US 12,224,331 B2 · Semiconductor device

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes: a gate electrode including a junction portion forming a Schottky junction with a barrier layer; a projecting portion including first and second gate field plates and projecting from the junction portion; and an insulating layer including first and second sidewalls. An angle formed between a highest position of a bottom surface of the first gate field plate and a main surface of a substrate, viewed from the first position, is a second elevation angle. An angle formed between an end on the drain electrode side of a lowest portion of a bottom surface of the second gate field plate and the main surface, viewed from the first position, is a third elevation angle. The second elevation angle is larger than the third elevation angle. The bottom surface of the second gate field plate includes an inclined surface where a distance from the barrier layer monotonically increases.

A semiconductor device comprising:

a substrate;
a channel layer disposed above the substrate and including a group III nitride semiconductor;
a barrier layer disposed above the channel layer and including a group III nitride semiconductor with a bandgap larger than a bandgap of the channel layer;
a source electrode and a drain electrode disposed above the barrier layer and spaced apart from each other in a first direction in a plan view of the substrate;
a gate electrode disposed between the source electrode and the drain electrode and spaced apart from each of the source electrode and the drain electrode in the first direction;
and
an insulating layer disposed above the barrier layer and disposed between the gate electrode and the source electrode and between the gate electrode and the drain electrode, wherein
the insulating layer includes a first insulating layer as a bottom layer and a second insulating layer located above the first insulating layer, the first insulating layer including silicon nitride, the second insulating layer including silicon oxide,
the gate electrode includes:
a junction portion that forms a Schottky junction with the barrier layer;
and
a first projecting portion and a second projecting portion in the first direction, the first projecting portion projecting toward the drain electrode from the junction portion, the second projecting portion projecting toward the source electrode from the junction portion,
the insulating layer includes:
a first sidewall between the first projecting portion and the barrier layer in a second direction perpendicular to a main surface of the substrate, the first sidewall being located at one end on a junction portion side of the insulating layer between the junction portion and the drain electrode;
and
a second sidewall between the second projecting portion and the barrier layer in the second direction, the second sidewall being located at an other end on the junction portion side of the insulating layer between the junction portion and the source electrode,
the first projecting portion includes:
a first electric field plate extending in a section from a first position to a second position in the plan view, the first position being at an end on the junction portion side of the first sidewall, the second position being at an end of the first sidewall on the drain electrode side;
and
a second electric field plate extending in a section from the second position to a third position in the plan view, the third position being at an end on the drain electrode side of the first projecting portion,
the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer are stacked between the second electric field plate and the barrier layer,
in a cross-section parallel to each of the first direction and the second direction and passing though the junction portion:
a tangent line at the first position of a top surface of the first sidewall is inclined at a first elevation angle relative to the main surface;
an angle formed between a highest position of a bottom surface of the first electric field plate and the main surface from a viewpoint of the first position is a second elevation angle;
and
an angle formed between an end on the drain electrode side of a lowest portion of a bottom surface of the second electric field plate on the drain electrode side and the main surface from the viewpoint of the first position is a third elevation angle,
the second elevation angle is larger than the third elevation angle,
the bottom surface of the second electric field plate includes an inclined surface where a distance from the barrier layer monotonically increases in a direction from the gate electrode to the drain electrode,
in the cross-section, a fifth elevation angle is smaller than the second elevation angle, the fifth elevation angle being an angle formed between an end on the drain electrode side of a highest portion of the bottom surface of the second electric field plate and the main surface from the viewpoint of the end of the lowest portion of the bottom surface of the second electric field plate on the drain electrode side, and
the second insulating layer overlaps a lowest position of the bottom surface of the second electric field plate in the plan view.

27 more elements

Semiconductor device

Life of this patent

Semiconductor device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20