negative voltage VDS (VDS <0 V) is applied to the drain electrode 11 with respect to the source electrode 20, the p-type body region 13 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12 A forward bias (voltage) is applied to the pn diode constituted by Therefore, even if a negative gate voltage VGS (VGS <0 V) is applied to the first gate electrode 19 with respect to the source electrode 20 to cut off the current flowing through the channel region 17, the p ⁺ -type body is removed from the source electrode 20. There is a problem that current flows through the contact region 15 to the drain electrode 11.

<Main features and effects of the present embodiment>
On the other hand, in the vertical MISFET 50 (see FIG. 1) which is the semiconductor device of the first embodiment (Example 1), the second gate is formed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 via the second gate insulating film 21. An electrode 22 is formed.

In the vertical MISFET 50, a source contact hole (opening) 24 is formed in a region on the n ⁺ -type source region 14 in the interlayer insulating film 23. On the bottom surface of the source contact hole (opening) 24, the upper surface of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 is exposed. The source electrode 20 is formed on the interlayer insulating film 23 so as to cover the bottom and inner walls of the source contact hole (opening) 24. With such a structure, the source electrode 20 is electrically connected to the n ⁺ type source region 14 through the source contact hole (opening) 24 formed in the interlayer insulating film 23.

  As shown by the solid line in FIG. 17, even when the vertical MISFET 50 of the first embodiment (Example 1) is in the ON state, the depth from the surface of the channel region 17 is a region having a predetermined value or more (see FIG. 17). In the example shown, in the region where the depth is about 0.1 μm or more), the conduction band energy is substantially constant regardless of the depth. In the region where the depth from the surface of the channel region 17 is less than a predetermined value (in the example shown in FIG. 17, when the depth is less than about 0.1 μm), the conduction band energy decreases as the depth decreases, A gradient occurs in the conduction band energy. This is due to the gate voltage VGS (VGS> 0V) applied to the first gate electrode 19 in the channel region 17 that is the upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13 and in the vicinity of the interface with the first gate insulating film 18. This corresponds to the formation of an inversion layer in which electrons serving as carriers are accumulated.

However, when the vertical MISFET 50 of the first embodiment (Example 1) is in the on state, the second gate electrode 22 electrically connected to the first gate electrode 19 is also connected to the source electrode 20. A positive gate voltage VGS (VGS> 0 V) is applied. By applying a gate voltage to the second gate electrode 22, the potential of the p-type body region 13, particularly the upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13, via the second gate insulating film 21 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15. In a certain channel region 17, the potential is modulated at a portion slightly away from the interface with the first gate insulating film 18. Therefore, when the vertical MISFET 50 of the first embodiment (Example 1) is in the on state, the depth from the surface of the channel region 17 is particularly predetermined compared to when the vertical MISFET 150 of the comparative example 1 is in the on state. The conduction band energy is greatly reduced (modulated) in a region equal to or greater than the value (in the example shown in FIG. 17, a region having a depth of about 0.1 μm or more).

  As a result, in the first embodiment (Example 1), the depth from the surface of the channel region 17 is less than a predetermined value (in the example shown in FIG. 17, the depth is less than about 0.1 μm). The gradient generated in the conduction band energy is smaller than the gradient generated in the conduction band energy in Comparative Example 1.

  As shown by the solid line in FIG. 18, when the vertical MISFET 50 of the first embodiment (Example 1) is in the on state, the electron mobility distribution of electrons flowing through the channel region 17 is It can be seen that the concentration is not concentrated in the vicinity of the interface with the first gate insulating film 18. That is, when the vertical MISFET 50 of the first embodiment (Example 1) is in the on state, the distribution of electrons flowing in the channel region 17 in the depth direction is as follows when the vertical MISFET 150 of the comparative example 1 is in the on state. In comparison, the channel region 17 extends in the depth direction. Therefore, in the vertical MISFET 50 according to the first embodiment, electrons flowing through the channel region 17 are less likely to be captured or scattered by the interface state as compared with the vertical MISFET 150 of the comparative example 1, and the electron mobility (mobility). Is less likely to decrease, and the on-resistance can be reduced.

  Therefore, since it is not necessary to use a buried channel technique in order to reduce the on-resistance, there is no possibility that the threshold voltage of the vertical MISFET is lowered, and it is possible to achieve both the reduction of the on-resistance and the reliable normally-off operation. it can.

  In consideration of the effect of lowering (modulating) the conduction band energy in the channel region 17 and the effect of expanding the electron mobility distribution of electrons flowing through the channel region 17 in the depth direction, the p-type is considered. It is also possible to design the structure so that the impurity concentration of the body region 13 is higher. By making the impurity concentration of the p-type body region 13 higher, the structure can be designed such that the threshold voltage is increased without increasing the on-resistance of the vertical MISFET 50 of the first embodiment. .

  In the off operation for turning off the vertical MISFET 50 of the first embodiment, a negative or zero gate voltage VGS (VGS ≦ 0 V) is applied to the source electrode 20 to the first gate electrode 19. At this time, the gate voltage VGS (VGS ≦ 0V) equal to the first gate electrode 19 is also applied to the second gate electrode 22 electrically connected to the first gate electrode 19. When the vertical MISFET 50 is in the off state, the conduction band energy of the channel region 17 is raised (modulated) compared to when the MISFET 150 of the comparative example 1 is in the off state. Therefore, the current flowing through the channel region 17 is highly blocked, and when a high voltage is applied to the drain electrode 11, it is possible to prevent the current from flowing through the channel region 17 due to the high voltage, thereby improving punch-through resistance. be able to.

  As described above, in the vertical MISFET 50 of the first embodiment, the gate voltage is applied to the second gate electrode 22 and the potential of the p-type body region 13 is modulated to control the current flowing through the channel region 17. Increases nature. Therefore, the switching operation for switching between the on state and the off state of the vertical MISFET can be further accelerated. Alternatively, the vertical MISFET can be reliably controlled even when the gate voltage switching width (amplitude) is further reduced.

Furthermore, in the vertical MISFET 50 of the first embodiment, the source electrode 20 and the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 are not in direct contact. For this reason, even when a negative voltage VDS (VDS <0 V) is applied to the drain electrode 11 with respect to the source electrode 20, a current flows from the source electrode 20 to the drain electrode 11 through the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15. Can be prevented or suppressed.

<First Modification of First Embodiment>
FIG. 19 is a main-portion cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of the first modification example of the first embodiment.

In the first embodiment, the example in which the second gate electrode 22 is formed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 via the second gate insulating film 21 has been described. However, the first embodiment is not limited to the case where the second gate electrode 22 is formed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 via the second gate insulating film 21. Therefore, the second gate electrode 22 may be directly formed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15. FIG. 19 shows a vertical MISFET 50a having such a structure as a first modification of the first embodiment.

The second gate electrode 22 is shown in FIG. 19 except that the second gate electrode 22 is formed directly on the upper surface of the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 and the second gate insulating film 21 (see FIG. 1) is not formed. The vertical MISFET 50a has the same structure as that of the vertical MISFET 50 shown in FIG.

As described above, even when the second gate electrode 22 is formed directly on the upper surface of the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15, the gate voltage is applied to the second gate electrode 22, whereby the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 is formed. Thus, the potential of the p-type body region 13 can be modulated. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both reduction of on-resistance and reliable normally-off operation.

<Second Modification of First Embodiment>
FIG. 20 is a top view of the semiconductor device of the second modification example of the first embodiment. Note that FIG. 20 illustrates a state in which the source electrode 20 (see FIG. 1) and the interlayer insulating film 23 (see FIG. 1) are removed (see through) for easy understanding. In FIG. 20, for easy understanding, the first gate electrode 19 or the second gate electrode 22 of the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, the p type body region 13, and the n ⁺ type source region 14 is covered. The broken portion is shown by a broken line. Further, in FIG. 20, for easy understanding, the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the source contact hole (opening) 24 formed in the interlayer insulating film 23 (see FIG. 1) is illustrated by a two-dot chain line.

  In the first embodiment, the example in which the second gate electrode 22 is electrically connected to the first gate electrode 19 has been described. However, the first embodiment is not limited to the case where the second gate electrode 22 is electrically connected to the first gate electrode 19. Therefore, the second gate electrode 22 may not be electrically connected to the first gate electrode 19, and the gate voltage applied to each may be controlled independently. A vertical MISFET 50b having such a structure is shown in FIG. 20 as a second modification of the first embodiment.

  The vertical MISFET 50b shown in FIG. 20 is the same as that shown in FIG. 1 except that the first gate electrode 19 and the second gate electrode 22 are not electrically connected and the gate voltage applied to each is controlled independently. The structure is the same as that of the vertical MISFET 50 shown in FIG.

  Although not shown, each first gate electrode 19 is exposed on the bottom surface of a contact hole (opening) formed in the interlayer insulating film 23 separately from the source contact hole (opening) 24. They are electrically connected to each other through a conductive film formed in the contact hole (opening). The same applies to each second gate electrode 22.

As described above, even when the second gate electrode 22 is not electrically connected to the first gate electrode 19, by applying a gate voltage to the second gate electrode 22, the second gate insulating film 21 and the p ⁺ type are applied. The potential of the p-type body region 13 can be modulated via the body contact region 15. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both reduction of on-resistance and reliable normally-off operation. In addition, the gate voltage applied to the second gate electrode 22 can be controlled independently of the gate voltage applied to the first gate electrode 19. Therefore, for example, by applying a gate voltage higher than the gate voltage applied to the first gate electrode 19 to the second gate electrode 22, a further reduction in on-resistance can be realized.

  Preferably, the gate voltage applied to each second gate electrode 22 can be individually adjusted. For example, when a plurality of elements including a pair of the first gate electrode 19 and the second gate electrode 22 are arranged and operated in operation, there is a possibility that the elements do not operate uniformly if the characteristics after the manufacture of each element vary. . However, even when there is variation in the characteristics of each element, the characteristics of each element that has been varied after manufacture can be obtained by adjusting the gate voltage applied to the second gate electrode 22 included in each element individually. Can be evenly aligned. Furthermore, the characteristics as a semiconductor device are further improved by individually adjusting the gate voltage applied to the second gate electrode 22 corresponding to the difference in the wiring layout and the heat generation state of each element. Can be made.

(Embodiment 2)
<Semiconductor device>
Next, a semiconductor device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the first gate insulating film and the first gate electrode are formed on the upper surface of the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the first gate insulating film and the first gate electrode are formed inside a trench (groove) formed in the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer.

  FIG. 21 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Second Embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 21, the vertical MISFET 50c that is the semiconductor device of the second embodiment has the same structure as the vertical MISFET 50 that is the semiconductor device of the first embodiment. That is, the vertical MISFET 50 c is similar to the vertical MISFET 50 in that the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10, the drain electrode 11, the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, the p type body region 13, the n ⁺ type source region 14, and the p ⁺ type body contact. It has a region 15. Similarly to the vertical MISFET 50, the vertical MISFET 50c includes the source electrode 20, the second gate insulating film 21, and the second gate electrode 22.

However, in the vertical MISFET 50c which is the semiconductor device of the second embodiment, unlike the vertical MISFET 50 which is the semiconductor device of the first embodiment, a trench (groove portion) 25 is formed in the upper layer portion of the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12. ing.

The trench (groove) 25 is formed so as to penetrate the p-type body region 13 and the n ⁺ -type source region 14, and the inner wall of the trench (groove) 25 has side surfaces of the p-type body region 13 and the n ⁺ -type. The side surface of the source region 14 is exposed. A first gate insulating film 18 c is formed on the inner wall of the trench (groove part) 25. That is, the first gate insulating film 18 c is formed on the side surface of the p-type body region 13 and the side surface of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 exposed on the inner wall of the trench (groove part) 25. In addition, a first gate electrode 19c is formed so as to fill a trench (groove portion) 25 in which the first gate insulating film 18c is formed on the inner wall. That is, the first gate electrode 19 c is formed on the side surface of the p-type body region 13 and the side surface of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 exposed on the inner wall of the trench (groove) 25 via the first gate insulating film 18 c. .

Further, unlike the vertical MISFET 50 which is the semiconductor device of the first embodiment, the vertical MISFET 50c which is the semiconductor device of the second embodiment is an upper layer portion of the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 and includes two adjacent MISFETs 50c. There is no region sandwiched between the p-type body regions 13. Therefore, the vertical MISFET 50c, which is the semiconductor device of the second embodiment, does not have the JFET region 16 (see FIG. 1). In the second embodiment, the channel region 17 c is a side surface portion exposed on the inner wall of the trench (groove portion) 25 in the p-type body region 13, and includes the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12. It is the part sandwiched between.

<Operation of semiconductor device>
Next, the operation of the vertical MISFET 50c that is the semiconductor device of the second embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram schematically showing a path through which electrons flow when the vertical MISFET is in the ON state in FIG.

Also in the on operation for turning on the vertical MISFET 50c, which is the semiconductor device of the second embodiment, the positive gate voltage VGS (with respect to the source electrode 20) is applied to the first gate electrode 19c as in the first embodiment. VGS> 0V) is applied. At this time, in the p-type body region 13, the side surface portion exposed to the trench (groove portion) 25, the portion sandwiched between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12, that is, the channel region 17 c. An inversion layer is formed. Therefore, as shown by the path PS3 in FIG. 22, electrons pass from the source electrode 20 to the n ⁺ type source region 14, the inversion layer formed in the channel region 17c, the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, and the n ⁺ type. It flows to the drain electrode 11 through the SiC substrate 10. That is, current flows from the drain electrode 11 to the source electrode 20 through the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10, the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, the inversion layer formed in the channel region 17 c, and the n ⁺ type source region 14.

  Further, also in the off operation for turning off the vertical MISFET 50c, a negative or zero gate voltage VGS (VGS ≦ 0V) is applied to the first gate electrode 19c with respect to the source electrode 20, as in the first embodiment. To do. At this time, the current is interrupted by eliminating the inversion layer formed in the channel region 17c.

Also in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the second gate electrode 22 is formed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 with the second gate insulating film 21 interposed therebetween. The second gate electrode 22 is electrically connected to the first gate electrode 19c. Therefore, in the ON operation, by applying a positive gate voltage VGS (VGS> 0 V) to the source electrode 20 to the first gate electrode 19 c, the second gate electrode 22 and the source electrode 20 are also applied. Thus, a positive gate voltage VGS (VGS> 0 V) is applied. By applying a gate voltage to the second gate electrode 22, the potential of the p-type body region 13 can be modulated via the second gate insulating film 21 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both reduction of on-resistance and reliable normally-off operation.

  On the other hand, the semiconductor device (vertical MISFET 50c) of the second embodiment does not have the JFET region 16 (see FIG. 1) formed in the semiconductor device (vertical MISFET 50) of the first embodiment. In the vertical MISFET 50, electrons that have passed through the channel region 17 (see FIG. 1) when in the on state must pass through the JFET region 16, which is a narrow region sandwiched between adjacent p-type body regions 13. . Therefore, when the resistance in the JFET region 16 is relatively high, it may be difficult to reduce the on-resistance of the vertical MISFET.

  However, in the semiconductor device of the second embodiment (vertical MISFET 50c), electrons that have passed through the channel region 17c do not pass through a narrow region such as the JFET region 16 (see FIG. 1). In comparison, it becomes easier to reduce the on-resistance of the vertical MISFET.

  Also in the off operation for turning off the vertical MISFET 50c, the second gate electrode 19c is applied with a negative or zero gate voltage VGS (VGS ≦ 0V) with respect to the source electrode 20 to the second gate electrode 19c. 22 also applies a negative or zero gate voltage VGS (VGS ≦ 0 V) to the source electrode 20. When the vertical MISFET 50c is in the OFF state, the conduction band energy of the channel region 17c is raised (modulated) compared to when the gate voltage is not applied to the second gate electrode 22. Therefore, the blocking property of the current flowing through the channel region 17c is enhanced, and when a high voltage is applied to the drain electrode 11, it is possible to prevent the current from flowing through the channel region 17c due to the high voltage, thereby improving punch-through resistance. be able to.

<Manufacturing process of semiconductor device>
Next, an example of a manufacturing process of the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. 23 to 27 are fragmentary cross-sectional views of the semiconductor device of the second embodiment during the manufacturing process thereof.

As for the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device (vertical MISFET 50c) of the second embodiment, each process from the process of preparing the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10 to the process of forming the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 is performed as This is the same as each step in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device of Embodiment 1 (vertical MISFET 50), and the description thereof is omitted. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the semiconductor device in a state where the process up to the step of forming the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 is performed.

However, in the second embodiment, in the step of forming the p-type body region 13, p-type impurities are introduced into the entire surface of the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12, and in the step of forming the n ⁺ -type source region 14, the p-type body region 13 is formed. An n-type impurity is introduced into the entire surface of the body region 13.

As in the first embodiment, the steps of forming n ⁺ type source region 14 and p ⁺ type body contact region 15 may be performed in any order. The step of forming the p-type body region 13 and the step of forming the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 are performed after each step or after all steps, for example, 1700 The implanted impurity can be activated by performing a heat treatment at about ° C.

  Next, a trench (groove) 25 is formed.

In the step of forming the trench (groove portion) 25, a resist film R4 is applied on the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, that is, on the upper surfaces of the n ⁺ type source region 14 and the p ⁺ type body contact region 15. Then, the resist film R4 is subjected to exposure / development processing using a photolithography technique to pattern the resist film R4 as shown in FIG. The patterning of the resist film R4 is performed so that a portion of the upper surface of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 where the trench (groove portion) 25 is formed is exposed. Then, trenches (grooves) 25 are formed by using the patterned resist film R4 as a mask and using a photolithography technique and an etching technique.

Trench (groove) 25 is formed so as to penetrate n ⁺ -type source region 14 and p-type body region 13. The side surface of the p-type body region 13 and the side surface of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 are exposed on the inner wall of the trench (groove portion) 25.

  Next, an insulating film 31c is formed.

In the step of forming the insulating film 31c, after removing the patterned resist film R4, the insulating film is formed on the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 and on the inner wall of the trench (groove) 25 as shown in FIG. 31c is formed. The insulating film 31c is, for example, silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), silicon oxynitride (SiON), aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ), or hafnium oxide (HfO), as with the insulating film 31 (see FIG. 9) in the first embodiment. ₂ ), and can be formed by, for example, a thermal oxidation method or a CVD method. In addition, the thickness of the insulating film 31c can be set to, for example, about several tens of nm.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 25, the insulating film 31 c is formed on the upper surfaces of the n ⁺ type source region 14 and the p ⁺ type body contact region 15. The insulating film 31 c is formed on the side surface of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 exposed on the inner wall of the trench (groove portion) 25, and is formed on the side surface of the p-type body region 13 exposed on the inner wall of the trench (groove portion) 25. . The insulating film 31 c is formed on the surface of the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 exposed on the inner wall and bottom surface of the trench (groove) 25.

  Next, a conductive film 32c is formed.

  In the step of forming the conductive film 32c, as shown in FIG. 26, the conductive film 32c is formed on the insulating film 31c. At this time, in the trench (groove portion) 25 in which the insulating film 31c is formed on the inner wall and the bottom surface, the conductive film 32c is formed so as to fill the trench (groove portion) 25. Similar to the conductive film 32 in the first embodiment, the conductive film 32c is made of, for example, polysilicon in which n-type impurities such as phosphorus (P) and arsenic (As) are diffused at a high concentration, and is formed by, for example, the CVD method. can do.

  Next, the first gate insulating film 18c, the first gate electrode 19c, the second gate insulating film 21 and the second gate electrode 22 are formed.

  In the step of forming the first gate insulating film 18c, the first gate electrode 19c, the second gate insulating film 21 and the second gate electrode 22, the conductive film 32c and the insulating film 31c are processed by a photolithography technique and a dry etching technique. (Patterning). For example, as shown in FIG. 27, the first gate insulating film 18c, the first gate electrode 19c, and the second gate insulating film are processed (patterned) by a dry etching technique using a resist film patterned by a photolithography technique as a mask. A film 21 and a second gate electrode 22 are formed. The first gate insulating film 18c and the second gate insulating film 21 are made of an insulating film 31c (see FIG. 26), and the first gate electrode 19c and the second gate electrode 22 are made of a conductive film 32c (see FIG. 26).

By performing the above-described steps, the first gate electrode 19c is formed on the side surface of the p-type body region 13 via the first gate insulating film 18c. A portion of the side surface portion of the p-type body region 13 sandwiched between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12 becomes a channel region 17 c.

Further, by performing the above-described steps, the second gate electrode 22 is formed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 with the second gate insulating film 21 interposed therebetween.

Thereafter, by performing the same process as in the first embodiment, the interlayer insulating film 23 is formed, the source contact hole (opening) 24 is formed in the interlayer insulating film 23, the interlayer insulating film 23, and the source The source electrode 20 is formed so as to cover the bottom surface and inner wall of the contact hole (opening) 24. Further, the drain electrode 11 is formed on the lower surface of the n ⁺ -type SiC substrate 10 by performing the same process as in the first embodiment. Thereby, the vertical MISFET 50c, which is the semiconductor device according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21 can be manufactured.

In addition, after forming the trench (groove part) 25, by introducing an impurity into the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 sandwiched between adjacent trenches (groove parts) 25 by the ion implantation method, the p-type body region 13 and the n ⁺ type are formed. The source region 14 and the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 can also be formed.

<Main features and effects of the present embodiment>
Similarly to the vertical MISFET 50 which is the semiconductor device of the first embodiment, the vertical MISFET 50c which is the semiconductor device of the second embodiment also has a second gate insulating film 21 interposed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15. Thus, the second gate electrode 22 is formed. In addition, when the vertical MISFET 50c is in the ON state, a gate voltage is applied to the second gate electrode 22 so that the p-type body region 13 is connected to the p-type body region 13 via the second gate insulating film 21 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15. The potential, in particular, the potential in the portion of the p-type body region 13 that is slightly away from the interface with the first gate insulating film 18c is modulated. As a result, when the vertical MISFET 50c is in the ON state, the distribution in the depth direction of electrons flowing through the channel region 17c spreads away from the interface with the first gate insulating film 18c. Therefore, electrons flowing through the channel region 17c are not easily captured or scattered by the interface state, and the electron mobility (mobility) is hardly lowered, so that the on-resistance can be reduced.

  In addition, since it is not necessary to use a buried channel technique in order to reduce the on-resistance, it is possible to achieve both a reduction in on-resistance and a reliable normally-off operation.

Further, in the second embodiment, the first gate electrode 19 c is formed on the side surface of the p-type body region 13 and the side surface of the n ⁺ -type source region 14 exposed on the inner wall of the trench (groove part) 25. Is formed through. Therefore, the vertical MISFET 50c does not have the JFET region 16 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, when the vertical MISFET 50c is in the ON state, electrons that have passed through the channel region 17c do not pass through a narrow region such as the JFET region 16 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, compared to the first embodiment, the vertical MISFET It becomes easy to reduce the on-resistance.

In the second embodiment, as in the first modification of the first embodiment, the second gate insulating film 21 is not formed, and the second gate electrode 22 is formed of the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15. It may be formed directly on the upper surface. Even in such a structure, the potential of the p-type body region 13 can be modulated via the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 by applying a gate voltage to the second gate electrode 22. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both reduction of on-resistance and reliable normally-off operation.

(Embodiment 3)
<Semiconductor device>
Next, a semiconductor device according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, the second gate electrode is formed in a region outside the region where each element of the vertical MISFET is disposed.

FIG. 28 is a top view of the semiconductor device of the third embodiment. FIG. 29 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device of Third Embodiment. 29 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 28 shows a state in which the source electrode 20 (see FIG. 29) and the interlayer insulating film 23 (see FIG. 29) are removed (see through) for easy understanding. In FIG. 28, for easy understanding, the first gate electrode 19 or the second gate electrode 22d of the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, the p type body region 13, and the n ⁺ type source region 14 is covered. The broken portion is shown by a broken line. Further, in FIG. 28, for easy understanding, the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the source contact hole (opening) 24 formed in the interlayer insulating film 23 (see FIG. 29) is illustrated by a two-dot chain line.

As shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, the vertical MISFET 50d that is the semiconductor device of the third embodiment has the same structure as the vertical MISFET 50 that is the semiconductor device of the first embodiment. That is, the vertical MISFET 50 d includes the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10, the drain electrode 11, the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, the p type body region 13, and the n ⁺ type source region 14, similarly to the vertical MISFET 50. Similarly to the vertical MISFET 50, the vertical MISFET 50d includes a first gate insulating film 18, a first gate electrode 19, and a source electrode 20.

However, in the third embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15d is a p-type in a region outside the region AR1 where a plurality of elements (unit cells) of the vertical MISFET 50d are arranged. It is formed in the upper layer part of body region 13. A second gate electrode 22d is formed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15d via a second gate insulating film 21d. That is, the second gate insulating film 21d and the second gate electrode 22d are formed in a region outside the region AR1.

P type body region 13 is in contact with both n ⁺ type source region 14 formed in a region inside region AR1 and p ⁺ type body contact region 15d formed in a region outside region AR1. Is formed. Similarly to the first embodiment, a channel region 17 is formed in the upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13 and between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12. ing. Therefore, also in the third embodiment, by applying a gate voltage to the second gate electrode 22d, the potential of the p-type body region 13 is modulated via the second gate insulating film 21d and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15d. can do. Therefore, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to achieve both reduction of on-resistance and reliable normally-off operation.

In the third embodiment, since the p ⁺ type body contact region 15d is not formed in the region AR1 in which each element (unit cell) is formed, the length of one side of each element (unit cell) is reduced. The on-resistance (RonA) per unit area can be reduced.

Further, preferably, the material and the thickness are different between the first gate insulating film 18 and the second gate insulating film 21d. For example, the first gate insulating film 18 is made of silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), the second gate insulating film 21 d is made of a high dielectric constant material such as hafnium oxide (HfO ₂ ), and the second gate insulating film The thickness of 21 d can be made thinner than the thickness of the first gate insulating film 18. With such a configuration, the capacitive coupling between the second gate electrode 22d and the p-type body region 13 can be strengthened, and the conduction band energy in the channel region 17 in the ON state can be greatly reduced (modulated). Further, the on-resistance can be reduced.

  Further, preferably, the material and the thickness are different between the first gate electrode 19 and the second gate electrode 22d. For example, the first gate electrode 19 can be made of polysilicon, and the second gate electrode 22d can be made of aluminum (Al). With such a configuration, by adjusting the work function of the second gate electrode 22d, the potential of the p-type body region 13 when the gate voltage is not applied to the second gate electrode 22d can be modulated. Therefore, when the vertical MISFET is in the on state, the conduction band energy in the channel region 17 can be lowered (modulated) over a wider range, and the amount by which the on-resistance is reduced can be easily optimized. .

<Operation of semiconductor device>
Next, the operation of the vertical MISFET 50d that is the semiconductor device of the third embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 30 is a diagram schematically showing a path through which electrons flow when the vertical MISFET is in the ON state in FIG.

Also in the on operation for turning on the vertical MISFET 50d which is the semiconductor device of the third embodiment, the first gate electrode 19 has a positive gate voltage VGS1 (with respect to the source electrode 20) as in the first embodiment. VGS1> 0V) is applied. At this time, an inversion layer is formed in the upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13 and the portion sandwiched between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12, that is, the channel region 17. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 30, the path is indicated by PS 4, and electrons are supplied from the source electrode 20 to the n ⁺ type source region 14, the inversion layer formed in the channel region 17, the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, and the n ⁺ type. It flows to the drain electrode 11 through the SiC substrate 10. That is, the current flows from the drain electrode 11 to the source electrode 20 through the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10, the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, the inversion layer formed in the channel region 17, and the n ⁺ type source region 14.

  Further, also in the off operation for turning off the vertical MISFET 50d, the negative or zero gate voltage VGS1 (VGS1 ≦ 0V) is applied to the first gate electrode 19 with respect to the source electrode 20, as in the first embodiment. To do. At this time, the current is interrupted by eliminating the inversion layer formed in the channel region 17.

In the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the positive gate voltage VGS1 (VGS1> 0V) is applied to the first gate electrode 19 with respect to the source electrode 20 in the ON operation. A positive gate voltage VGS2 (VGS2> 0V) is applied to the two gate electrode 22d with respect to the source electrode 20. By applying a gate voltage to the second gate electrode 22d, the potential of the p-type body region 13 can be modulated via the second gate insulating film 21d and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15d. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both reduction of on-resistance and reliable normally-off operation.

  On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the gate voltage VGS2 applied to the second gate electrode 22d can be controlled independently of the gate voltage VGS1 applied to the first gate electrode 19 in the on operation. Therefore, further reduction of the on-resistance can be realized by applying a gate voltage higher than the gate voltage applied to the first gate electrode 19 to the second gate electrode 22d, for example.

  Also in the off operation for turning off the vertical MISFET 50d, a negative or zero gate voltage VGS1 (VGS1 ≦ 0V) is applied to the source electrode 20 to the first gate electrode 19, and the second gate electrode 22d. In addition, a negative or zero gate voltage VGS2 (VGS2 ≦ 0 V) is applied to the source electrode 20. When the vertical MISFET 50d is in the OFF state, the conduction band energy of the channel region 17 is raised (modulated) compared to when the gate voltage is not applied to the second gate electrode 22d. Therefore, the current flowing through the channel region 17 is highly blocked, and when a high voltage is applied to the drain electrode 11, it is possible to prevent the current from flowing through the channel region 17 due to the high voltage, thereby improving punch-through resistance. be able to.

  Also in the off operation, the gate voltage VGS2 applied to the second gate electrode 22d can be controlled independently of the gate voltage VGS1 applied to the first gate electrode 19. Therefore, for example, by applying a gate voltage (a negative gate voltage having a large absolute value) lower than the gate voltage applied to the first gate electrode 19 to the second gate electrode 22d, punch-through resistance is further improved. Can do.

<Manufacturing process of semiconductor device>
Next, an example of a manufacturing process of the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. 31 to 37 are cross-sectional views of relevant parts in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device of the third embodiment. 31 to 37 are also cross-sectional views taken along the line AA in FIG. 28, similarly to FIG.

  Regarding the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device (vertical MISFET 50d) of the third embodiment, the material and thickness are different between the first gate insulating film 18 and the second gate insulating film 21d, and the first gate electrode 19 A case where the material and the thickness are different from those of the second gate electrode 22d will be described.

As for the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device (vertical MISFET 50d) of the third embodiment, each process from the process of preparing the n ⁺ type SiC substrate 10 to the process of forming the p ⁺ type body contact region 15d This is the same as each step in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device of Embodiment 1 (vertical MISFET 50), and the description thereof is omitted. FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the semiconductor device in a state where the process up to the step of forming the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15d is performed.

However, in the third embodiment, in the step of forming the ^{p +} -type body contact region 15d, ^{p +} -type body contact region 15d is outside the area AR1 where each element (unit cell) is formed (see FIG. 28) Formed in the region. Therefore, the patterning of the resist film used as a mask for performing ion implantation is such that the p ⁺ type body contact region 15d is located in the p type body region 13 away from the region where the n ⁺ type source region 14 is formed. This is performed so that the region to be formed is exposed.

As in the first embodiment, the steps of forming n ⁺ type source region 14 and p ⁺ type body contact region 15d may be performed in any order. The step of forming the p-type body region 13 and the step of forming the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 d are performed after each step or after all the steps are completed, for example, 1700 The implanted impurity can be activated by performing a heat treatment at about ° C.

  Next, the insulating film 31 is formed.

In the step of forming the insulating film 31, as shown in FIG. 32, the p-type body region 13, the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15d are formed on the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12. An insulating film 31 is formed on the upper surface of the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12. The insulating film 31 is, for example, silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), silicon oxynitride (SiON), aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ), or hafnium oxide (HfO) in the same manner as the insulating film 31 (see FIG. 9) in the first embodiment. ₂ ), and can be formed by, for example, a thermal oxidation method or a CVD method. Further, the thickness of the insulating film 31 can be set to, for example, about several tens of nm.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 32, the insulating film 31 is formed on the upper surfaces of the n ⁺ type source region 14 and the p ⁺ type body contact region 15d. The insulating film 31 is formed on the upper surface of the p-type body region 13 where neither the n ⁺ -type source region 14 nor the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15 d is formed. Furthermore, the insulating film 31 is formed on the upper surface of the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 where none of the p type body region 13, the n ⁺ type source region 14 and the p ⁺ type body contact region 15 d is formed.

  Next, the conductive film 32 is formed.

  In the step of forming the conductive film 32, the conductive film 32 is formed on the insulating film 31, as shown in FIG. The conductive film 32 is made of polysilicon or the like in which n-type impurities such as phosphorus (P) and arsenic (As) are diffused at a high concentration, for example, like the conductive film 32 (see FIG. 10) in the first embodiment. It can be formed by a CVD method or the like.

  Next, the first gate insulating film 18 and the first gate electrode 19 are formed.

  In the step of forming the first gate insulating film 18 and the first gate electrode 19, the conductive film 32 and the insulating film 31 are processed (patterned) by a photolithography technique and a dry etching technique. For example, the first gate insulating film 18 and the first gate electrode 19 are formed by processing (patterning) by a dry etching technique using a resist film patterned by a photolithography technique as a mask, as shown in FIG. At this time, the first gate electrode 19 is formed on the upper surface of the p-type body region 13 via the first gate insulating film 18. The first gate insulating film 18 is made of an insulating film 31 (see FIG. 33), and the first gate electrode 19 is made of a conductive film 32 (see FIG. 33).

  Next, an insulating film 31d is formed.

In the step of forming the insulating film 31d, as shown in FIG. 35, on the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12, that is, the p type body region 13, the n ⁺ type source region 14, the p ⁺ type body contact region 15d, An insulating film 31d is formed on the upper surface of the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 12 on which the one gate insulating film 18 and the first gate electrode 19 are formed. The material and thickness of the insulating film 31d are preferably different from the material and thickness of the insulating film 31 (see FIG. 32). The insulating film 31d is made of a high dielectric constant material such as hafnium oxide (HfO ₂ ), and can be formed by, for example, a thermal oxidation method or a CVD method. Further, the thickness of the insulating film 31d can be set to a thickness different from the thickness of the insulating film 31 (see FIG. 32), for example, about several nm.

  Next, a conductive film 32d is formed.

  In the step of forming the conductive film 32d, as shown in FIG. 36, the conductive film 32d is formed on the insulating film 31d. The material and thickness of the conductive film 32d are preferably different from the material and thickness of the conductive film 32 (see FIG. 33). The conductive film 32d is made of, for example, aluminum (Al), and can be formed by, for example, vapor deposition or sputtering. In addition, the thickness of the conductive film 32d can be different from the thickness of the conductive film 32 (see FIG. 33).

  Next, a second gate insulating film 21d and a second gate electrode 22d are formed.

  In the step of forming the second gate insulating film 21d and the second gate electrode 22d, the conductive film 32d and the insulating film 31d are processed (patterned) by a photolithography technique and a dry etching technique. For example, the second gate insulating film 21d and the second gate electrode 22d are formed by processing (patterning) by a dry etching technique using a resist film patterned by a photolithography technique as a mask, as shown in FIG. The second gate insulating film 21d is made of an insulating film 31d (see FIG. 36), and the second gate electrode 22d is made of a conductive film 32d (see FIG. 36).

By performing the above steps, as described above, the first gate electrode 19 is formed on the upper surface of the p-type body region 13 with the first gate insulating film 18 interposed therebetween. The upper layer portion of the p-type body region 13 and the portion sandwiched between the n ⁺ -type source region 14 and the n ⁻ -type epitaxial layer 12 becomes the channel region 17.

Further, by performing the above-described steps, the second gate electrode 22d is formed on the upper surface of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15d via the second gate insulating film 21d. Therefore, the second gate insulating film 21d and the second gate electrode 22d are formed in a region outside the region AR1 (see FIG. 28) where each element (unit cell) is formed.

Thereafter, by performing the same process as in the first embodiment, the interlayer insulating film 23 is formed, the source contact hole (opening) 24 is formed in the interlayer insulating film 23, the interlayer insulating film 23, and the source The source electrode 20 is formed so as to cover the bottom surface and inner wall of the contact hole (opening) 24. Further, the drain electrode 11 is formed on the lower surface of the n ⁺ -type SiC substrate 10 by performing the same process as in the first embodiment. Thereby, the vertical MISFET 50d, which is the semiconductor device according to the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 29 can be manufactured.

  The materials and thicknesses of the second gate insulating film 21d and the second gate electrode 22d can be the same as the materials and thicknesses of the first gate insulating film 18 and the first gate electrode 19, respectively. At this time, the conductive film 32 (see FIG. 33) and the insulating film 31 (see FIG. 33) are processed (patterned) by the photolithography technique and the dry etching technique to form the first gate insulating film 18 and the first gate electrode 19. At the same time, the second gate insulating film 21d and the second gate electrode 22d are formed.

<Main features and effects of the present embodiment>
Similarly to the vertical MISFET 50 which is the semiconductor device of the first embodiment, the vertical MISFET 50d which is the semiconductor device of the third embodiment also has an upper surface of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15d via the second gate insulating film 21d. A second gate electrode 22d is thus formed. In addition, when the vertical MISFET 50d is in the ON state, a gate voltage is applied to the second gate electrode 22d, whereby the p-type body region 13 is formed via the second gate insulating film 21d and the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15d. The potential, in particular, the potential in the portion of the p-type body region 13 that is slightly away from the interface with the first gate insulating film 18 is modulated. As a result, when the vertical MISFET 50d is in the ON state, the distribution in the depth direction of electrons flowing through the channel region 17 is separated from the interface with the first gate insulating film 18 and spreads in the depth direction. Therefore, the electrons flowing through the channel region 17 are not easily captured or scattered by the interface state, and the electron mobility (mobility) is hardly lowered, so that the on-resistance can be reduced.

  In addition, since it is not necessary to use a buried channel technique in order to reduce the on-resistance, it is possible to achieve both a reduction in on-resistance and a reliable normally-off operation.

  Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the gate voltage VGS2 applied to the second gate electrode 22d can be controlled independently of the gate voltage VGS1 applied to the first gate electrode 19. Therefore, for example, by applying a gate voltage VGS2 higher than the gate voltage VGS1 applied to the first gate electrode 19 to the second gate electrode 22d, the on-resistance of the vertical MISFET can be reduced compared to the first embodiment. Becomes easier.

In the third embodiment, as in the first modification of the first embodiment, the second gate insulating film 21d is not formed, and the second gate electrode 22d is formed of the p ⁺ type body contact region 15d. It may be formed directly on the upper surface. Even in such a structure, the potential of the p-type body region 13 can be modulated through the p ⁺ -type body contact region 15d by applying a gate voltage to the second gate electrode 22d. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both reduction of on-resistance and reliable normally-off operation.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment. However, the invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which a semiconductor substrate made of silicon carbide (SiC) is used as the n ⁺ type SiC substrate and a semiconductor layer made of SiC is used as the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer has been described. However, the present invention uses a semiconductor substrate made of various semiconductor materials such as silicon (Si) instead of the n ⁺ type SiC substrate, and uses a semiconductor layer made of various semiconductor materials such as Si as the n ⁻ type epitaxial layer. It is also applicable when Even in such a case, although the effect is reduced as compared with the case where SiC is used, it is possible to achieve both reduction of on-resistance and reliable normally-off operation.

  The present invention is effective when applied to a semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof.

10 n ⁺ type SiC substrate 11 Drain electrode 12 n ⁻ type epitaxial layer 13 p type body region 14 n ⁺ type source region 15, 15 d p ⁺ type body contact region 16 JFET region 17, 17 c Channel region 18, 18 c First gate insulation Films 19 and 19c First gate electrode 20 Source electrodes 21 and 21d Second gate insulating film 22 and 22d Second gate electrode 23 Interlayer insulating film 24 Source contact hole (opening)
25 trench
31, 31c, 31d Insulating film 32, 32c, 32d Conductive film 50, 50a-50d Vertical MISFET
AR1 region PS1 to PS4 route R1 to R4 resist film

Claims (8)

A first conductivity type semiconductor substrate;
A drain electrode formed on the lower surface of the semiconductor substrate;
The first conductivity type semiconductor layer formed on the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate;
A first semiconductor region of a second conductivity type formed in an upper layer portion of the semiconductor layer;
A second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type formed in an upper layer portion of the first semiconductor region;
A third semiconductor region of the second conductivity type formed in an upper layer portion of the first semiconductor region;
A first gate electrode formed on a top surface or a side surface of the first semiconductor region sandwiched between the second semiconductor region and the semiconductor layer via a first gate insulating film;
A source electrode formed on an upper surface of the second semiconductor region;
A second gate electrode formed on an upper surface of the third semiconductor region;
A semiconductor device. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,
The semiconductor device, wherein the second gate electrode is formed on the upper surface of the third semiconductor region via a second gate insulating film. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,
Formed in an upper layer part of the semiconductor layer, and having a groove part in which an inner wall of the side surface of the first semiconductor region and a side surface of the second semiconductor region are exposed;
The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first gate electrode is formed on the side surface of the first semiconductor region exposed on the inner wall through the first gate insulating film. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,
The semiconductor device, wherein the first gate electrode and the second gate electrode are electrically connected. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,
The semiconductor device, wherein the semiconductor substrate and the semiconductor layer are made of silicon carbide. (A) forming a first conductive type semiconductor layer on an upper surface of a first conductive type semiconductor substrate;
(B) forming a second conductive type first semiconductor region in an upper layer portion of the semiconductor layer;
(C) forming a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type in an upper layer portion of the first semiconductor region;
(D) forming a third semiconductor region of the second conductivity type in an upper layer portion of the first semiconductor region;
(E) a step of sequentially forming an insulating film and a conductive film on the semiconductor layer after the step (c) and the step (d);
(F) patterning the conductive film and the insulating film to form a first gate insulation made of the insulating film on an upper surface or a side surface of the first semiconductor region sandwiched between the second semiconductor region and the semiconductor layer; A first gate electrode made of the conductive film is formed through a film, and a second gate electrode made of the conductive film is formed on the upper surface of the third semiconductor region through the second gate insulating film made of the insulating film. Forming step,
(G) forming a source electrode on the upper surface of the second semiconductor region;
(H) forming a drain electrode on the lower surface of the semiconductor substrate;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6,
(I) After the step (c) and the step (d), the groove portion is exposed in the upper layer portion of the semiconductor layer so that the side surface of the first semiconductor region and the side surface of the second semiconductor region are exposed on the inner wall. Forming a process,
Have
In the step (e), after the step (i), the insulating film and the conductive film are sequentially formed on the semiconductor layer and on the inner wall of the groove,
In the step (f), the first gate electrode is formed on the side surface of the first semiconductor region exposed on the inner wall by patterning the conductive film and the insulating film via the first gate insulating film. And forming the second gate electrode on the upper surface of the third semiconductor region with the second gate insulating film interposed therebetween. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6,
The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein the semiconductor substrate and the semiconductor layer are made of silicon carbide.

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