# US 2011/0298048 A1 · Semiconductor device

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- Number: US 2011/0298048 A1
- Document ID: US20110298048A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/201,597
- Filed: 2009-02-16
- Published: 2011-12-08
- Earliest claimed: 2009-02-16
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Masaru Senoo; Tomohiko Sato
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20110298048A1

## CPC

- H10D 12/481: {having gate structures on slanted surfaces, on vertical surfaces, or in grooves, e.g. trench gate IGBTs}
- H10D 12/441: {Vertical IGBTs}
- H10D 64/251: {Source or drain electrodes for field-effect devices}
- H10W 72/019: {of bond pads}
- H10W 42/121: {protecting against mechanical damage (H10W76/00, H10W74/00 take precedence)}
- H10W 72/934: {Cross-sectional shape, i.e. in side view}
- H10W 72/952: {comprising metals or metalloids, e.g. PbSn, Ag or Cu}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

The present teaching provides a semiconductor device capable of relaxing stress transferred to a contact region during wire bonding and improving reliability of wire bonding. A semiconductor device comprises contact regions, an interlayer insulating film, an emitter electrode, and a stress relaxation portion. The contact regions are provided at a certain interval in areas exposing at a surface of a semiconductor substrate. The interlayer insulating film is provided on the surface of the semiconductor substrate between adjacent contact regions. The emitter electrode is provided on an upper side of the semiconductor substrate and electrically connected to each of the contact regions. The stress relaxation portion is provided on an upper surface of the emitter electrode in an area only above the contact regions. The stress relaxation portion is formed of a conductive material. A Young's modulus of the material of the stress relaxation portion is lower than a Young's modulus of the material of the emitter electrode.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor device comprising:
a plurality of contact regions formed in areas exposing at a surface of a semiconductor substrate at a certain interval;
an insulating film provided on the surface of the semiconductor substrate between adjacent contact regions;
a surface electrode provided on an upper side of the semiconductor substrate and electrically connected to each of the contact regions; and
a stress relaxation portion provided on at least one part of an upper surface and an inside of the surface electrode in an area above the contact regions and not covered with the insulating film,
wherein the stress relaxation portion is formed of a first conductive material, and
a Young's modulus of the first conductive material of the stress relaxation portion is lower than a Young's modulus of a material of the surface electrode.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
the stress relaxation portion is provided on the upper surface of the surface electrode in the area above the contact regions and not covered with the insulating film.

### Claim 3

A semiconductor device comprising:
a plurality of contact regions formed in areas exposing at a surface of a semiconductor substrate at a certain interval;
an insulating film provided on the surface of the semiconductor substrate between adjacent contact regions;
a surface electrode provided on an upper side of the semiconductor substrate and electrically connected to each of the contact regions; and
a stress relaxation portion provided on at least one part of an upper surface, an inside and a lower surface of the surface electrode in an area above the contact regions and not covered with the insulating film,
wherein the stress relaxation portion is formed of a first conductive material, and
a Young's modulus of the first conductive material of the stress relaxation portion is lower than a Young's modulus of a material of the surface electrode;
the semiconductor device further comprising:
a conductive portion formed of a second conductive material and between the surface electrode and the stress relaxation portion,
wherein a Young's modulus of the second conductive material is lower than the Young's modulus of the surface electrode and higher than the Young's modulus of the first conductive material.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein
one of the first conductive material and the second conductive material is a conductive polymer.

### Claim 5

A semiconductor device comprising:
a plurality of contact regions formed in areas exposing at a surface of a semiconductor substrate at a certain interval;
a drift region formed in an area exposing at the surface of the semiconductor substrate between adjacent contact regions;
planar gate electrodes provided on an upper side of the semiconductor substrate, opposing a part of the adjacent contact regions and opposing the drift region;
a surface electrode provided on the upper side of the semiconductor substrate and electrically connected to a part of the contact regions; and
a stress relaxation portion provided on at least one part of an upper surface and an inside of the surface electrode in an area above a region between adjacent planar gate electrodes and in which the planar gate electrodes are not provided,
wherein the stress relaxation portion is formed of a first conductive material, and
a Young's modulus of the first conductive material is lower than a Young's modulus of a material of the surface electrode.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

A semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein
the stress relaxation portion is provided on the upper surface of the surface electrode in the area above the region between the adjacent planar gate electrodes.