WO2001020684A1 - Trench dmos transistor having improved trench structure - Google Patents

Trench dmos transistor having improved trench structure Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001020684A1
WO2001020684A1 PCT/US2000/024876 US0024876W WO0120684A1 WO 2001020684 A1 WO2001020684 A1 WO 2001020684A1 US 0024876 W US0024876 W US 0024876W WO 0120684 A1 WO0120684 A1 WO 0120684A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
trench
dmos transistor
polysilicon
substrate
body region
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2000/024876
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Koon Chong So
Fwu-Iuan Hshieh
Yan Man Tsui
Original Assignee
General Semiconductor, Inc.
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by General Semiconductor, Inc. filed Critical General Semiconductor, Inc.
Priority to AU74784/00A priority Critical patent/AU7478400A/en
Publication of WO2001020684A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001020684A1/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L29/00—Semiconductor devices adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching, or capacitors or resistors with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction depletion layer or carrier concentration layer; Details of semiconductor bodies or of electrodes thereof  ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
    • H01L29/66—Types of semiconductor device ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
    • H01L29/68—Types of semiconductor device ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor controllable by only the electric current supplied, or only the electric potential applied, to an electrode which does not carry the current to be rectified, amplified or switched
    • H01L29/76—Unipolar devices, e.g. field effect transistors
    • H01L29/772—Field effect transistors
    • H01L29/78—Field effect transistors with field effect produced by an insulated gate
    • H01L29/7801—DMOS transistors, i.e. MISFETs with a channel accommodating body or base region adjoining a drain drift region
    • H01L29/7802—Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors
    • H01L29/7813—Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors with trench gate electrode, e.g. UMOS transistors
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L29/00—Semiconductor devices adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching, or capacitors or resistors with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction depletion layer or carrier concentration layer; Details of semiconductor bodies or of electrodes thereof  ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
    • H01L29/40—Electrodes ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
    • H01L29/41—Electrodes ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor characterised by their shape, relative sizes or dispositions
    • H01L29/423—Electrodes ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor characterised by their shape, relative sizes or dispositions not carrying the current to be rectified, amplified or switched
    • H01L29/42312—Gate electrodes for field effect devices
    • H01L29/42316—Gate electrodes for field effect devices for field-effect transistors
    • H01L29/4232—Gate electrodes for field effect devices for field-effect transistors with insulated gate
    • H01L29/42372—Gate electrodes for field effect devices for field-effect transistors with insulated gate characterised by the conducting layer, e.g. the length, the sectional shape or the lay-out
    • H01L29/4238—Gate electrodes for field effect devices for field-effect transistors with insulated gate characterised by the conducting layer, e.g. the length, the sectional shape or the lay-out characterised by the surface lay-out
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L29/00—Semiconductor devices adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching, or capacitors or resistors with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction depletion layer or carrier concentration layer; Details of semiconductor bodies or of electrodes thereof  ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
    • H01L29/40—Electrodes ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
    • H01L29/43—Electrodes ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor characterised by the materials of which they are formed
    • H01L29/49—Metal-insulator-semiconductor electrodes, e.g. gates of MOSFET
    • H01L29/4916—Metal-insulator-semiconductor electrodes, e.g. gates of MOSFET the conductor material next to the insulator being a silicon layer, e.g. polysilicon doped with boron, phosphorus or nitrogen

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to MOSFET transistors and more generally to DMOS transistors having a trench structure.
  • DMOS Double diffused MOS transistors are a type of MOSFET (Metal
  • DMOS transistors are typically employed as power transistors to provide high voltage circuits for power integrated circuit applications. DMOS transistors provide higher current per unit area when low forward voltage drops are required.
  • a typical discrete DMOS circuit includes two or more individual DMOS transistor cells which are fabricated in parallel. The individual DMOS transistor cells share a common drain contact (the substrate), while their sources are all shorted together with metal and their gates are shorted together by polysilicon. Thus, even though the discrete DMOS circuit is constructed from a matrix of smaller transistors, it behaves as if it were a single large transistor. For a discrete DMOS circuit it is desirable to maximize the conductivity per unit area when the transistor matrix is turned on by the gate.
  • DMOS transistor is a so-called trench DMOS transistor in which the channel is formed vertically and the gate is formed in a trench extending between the source and drain.
  • the trench which is lined with a thin oxide layer and filled with polysilicon, allows less constricted current flow and thereby provides lower values of specific on-resistance.
  • Examples of trench DMOS transistors are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,072,266, 5,541,425, and 5,866,931.
  • One important characteristic determining the quality of a DMOS transistor is the leakage current that arises between the polysilicon gate and the substrate. This current, which adversely affects the performance of the device, depends in part on the breakdown voltage of the gate oxide layer that lines the trench.
  • the present invention provides a trench DMOS transistor cell that includes a substrate of a first conductivity type and a body region located on the substrate, which has a second conductivity type. At least one trench extends through the body region and the substrate. An insulating layer lines the trench and a conductive electrode is placed in the trench overlying the insulating layer. A source region of the first conductivity type is located in the body region adjacent to the trench. The trench has sidewalls with rounded corners in the plane of the substrate so that adjacent sidewalls do not contact one another in an orthogonal manner.
  • the trench has a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape in at least two orthogonal planes.
  • the DMOS transistor cell also includes a drain electrode disposed on a surface of the substrate opposing the body region.
  • the insulating layer may be an oxide layer and the conductive electrode may include polysilicon.
  • the polysilicon forming the conductive electrode includes a layer of undoped polysilicon and a layer of doped polysilicon.
  • the rounded corners of the trench sidewalls have a radius of curvature about equal to the width of the trench.
  • FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a conventional DMOS transistor.
  • FIG. 2 shows an enlarged plan view illustrating an individual cell in the conventional transistor of FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the DMOS transistor shown in FIGs. 1-2 taken along line A-A' of FIG. 2.
  • FIG. 4 shows a plan view of a DMOS transistor cell constructed in accordance with the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 an alternative embodiment of the DMOS transistor shown in FIG. 4.
  • FIGs. 6(a)-6(f) illustrate a sequence of process steps forming the DMOS transistor of FIGs. 4-5.
  • FIG. 7 shows a plan view of a DMOS transistor structure having an open cell geometry constructed in accordance with the present invention.
  • FIG. 8 shows a plan view of an alternative embodiment of a DMOS transistor structure having an open cell geometry constructed in accordance with the present invention.
  • FIGs. 1-3 illustrate one embodiment of a conventional trench DMOS structure 20 in which the individual cells 21 are rectangular in shape in a horizontal cross-section.
  • the structure includes, in this embodiment, an n + substrate 100 on which is grown a lightly n-doped epitaxial layer 104. Within doped epitaxial layer 104, a body region 116 of opposite conductivity is provided. An n-doped epitaxial layer 140 that overlies most of the body region 1 16 serves as the source.
  • a rectangularly shaped trench 124 is provided in the epitaxial layers, which is open at the upper surface of the structure and defines the perimeter of the transistor cell.
  • a gate oxide layer 130 lines the sidewalls of the trench 124.
  • the trench 124 is filled with polysilicon, i.e., polycrystalline silicon.
  • a drain electode is connected to the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 100, a source electrode is connected to the two source regions 140 and the body region 1 16, and a gate electrode is connected to the polysilicon that fills the trench 124.
  • the polysilicon lining trenches 124 is continuously connected over the surface of structure 20.
  • polysilicon contacts 129 extend beyond the surface of structure 20 to serve as interconnects.
  • the MOSFET shown in FIG. 1 has its gate positioned in a vertically oriented trench. This structure is often called a trench vertical DMOSFET.
  • the device is also doubly diffused (denoted by the prefix "D") because the source region is diffused into the epitaxial material on top of a portion of the earlier- diffused body region of opposite conductivity type.
  • D doubly diffused
  • This structure uses the trench side wall area for current control by the gate and has a substantially vertical current flow associated with it. As previously mentioned, this device is particularly appropriate for use as a power switching transistor where the current carried through a given transverse silicon area is to be maximized.
  • the transistor cell 21 need not have a rectangular shape for basic transistor operation, but more generally may have any polygonal shape. However, a regular rectangular shape and a regular hexagonal shape are the most convenient for layout purposes. Alternatively, rather than having a closed-cell geometry as depicted in the figures, the transistor cell may have an open or stripe geometry. Examples of various transistor cell geometries are shown in the previously mentioned references. As previously mentioned, the integrity of the gate oxide layer 130 that lines the trench 124 is an important characteristic defining the quality of the transistor cell 21. Unfortunately, the sharp corners 135 of the trench in the horizontal plane gives rise to a large electric field between the polysilicon filling the trench and the substrate.
  • the breakdown voltage of the gate oxide layer 130 is greatly reduced in the vicinity of the trench corner 135.
  • the integrity of the gate oxide layer 130 is improved by rounding off the trench comers 135 so that they no longer form sharp comers. That is, as shown in FIG. 4., the trench sidewalls extending vertically through the substrate are arranged so that adjacent sidewalls do not contact one another in an orthogonal manner. By rounding the corners of the trench in this way, the concentration of the electric field is reduced in the vicinity of the comers, advantageously increasing the breakdown voltage of the device.
  • the radius of curvature of the rounded trench comers is the same order of magnitude as the width of the trench and in some cases is about equal to the width of the trench.
  • FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention in which an additional polysilicon trench 140 is provided around the periphery of the transistor, interconnecting the contacts 129 depicted in FIG. 1.
  • This additional polysilicon trench effectively serves as a guard ring to reduce the electric field that would otherwise arise from the sharp comers of contacts 129.
  • the comers of polysilicon trench 140 are rounded in the manner shown in FIG. 4.
  • the transistor cells 21 may have a closed-cell geometry such as shown in FIGs. 1 -5 or, alternatively, an open or strip geometry.
  • FIG. 7 shows a plan view of a trench DMOS structure having an open geometry in which the sharp corners of the trenches 224 are rounded off in accordance with the present invention.
  • FIG. 8 shows a structure with an open cell geometry that includes a trench guard ring such as depicted in FIG. 5.
  • FIGs. 4-5 may be fabricated in accordance with any conventional processing technique.
  • FIGs. 6(a)-6(f) show a series of exemplary steps that are performed to form the DMOS device depicted in FIG. 4.
  • an N- doped epitaxial layer 104 is grown on a conventionally N+ doped substrate 100.
  • Epitaxial layer 104 is typically 5.5 microns in thickness for a 30 V device .
  • P-body region 1 16 is formed in an implantation and diffusion step. Since the P-body implant is uniform across the substrate, no mask is needed.
  • the P-body regions are boron implanted at 40 to 60 KEV with a dosage of about 5.5x10 l3 /cm 3 .
  • a mask layer is formed by covering the surface of epitaxial layer 104 with an oxide layer, which is then conventionally exposed and patterned to leave mask portions 120.
  • Mask portions 120 are used for defining the location of the trenches.
  • the patterned mask portions 120 define the rounded trench sidewalls depicted in FIG. 4.
  • Trenches 124 are dry etched through the mask openings by reactive ion etching to a depth that typically ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 microns.
  • the sidewalls of each trench are smoothed.
  • a dry chemical etch may be used to remove a thin layer of oxide (typically about 500 - 1000 A) from the trench sidewalls to eliminate damage caused by the reactive ion etching process.
  • a sacrificial silicon dioxide layer 150 is grown over trenches 124 and mask portions 120.
  • the sacrificial layer 150, as well as mask portions 120, are removed either by a buffer oxide etch or an HF etch so that the resulting trench sidewalls are as smooth as possible.
  • the gate oxide layer 130 is then deposited on the entire structure so that it covers the trench walls and the surface of p-body 1 16.
  • Gate oxide layer 130 typically has a thickness in the range of 500-800 angstroms.
  • the trenches 124 are filled with polysilicon 152, i.e., polycrystalline silicon.
  • the polysilicon Prior to deposition, the polysilicon is typically doped with phosphorous chloride or implanted with arsenic or phosphorous to reduce its resistivity, typically within the range of 20 ⁇ /m.
  • the polysilicon may be deposited in a two step process. In the first step, a layer of undoped polysilicon is deposited to line the sidewalls of the trenches.
  • the undoped polysilicon layer is followed by the deposition of a layer of doped polysilicon.
  • the thickness of the doped polysilicon layer is greater than the thickness of the undoped polysilicon layer.
  • the ratio of the thickness of the doped polysilicon layer to the undoped polysilicon layer may be 7: 1 , with a total thickness of about 8,000 A.
  • the undoped polysilicon layer is advantageously employed as a buffer layer inhibits the pentration of dopant material through the gate oxide layer and into the p-body, thus further reducing punch-through.
  • the polysilicon layer 152 is etched to optimize its thickness and to expose the portion of the gate oxide layer 130 that extends over the surface of p- body 1 16.
  • a photoresist masking process is used to form patterned masking layer 160.
  • Patterned masking layer 160 defines source regions 140.
  • Source regions 140 are then formed by an implantation and diffusion process.
  • the source regions may be implanted with arsenic at 80 KeV to a concentration that is typically in the range of 8xl0 15 to 1.2xl0 16 .
  • the arsenic is diffused to a depth of approximately 0.5 microns.
  • masking layer 160 is removed in a conventional manner to form the structure depicted in FIG. 6(f).
  • the trench DMOS transistor is completed in a conventional manner by forming and patterning a BPSG layer over the structure to define BPSG regions associated with the source and gate electrodes. Also, a drain contact layer is formed on the bottom surface of the substrate. Finally, a pad mask is used to define pad contacts.
  • the method of the present invention may be used to form a trench DMOS in which the conductivities of the various semiconductor regions are reversed from those described herein.

Abstract

A trench DMOS transistor cell is provided that includes a substrate of a first conductivity type and a body region located on the substrate, which has a second conductivity type. At least one trench extends through the body region and the substrate. An insulating layer lines the trench and a conductive electrode is placed in the trench overlying the insulating layer. A source region of the first conductivity type is located in the body region adjacent to the trench. The trench has sidewalls with rounded corners in the plane of the substrate so that adjacent sidewalls do not contact one another in an orthogonal manner.

Description

TRENCH DMOS TRANSISTOR HAVING IMPROVED TRENCH STRUCTURE
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to MOSFET transistors and more generally to DMOS transistors having a trench structure.
Background of the Invention DMOS (Double diffused MOS) transistors are a type of MOSFET (Metal
On Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) that use diffusion to form the transistor regions. DMOS transistors are typically employed as power transistors to provide high voltage circuits for power integrated circuit applications. DMOS transistors provide higher current per unit area when low forward voltage drops are required. A typical discrete DMOS circuit includes two or more individual DMOS transistor cells which are fabricated in parallel. The individual DMOS transistor cells share a common drain contact (the substrate), while their sources are all shorted together with metal and their gates are shorted together by polysilicon. Thus, even though the discrete DMOS circuit is constructed from a matrix of smaller transistors, it behaves as if it were a single large transistor. For a discrete DMOS circuit it is desirable to maximize the conductivity per unit area when the transistor matrix is turned on by the gate.
One particular type of DMOS transistor is a so-called trench DMOS transistor in which the channel is formed vertically and the gate is formed in a trench extending between the source and drain. The trench, which is lined with a thin oxide layer and filled with polysilicon, allows less constricted current flow and thereby provides lower values of specific on-resistance. Examples of trench DMOS transistors are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,072,266, 5,541,425, and 5,866,931. One important characteristic determining the quality of a DMOS transistor is the leakage current that arises between the polysilicon gate and the substrate. This current, which adversely affects the performance of the device, depends in part on the breakdown voltage of the gate oxide layer that lines the trench. Unfortunately, since adjacent sidewalls of the trench typically meet at a sharp corner, i.e., a 90 degree angle, large electric fields arise between the polysilicon and the substrate. These electric fields, in turn, greatly reduce the breakdown voltage of the gate oxide layer, thus increasing the leakage current of the device.
Accordingly, there is a need for a trench DMOS transistor that has a gate oxide layer with an increased breakdown voltage.
Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a trench DMOS transistor cell that includes a substrate of a first conductivity type and a body region located on the substrate, which has a second conductivity type. At least one trench extends through the body region and the substrate. An insulating layer lines the trench and a conductive electrode is placed in the trench overlying the insulating layer. A source region of the first conductivity type is located in the body region adjacent to the trench. The trench has sidewalls with rounded corners in the plane of the substrate so that adjacent sidewalls do not contact one another in an orthogonal manner.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the trench has a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape in at least two orthogonal planes. The DMOS transistor cell also includes a drain electrode disposed on a surface of the substrate opposing the body region.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the insulating layer may be an oxide layer and the conductive electrode may include polysilicon.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the polysilicon forming the conductive electrode includes a layer of undoped polysilicon and a layer of doped polysilicon.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the rounded corners of the trench sidewalls have a radius of curvature about equal to the width of the trench. Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a conventional DMOS transistor.
FIG. 2 shows an enlarged plan view illustrating an individual cell in the conventional transistor of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the DMOS transistor shown in FIGs. 1-2 taken along line A-A' of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 shows a plan view of a DMOS transistor cell constructed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 5 an alternative embodiment of the DMOS transistor shown in FIG. 4. FIGs. 6(a)-6(f) illustrate a sequence of process steps forming the DMOS transistor of FIGs. 4-5.
FIG. 7 shows a plan view of a DMOS transistor structure having an open cell geometry constructed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 8 shows a plan view of an alternative embodiment of a DMOS transistor structure having an open cell geometry constructed in accordance with the present invention.
Detailed Description FIGs. 1-3 illustrate one embodiment of a conventional trench DMOS structure 20 in which the individual cells 21 are rectangular in shape in a horizontal cross-section. The structure includes, in this embodiment, an n + substrate 100 on which is grown a lightly n-doped epitaxial layer 104. Within doped epitaxial layer 104, a body region 116 of opposite conductivity is provided. An n-doped epitaxial layer 140 that overlies most of the body region 1 16 serves as the source. A rectangularly shaped trench 124 is provided in the epitaxial layers, which is open at the upper surface of the structure and defines the perimeter of the transistor cell. A gate oxide layer 130 lines the sidewalls of the trench 124. The trench 124 is filled with polysilicon, i.e., polycrystalline silicon. A drain electode is connected to the back surface of the semiconductor substrate 100, a source electrode is connected to the two source regions 140 and the body region 1 16, and a gate electrode is connected to the polysilicon that fills the trench 124. As seen in FIG. 1, the polysilicon lining trenches 124 is continuously connected over the surface of structure 20. In addition, polysilicon contacts 129 extend beyond the surface of structure 20 to serve as interconnects. As indicated, the MOSFET shown in FIG. 1 has its gate positioned in a vertically oriented trench. This structure is often called a trench vertical DMOSFET. It is "vertical" because the drain contact appears on the back or underside of the substrate and because the channel flow of current from source to drain is approximately vertical. This minimizes the higher resistance associated with bent or curved current paths or with parasitic field effect construction. The device is also doubly diffused (denoted by the prefix "D") because the source region is diffused into the epitaxial material on top of a portion of the earlier- diffused body region of opposite conductivity type. This structure uses the trench side wall area for current control by the gate and has a substantially vertical current flow associated with it. As previously mentioned, this device is particularly appropriate for use as a power switching transistor where the current carried through a given transverse silicon area is to be maximized.
It should be noted that the transistor cell 21 need not have a rectangular shape for basic transistor operation, but more generally may have any polygonal shape. However, a regular rectangular shape and a regular hexagonal shape are the most convenient for layout purposes. Alternatively, rather than having a closed-cell geometry as depicted in the figures, the transistor cell may have an open or stripe geometry. Examples of various transistor cell geometries are shown in the previously mentioned references. As previously mentioned, the integrity of the gate oxide layer 130 that lines the trench 124 is an important characteristic defining the quality of the transistor cell 21. Unfortunately, the sharp corners 135 of the trench in the horizontal plane gives rise to a large electric field between the polysilicon filling the trench and the substrate. As a result, the breakdown voltage of the gate oxide layer 130 is greatly reduced in the vicinity of the trench corner 135. In accordance with the present invention, the integrity of the gate oxide layer 130 is improved by rounding off the trench comers 135 so that they no longer form sharp comers. That is, as shown in FIG. 4., the trench sidewalls extending vertically through the substrate are arranged so that adjacent sidewalls do not contact one another in an orthogonal manner. By rounding the corners of the trench in this way, the concentration of the electric field is reduced in the vicinity of the comers, advantageously increasing the breakdown voltage of the device. In some embodiments of the invention, the radius of curvature of the rounded trench comers is the same order of magnitude as the width of the trench and in some cases is about equal to the width of the trench.
FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention in which an additional polysilicon trench 140 is provided around the periphery of the transistor, interconnecting the contacts 129 depicted in FIG. 1. This additional polysilicon trench effectively serves as a guard ring to reduce the electric field that would otherwise arise from the sharp comers of contacts 129. The comers of polysilicon trench 140 are rounded in the manner shown in FIG. 4.
As previously mentioned, the transistor cells 21 may have a closed-cell geometry such as shown in FIGs. 1 -5 or, alternatively, an open or strip geometry. FIG. 7 shows a plan view of a trench DMOS structure having an open geometry in which the sharp corners of the trenches 224 are rounded off in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 8 shows a structure with an open cell geometry that includes a trench guard ring such as depicted in FIG. 5.
The inventive DMOS device shown in FIGs. 4-5 may be fabricated in accordance with any conventional processing technique. Moreover, one exemplary technique, disclosed in co-pending patent application entitled "Trench DMOS Transistor Having Reduced Punch-Through" and filed on even date herewith, is discussed below. However, it should be understood that the fabrication of the present invention is not limited to this technique, which is presented only by way of illustration. FIGs. 6(a)-6(f) show a series of exemplary steps that are performed to form the DMOS device depicted in FIG. 4. In FIG. 6(a), an N- doped epitaxial layer 104 is grown on a conventionally N+ doped substrate 100. Epitaxial layer 104 is typically 5.5 microns in thickness for a 30 V device . Next, P-body region 1 16 is formed in an implantation and diffusion step. Since the P-body implant is uniform across the substrate, no mask is needed. The P-body regions are boron implanted at 40 to 60 KEV with a dosage of about 5.5x10l3/cm3.
In FIG. 6(b), a mask layer is formed by covering the surface of epitaxial layer 104 with an oxide layer, which is then conventionally exposed and patterned to leave mask portions 120. Mask portions 120 are used for defining the location of the trenches. The patterned mask portions 120 define the rounded trench sidewalls depicted in FIG. 4. Trenches 124 are dry etched through the mask openings by reactive ion etching to a depth that typically ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 microns. In FIG. 6(c), the sidewalls of each trench are smoothed. First, a dry chemical etch may be used to remove a thin layer of oxide (typically about 500 - 1000 A) from the trench sidewalls to eliminate damage caused by the reactive ion etching process. Next, a sacrificial silicon dioxide layer 150 is grown over trenches 124 and mask portions 120. The sacrificial layer 150, as well as mask portions 120, are removed either by a buffer oxide etch or an HF etch so that the resulting trench sidewalls are as smooth as possible.
As shown in FIG. 6(d), the gate oxide layer 130 is then deposited on the entire structure so that it covers the trench walls and the surface of p-body 1 16. Gate oxide layer 130 typically has a thickness in the range of 500-800 angstroms. Next, the trenches 124 are filled with polysilicon 152, i.e., polycrystalline silicon. Prior to deposition, the polysilicon is typically doped with phosphorous chloride or implanted with arsenic or phosphorous to reduce its resistivity, typically within the range of 20 Ω/m. In some embodiments of the invention the polysilicon may be deposited in a two step process. In the first step, a layer of undoped polysilicon is deposited to line the sidewalls of the trenches. The undoped polysilicon layer is followed by the deposition of a layer of doped polysilicon. Typically, the thickness of the doped polysilicon layer is greater than the thickness of the undoped polysilicon layer. For example, the ratio of the thickness of the doped polysilicon layer to the undoped polysilicon layer may be 7: 1 , with a total thickness of about 8,000 A. The undoped polysilicon layer is advantageously employed as a buffer layer inhibits the pentration of dopant material through the gate oxide layer and into the p-body, thus further reducing punch-through.
In FIG. 6(e), the polysilicon layer 152 is etched to optimize its thickness and to expose the portion of the gate oxide layer 130 that extends over the surface of p- body 1 16. Next, a photoresist masking process is used to form patterned masking layer 160. Patterned masking layer 160 defines source regions 140. Source regions 140 are then formed by an implantation and diffusion process. For example, the source regions may be implanted with arsenic at 80 KeV to a concentration that is typically in the range of 8xl015 to 1.2xl016. After implantation, the arsenic is diffused to a depth of approximately 0.5 microns. Finally, masking layer 160 is removed in a conventional manner to form the structure depicted in FIG. 6(f). The trench DMOS transistor is completed in a conventional manner by forming and patterning a BPSG layer over the structure to define BPSG regions associated with the source and gate electrodes. Also, a drain contact layer is formed on the bottom surface of the substrate. Finally, a pad mask is used to define pad contacts.
Although various embodiments are specifically illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the present invention are covered by the above teachings and are within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention. For example, the method of the present invention may be used to form a trench DMOS in which the conductivities of the various semiconductor regions are reversed from those described herein.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS;
1. A trench DMOS transistor cell, comprising: a substrate of a first conductivity type; a body region on the substrate, said body region having a second conductivity type; at least one trench extending through the body region and the substrate; an insulating layer that lines the trench; a conductive electrode in the trench overlying the insulating layer; a source region of the first conductivity type in the body region adjacent to the trench; and wherein said trench has sidewalls having rounded co ers in the plane of the substrate so that adjacent sidewalls do not contact one another in an orthogonal manner.
2. The DMOS transistor cell of claim 1 wherein said trench has a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape in at least two orthogonal planes.
3. The DMOS transistor cell of claim 1 further comprising a drain electrode disposed on a surface of the substrate opposing the body region.
4. The DMOS transistor cell of claim 1 wherein said insulating layer is an oxide layer.
5. The DMOS transistor cell of claim 1 wherein said conductive electrode includes polysilicon.
6. The DMOS transistor cell of claim 5 wherein said polysilicon includes a dopant material.
7. The DMOS transistor cell of claim 5 wherein said polysilicon includes a layer of undoped polysilicon and a layer of doped polysilicon.
8. The DMOS transistor cell of claim 1 wherein said rounded co ers of the trench sidewalls have a radius of curvature about equal to the width of the trench.
9. The DMOS transistor cell of claim 7 wherein said rounded comers of the trench sidewalls have a radius of curvature about equal to the width of the trench.
10. A trench DMOS transistor structure that includes a plurality of individual trench DMOS transistor cells formed on a substrate of a first conductivity type, each of said individual trench DMOS transistor cells comprising: a body region on the substrate, said body region having a second conductivity type; at least one trench extending through the body region and the substrate; an insulating layer that lines the trench; a conductive electrode in the trench overlying the insulating layer; a source region of the first conductivity type in the body region adjacent to the trench; and wherein said trench has sidewalls having rounded corners in the plane of the substrate so that adjacent sidewalls do not contact one another in an orthogonal manner.
1 1. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 10 wherein said trench has a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape in at least two orthogonal planes.
12. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 10 further comprising a drain electrode disposed on a surface of the substrate opposing the body region.
13. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 10 wherein said insulating layer is an oxide layer.
14. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 10 wherein said conductive electrode includes polysilicon.
15. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 14 wherein said polysilicon includes a dopant material.
16. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 14 wherein said polysilicon includes a layer of undoped polysilicon and a layer of doped polysilicon.
17. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 10 wherein at least one of said trench DMOS transistor cells have a closed cell geometry.
18. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 10 wherein at least one of said trench DMOS transistor cells have an open cell geometry.
19. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 10 further comprising a plurality of polysilicon contacts respectively connected to transistor cells located along the periphery of the structure.
20. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 1 further comprising a polysilicon trench guard ring coupling together said plurality of polysilicon contacts.
21. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 17 further comprising a plurality of polysilicon contacts respectively connected to transistor cells located along the periphery of the structure.
22. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 21 further comprising a polysilicon trench guard ring coupling together said plurality of polysilicon contacts.
23. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 18 further comprising a plurality of polysilicon contacts respectively connected to transistor cells located along the periphery of the structure.
24. The DMOS transistor structure of claim 23 further comprising a polysilicon trench guard ring coupling together said plurality of polysilicon contacts.
PCT/US2000/024876 1999-09-14 2000-09-11 Trench dmos transistor having improved trench structure WO2001020684A1 (en)

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WO2006081382A2 (en) * 2005-01-27 2006-08-03 International Rectifier Corporation Power semiconductor device with endless gate trenches
US7524726B2 (en) 2005-08-17 2009-04-28 International Rectifier Corporation Method for fabricating a semiconductor device
EP2068364A3 (en) * 2004-04-30 2010-12-08 SILICONIX Incorporated Trench MOSFET including buried source electrode
US7943990B2 (en) 2005-08-17 2011-05-17 International Rectifier Corporation Power semiconductor device with interconnected gate trenches
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EP2068364A3 (en) * 2004-04-30 2010-12-08 SILICONIX Incorporated Trench MOSFET including buried source electrode
WO2006081382A2 (en) * 2005-01-27 2006-08-03 International Rectifier Corporation Power semiconductor device with endless gate trenches
WO2006081382A3 (en) * 2005-01-27 2007-06-28 Int Rectifier Corp Power semiconductor device with endless gate trenches
US7524726B2 (en) 2005-08-17 2009-04-28 International Rectifier Corporation Method for fabricating a semiconductor device
US7943990B2 (en) 2005-08-17 2011-05-17 International Rectifier Corporation Power semiconductor device with interconnected gate trenches
US11404567B2 (en) 2018-07-23 2022-08-02 Stmicroelectronics S.R.L. Trench-gate field effect transistor with improved electrical performances and corresponding manufacturing process
US11742421B2 (en) 2018-07-23 2023-08-29 Stmicroelectronics S.R.L. Trench-gate field effect transistor with improved electrical performances and corresponding manufacturing process

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