# US 11,444,157 B2 · Semiconductor device including first and second buffer layers > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,444,157 B2 - Document ID: US11444157B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/069,990 - Filed: 2020-10-14 - Published: 2021-09-02 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-03-02 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Applicants: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation - Inventors: Kenji Suzuki; Koichi Nishi; Katsumi Nakamura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11444157B2 ## CPC - H10D 62/142: {Anode regions of thyristors or collector regions of gated bipolar-mode devices} - H10D 8/00: Diodes (variable-capacitance diodes H10D1/64; gated diodes H10D12/00) - H10D 12/038: {having a recessed gate, e.g. trench-gate IGBTs} - H10D 12/481: {having gate structures on slanted surfaces, on vertical surfaces, or in grooves, e.g. trench gate IGBTs} - H10D 62/129: {Cathode regions of diodes} - H10D 62/393: {Body regions of DMOS transistors or IGBTs (cell layout of DMOS H10D62/127)} - H10D 62/60: Impurity distributions or concentrations - H10P 30/204: {into Group IV semiconductors} - H10P 30/21: {of electrically active species} - H10P 30/28: characterised by an annealing step, e.g. for activation of dopants - H10P 95/90: Thermal treatments, e.g. annealing or sintering - H10P 30/208: {of electrically inactive species} - H10P 34/40: with high-energy radiation - H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract An object is to provide a technique of improving productivity of a semiconductor device. A first buffer layer includes a first portion located in a thickness direction of a semiconductor substrate from a main surface and having a first peak of an N type impurity concentration and a second portion located farther away from the main surface than the first portion and having a second peak of an N type impurity concentration. A distance from the main surface to the first portion is equal to or smaller than 4.0 μm, and a distance from the first portion to the second portion is equal to or larger than 14.5 μm. An N type impurity concentration of a portion between the first portion and the second portion is higher than an N type impurity concentration of a drift layer. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A semiconductor device, comprising a semiconductor substrate having a main surface, wherein the semiconductor substrate includes: an N type drift layer; an N type first buffer layer disposed on a side of the main surface of the substrate to be adjacent to the drift layer and including proton as an N type impurity; and an N type second buffer layer disposed on a side of the main surface of the substrate to be adjacent to the first buffer layer and including an N type impurity different from proton, the first buffer layer includes: a first portion located in a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate from the main surface of the substrate and having a first peak of an N type impurity concentration; and a second portion located farther away from the main surface of the substrate than the first portion and having a second peak of an N type impurity concentration, a distance from the main surface of the substrate to the first peak is equal to or smaller than 4.0 μm and greater than 0 μm, a distance from the first peak to the second peak is equal to or larger than 14.5 μm and less than a distance from the main surface of the substrate to the drift layer, and an N type impurity concentration of a portion between the first portion and the second portion is higher than an N type impurity concentration of the drift layer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the N type impurity of the second buffer layer includes phosphorus. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first peak is higher than the second peak. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein a peak of an N type impurity concentration of the second buffer layer is higher than the first peak. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a half-value width of the first peak is smaller than a half-value width of the second peak, and a half-value width of a peak of the N type impurity concentration of the second buffer layer is smaller than a half-value width of the first peak. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein specific resistance of the drift layer is equal to or larger than 50 Ω·cm and equal to or smaller than 67 Ω·cm, and a total thickness of the drift layer, the first buffer layer, and the second buffer layer is equal to or larger than 110 μm and equal to or smaller than 130 μm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein specific resistance of the drift layer is equal to or larger than 90 Ω·cm and equal to or smaller than 130 Ω·cm, and a total thickness of the drift layer, the first buffer layer, and the second buffer layer is equal to or larger than 170 μm and equal to or smaller than 210 μm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein specific resistance of the drift layer is equal to or larger than 130 Ω·cm and equal to or smaller than 180 Ω·cm, and a total thickness of the drift layer, the first buffer layer, and the second buffer layer is equal to or larger than 200 μm and equal to or smaller than 260 μm. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein specific resistance of the drift layer is equal to or larger than 200 Ω·cm and equal to or smaller than 300 Ω·cm, and a total thickness of the drift layer, the first buffer layer, and the second buffer layer is equal to or larger than 340 μm and equal to or smaller than 420 μm. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein specific resistance of the drift layer is equal to or larger than 300 Ω·cm and equal to or smaller than 400 Ω·cm, and a total thickness of the drift layer, the first buffer layer, and the second buffer layer is equal to or larger than 420 μm and equal to or smaller than 520 μm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein specific resistance of the drift layer is equal to or larger than 600 Ω·cm and equal to or smaller than 800 Ω·cm, and a total thickness of the drift layer, the first buffer layer, and the second buffer layer is equal to or larger than 580 μm and equal to or smaller than 720 μm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the N type impurity concentration of the entire portion between the first portion and the second portion is lower than the N type impurity concentration of the second peak. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the distance from the first peak to the second peak is equal to or less than 24.5 μm.