Trench-gated Schottky diode with integral clamping diode

A trench-gated Schottky barrier diode comprising:

• a semiconductor body having first and second trenches formed at a surface thereof, said trenches being separated by a mesa, said mesa being doped with atoms of a first conductivity type;
• a metal layer in contact with at least a portion of a surface of said mesa, said metal layer being selected and said mesa being doped such that a rectifying Schottky interface is formed between said metal layer and said surface of said mesa;
• a gate electrode disposed within said trenches, said trenches being lined with a dielectric material such that said gate electrode is electrically insulated from said mesa;
• and
• a PN junction clamping diode formed in said semiconductor body, said clamping diode being fabricated in parallel with a current path through said mesa, wherein said PN junction is between a diffusion of a second conductivity type opposite to said first conductivity type and a region of the first conductivity type in said semiconductor body, said semiconductor body comprises an epitaxial layer overlying a substrate, and said trenches extend to a level deeper than said diffusion.

A trench-gated Schottky barrier diode comprising:

• a semiconductor body having first and second trenches formed at a surface thereof, said trenches being separated by a mesa, said mesa being doped with atoms of a first conductivity type;
• a metal layer in contact with at least a portion of a surface of said mesa, said metal layer being selected and said mesa being doped such that a rectifying Schottky interface is formed between said metal layer and said surface of said mesa;
• a gate electrode disposed within said trenches, said trenches being lined with a dielectric material such that said gate electrode is electrically insulated from said mesa;
• and
• a PN junction clamping diode formed in said semiconductor body, said clamping diode being fabricated in parallel with a current path through said mesa, wherein said PN junction is between a diffusion of a second conductivity type opposite to said first conductivity type and a region of the first conductivity type in said semiconductor body, and said PN junction has a radius of junction curvature where r.ltoreq.2 .mu.m.

A trench-gated Schottky barrier diode comprising:

• a semiconductor body having first and second trenches formed at a surface thereof, said trenches being separated by a mesa, said mesa being doped with atoms of a first conductivity type;
• a metal layer in contact with at least a portion of a surface of said mesa, said metal layer being selected and said mesa being doped such that a rectifying Schottky interface is formed between said metal layer and said surface of said mesa;
• a gate electrode disposed within said trenches, said trenches being lined with a dielectric material such that said gate electrode is electrically insulated from said mesa;
• and
• a PN junction clamping diode formed in said semiconductor body, said clamping diode being fabricated in parallel with a current path through said mesa, wherein said metal layer is formed of a first metal and said gate electrode is formed of a second metal different from said first metal.

A trench-gated Schottky barrier diode comprising:

• a semiconductor body having first and second trenches formed at a surface thereof, said trenches being separated by a mesa, said mesa being doped with atoms of a first conductivity type;
• a metal layer in contact with at least a portion of a surface of said mesa, said metal layer being selected and said mesa being doped such that a rectifying Schottky interface is formed between said metal layer and said surface of said mesa;
• a gate electrode disposed within said trenches, said trenches being lined with a dielectric material such that said gate electrode is electrically insulated from said mesa;
• and
• a PN junction clamping diode formed in said semiconductor body, said clamping diode being fabricated in parallel with a current path through said mesa, wherein said gate electrode is formed of doped polysilicon.

A trench-gated Schottky barrier diode comprising:

• a semiconductor body having first and second trenches formed at a surface thereof, said trenches being separated by a mesa, said mesa being doped with atoms of a first conductivity type;
• a metal layer in contact with at least a portion of a surface of said mesa, said metal layer being selected and said mesa being doped such that a rectifying Schottky interface is formed between said metal layer and said surface of said mesa;
• a gate electrode disposed within said trenches, said trenches being lined with a dielectric material such that said gate electrode is electrically insulated from said mesa;
• and
• a PN junction clamping diode formed in said semiconductor body, said clamping diode being fabricated in parallel with a current path through said mesa, said PN junction formed such that an avalanche breakdown is located away from said trenches.