# US 2023/0411536 A1 · Schottky rectifier with surge-current ruggedness

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- Number: US 2023/0411536 A1
- Document ID: US20230411536A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/322,249
- Filed: 2023-05-23
- Published: 2023-12-21
- Earliest claimed: 2019-02-12
- Assignees: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
- Applicants: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
- Inventors: Andrei KONSTANTINOV
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230411536A1

## CPC

- H10D 8/60: Schottky-barrier diodes
- H10D 8/051: {of Schottky diodes}
- H10D 62/106: {having supplementary regions doped oppositely to or in rectifying contact with regions of the semiconductor bodies, e.g. guard rings with PN or Schottky junctions}
- H10D 62/107: {Buried supplementary regions, e.g. buried guard rings (multi-RESURF H10D62/111)}
- H10D 62/111: {Multiple RESURF structures, e.g. double RESURF or 3D-RESURF structures}
- H10D 62/60: Impurity distributions or concentrations
- H10D 62/8325: {Silicon carbide}
- H10P 30/2042: {into crystalline silicon carbide}
- H10P 30/21: {of electrically active species}
- H10P 30/22: using masks
- H10P 30/222: {characterised by the angle between the ion beam and the crystal planes or the main crystal surface (characterised by the angle between the ion beam and the mask H10P30/221)}
- H10W 10/031: {of isolation regions comprising PN junctions}
- H10W 10/30: Isolation regions comprising PN junctions
- H10D 62/405: {Orientations of crystalline planes}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A SiC Schottky rectifier with surge current ruggedness is described. The Schottky rectifier includes one or more multi-layer bodies that provide multiple types of surge current protection.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-20. (canceled)

### Claim 21

A semiconductor device, comprising:
a Silicon Carbide (SiC) layer;
a channel region of a first conductivity type formed on the SiC layer;
a multi-layer body of a second conductivity type formed within the channel region and extending in a direction of the SiC layer, the multi-layer body including a first layer having a first doping concentration, a second layer adjacent to the first layer and having a second doping concentration less than the first doping concentration, and a third layer adjacent to the second layer and having a third doping concentration less than the second doping concentration; and
a charge-balanced region that includes the third layer and a portion of the channel region adjacent to the third layer, wherein, within the charge-balanced region, charges of non-compensated acceptors and donors in the third layer and the portion of the channel region have a deviation of approximately 1×1013 cm−2 or lower.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The semiconductor device of claim 21, wherein the second layer has a doping concentration between 1×1018 cm−3 and 1×1019 cm−3.

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The semiconductor device of claim 21, wherein the semiconductor device includes a Schottky rectifier device with a metal contact formed on the channel region.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The semiconductor device of claim 23, wherein the first layer is degenerately doped and provides a tunnel contact between the metal contact and the second layer.

### Claim 25 (depends on 23)

The semiconductor device of claim 23, wherein the multi-layer body extends at least thirty percent of a distance between the metal contact and the SiC layer.

### Claim 26 (depends on 23)

The semiconductor device of claim 23, wherein the metal contact extends over an active region of the Schottky rectifier device that includes the channel region and the multi-layer body, and further comprising
a p-n diode rim that surrounds the active region with a continuous body of the second conductivity type and an array of deep rim bodies of the second conductivity type that are parallel to the multi-layer body.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The semiconductor device of claim 26, wherein the metal contact overlaps the active region and at least a portion of the p-n diode rim.

### Claim 28 (depends on 26)

The semiconductor device of claim 26, comprising a junction termination region outside of the p-n diode rim, the junction termination region comprising:
a junction termination (JT) body surrounding the p-n diode rim and connected to a plurality of deep JT bodies extending parallel to the multi-layer body and the deep rim bodies.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The semiconductor device of claim 28, wherein a width of each of the plurality of deep JT bodies decreases with distance from the p-n diode rim.

### Claim 30 (depends on 21)

The semiconductor device of claim 21, wherein the multi-layer body extends to the SiC layer.

### Claim 31

A method of making a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
forming a Silicon Carbide (SiC) substrate;
forming an epitaxial layer of a first conductivity type on the SiC substrate;
forming a portion of a charge-balancing body having donors of a second conductivity type;
repeating the forming of the epitaxial layer and the forming the portion of the charge-balancing body until the charge-balancing body reaches a specified thickness;
forming an injection layer on the charge-balancing body, the injection layer having a doping concentration of the second conductivity type that is higher than a doping concentration of the charge-balancing body; and
forming a contact layer on the injection layer,
wherein, within a charge-balanced region that includes the charge-balancing body and a surrounding portion of the epitaxial layer, charges of non-compensated acceptors and donors in the charge-balancing body and the surrounding portion of the epitaxial layer have a deviation of approximately 1×1013 cm−2 or lower.

### Claim 32 (depends on 31)

The method of claim 31, wherein the semiconductor device includes a Schottky rectifier device, and further comprising:
forming a metal contact formed on the epitaxial layer,
wherein the contact layer, the injection layer, and the charge-balancing body extend at least thirty percent of a distance from the metal contact to the SiC substrate.

### Claim 33 (depends on 31)

The method of claim 31, wherein the contact layer has a doping concentration that is higher than the doping concentration of the injection layer.

### Claim 34 (depends on 31)

The method of claim 31, further comprising:
forming a metal contact over the contact layer and the epitaxial layer

### Claim 35

A semiconductor device, comprising:
a Silicon Carbide (SiC) layer;
a channel region of a first conductivity type formed on the SiC layer;
a multi-layer body of a second conductivity type formed within the channel region and extending in a direction of the SiC layer, the multi-layer body including a tunnel contact layer, an injection layer adjacent to the tunnel contact layer, and a deep layer adjacent to the injection layer; and
a charge-balanced region that includes the deep layer and a portion of the channel region adjacent to the deep layer, within which charges of non-compensated acceptors and donors in the deep layer and the portion of the channel region have a deviation of approximately 1×1013 cm−2 or lower,
wherein the multi-layer body extends at least thirty percent of a distance from the tunnel contact layer to the SiC layer.

### Claim 36 (depends on 35)

The semiconductor device of claim 35, further comprising a metal contact formed on the channel region.

### Claim 37 (depends on 36)

The semiconductor device of claim 36, wherein the multi-layer body extends an entire distance from the metal contact to the SiC layer.

### Claim 38 (depends on 36)

The semiconductor device of claim 36, wherein the semiconductor device includes a Schottky rectifier device and the metal contact extends over an active region of the Schottky rectifier device that includes the channel region and the multi-layer body, and further comprising:
a p-n diode rim that surrounds the active region with a continuous body of the second conductivity type and an array of deep rim bodies of the second conductivity type that are parallel to the multi-layer body.

### Claim 39 (depends on 38)

The semiconductor device of claim 38, comprising a junction termination region outside of the p-n diode rim, the junction termination region comprising:
a junction termination (JT) body surrounding the p-n diode rim and connected to a plurality of deep JT bodies extending parallel to the multi-layer body and the deep rim bodies.

### Claim 40 (depends on 36)

The semiconductor device of claim 36, comprising a silicide Ohmic contact between the tunnel contact layer and the metal contact.