# US 2025/0098199 A1 · Corrosion Resistant Metal Structures for Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Devices

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- Number: US 2025/0098199 A1
- Document ID: US20250098199A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/471,003
- Filed: 2023-09-20
- Published: 2025-03-20
- Earliest claimed: 2023-09-20
- Assignees: Wolfspeed, Inc.
- Applicants: Wolfspeed, Inc.
- Inventors: Kyle Bothe; Evan Bertrue Jones; Daniel Kevin Etter
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250098199A1

## CPC

- H10D 30/475: {having wider bandgap layer formed on top of lower bandgap active layer, e.g. undoped barrier HEMTs such as i-AlGaN/GaN HEMTs}
- H10D 8/60: Schottky-barrier diodes
- H10D 30/4732: {using Group III-V semiconductor material}
- H10D 30/662: {having a drift region having a doping concentration that is higher between adjacent body regions relative to other parts of the drift region}
- H10D 62/8325: {Silicon carbide}
- H10D 62/85: being Group III-V materials, e.g. GaAs
- H10D 62/8503: {Nitride Group III-V materials, e.g. AlN or GaN}
- H10D 64/111: {Field plates}
- H10D 64/62: Electrodes ohmically coupled to a semiconductor
- H10D 64/64: Electrodes comprising a Schottky barrier to a semiconductor
- H10D 64/665: {the conductor comprising a layer of elemental metal contacting the insulator, e.g. tungsten or molybdenum (having lateral variation H10D64/671)}
- H10D 62/151: {of IGFETs (of IGFETs having LDD or DDD structure H10D30/601; of thin film transistors H10D30/6713)}
- H10D 62/405: {Orientations of crystalline planes}
- H10D 64/254: {for lateral devices wherein the source or drain electrodes extend entirely through the semiconductor bodies, e.g. via-holes for back side contacts}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

## Abstract

Semiconductor devices are provided. In one example, the semiconductor device includes a wide bandgap semiconductor structure. The semiconductor device includes a metal structure on the wide bandgap semiconductor structure. The metal structure has a metal layer. The metal layer has a metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, or iridium.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor device, comprising:
a wide bandgap semiconductor structure;
a metal structure on the wide bandgap semiconductor structure; and
wherein the metal structure comprises a metal layer, the metal layer comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, or iridium.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal is ruthenium.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal is osmium.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal is rhodium.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal is iridium.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal structure is a Schottky contact with the wide bandgap semiconductor structure.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal structure is a gate contact on the wide bandgap semiconductor structure.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the metal layer is in a range of about 50 Angstroms to about 200 Angstroms.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal structure further comprises an adhesion layer, wherein the adhesion layer comprises platinum, wherein a thickness of the adhesion layer is about 50 Angstroms to about 300 Angstroms,

### Claim at position 10

10-11. (canceled)

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal structure further comprises a diffusion barrier layer, wherein the diffusion barrier layer comprises titanium, wherein a thickness of the diffusion barrier layer is about 100 Angstroms to about 300 Angstroms.

### Claim at position 12

-14. (canceled)

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal structure further comprises a conductive layer, wherein the conductive layer comprises gold, wherein a thickness of the conductive layer is about 1000 Angstroms to about 6000 Angstroms.

### Claim at position 14

-17. (canceled)

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the metal structure does not include nickel.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the wide bandgap semiconductor structure comprises a Group III-nitride.

### Claim 20

(canceled)

### Claim 21 (depends on 19)

The semiconductor device of claim 19, wherein the wide bandgap semiconductor structure further comprises a barrier layer, a channel layer, and a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at an interface between the channel layer and the barrier layer.

### Claim 22

(canceled)

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The semiconductor device of claim 21, wherein the wide bandgap semiconductor structure is on a substrate, the substrate comprising silicon carbide.

### Claim 24 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is a high electron mobility transistor.

### Claim 25 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is a Schottky diode.

### Claim 26 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is a MOSFET.

### Claim 27

A transistor device, comprising:
a substrate;
a Group III-nitride semiconductor structure on the substrate, the Group III-nitride semiconductor structure comprising a barrier layer and a channel layer, the barrier layer having a different bandgap relative to the channel layer;
a gate contact, source contact, and a drain contact, wherein the gate contact is between the source contact and the drain contact; and
wherein the gate contact comprises a plurality of gate stack layers, wherein at least one of the gate stack layers is a metal layer comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, or iridium.

### Claim at position 25

-49. (canceled)

### Claim 50

A method of forming a semiconductor device, comprising:
forming a wide bandgap semiconductor structure on a substrate;
forming a gate contact on the wide bandgap semiconductor structure; and
wherein the gate contact comprises a metal layer, the metal layer comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, or iridium.

### Claim at position 27

-69. (canceled)