# US 8,541,839 B2 · Semiconductor component and method for producing it

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- Number: US 8,541,839 B2
- Document ID: US8541839B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/175,848
- Filed: 2008-07-18
- Published: 2009-02-05
- Granted: 2013-09-24
- Earliest claimed: 2007-07-18
- Assignees: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
- Applicants: Franz Hirler
- Inventors: Franz Hirler
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8541839B2

## CPC

- H10D 30/66: Vertical DMOS [VDMOS] FETs
- H10D 8/01: Manufacture or treatment
- H10D 12/032: {of vertical IGBTs}
- H10D 30/0291: {of vertical DMOS [VDMOS] FETs}
- H10D 30/65: Lateral DMOS [LDMOS] FETs
- H10D 62/103: {for increasing or controlling the breakdown voltage of reverse-biased devices}
- H10D 62/127: {of cellular field-effect devices, e.g. multicellular DMOS transistors or IGBTs}
- H10D 62/393: {Body regions of DMOS transistors or IGBTs (cell layout of DMOS H10D62/127)}
- H10D 64/112: {comprising multiple field plate segments}
- H10D 64/117: {Recessed field plates, e.g. trench field plates or buried field plates}
- H10P 32/1408: {from or through or into an external applied layer, e.g. photoresist or nitride layers}
- H10P 32/171: {being group IV material}
- H10P 50/691: {for Group IV materials or Group III-V materials}
- H10W 10/051: {of isolation region based on field-effect}
- H10W 10/50: Isolation regions based on field-effect
- 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 62/157: {Impurity concentrations or distributions}
- H10D 64/2527: {for vertical devices wherein the source or drain electrodes are recessed in semiconductor bodies}
- H10D 64/256: {for lateral devices wherein the source or drain electrodes are recessed in semiconductor bodies (source or drain electrodes of TFTs H10D30/673)}
- H10D 64/257: {for lateral devices wherein the source or drain electrodes are characterised by top-view geometrical layouts, e.g. interdigitated, semi-circular, annular or L-shaped electrodes (source or drain electrodes of TFTs H10D30/673)}
- H10D 64/519: {characterised by their top-view geometrical layouts}
- 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 semiconductor component having differently structured cell regions, and a method for producing it. For this purpose, the semiconductor component includes a semiconductor body. A first electrode on the top side of the semiconductor body is electrically connected to a first zone near the surface of the semiconductor body. A second electrode is electrically connected to a second zone of the semiconductor body. Furthermore, the semiconductor body has a drift path region, which is arranged in the semiconductor body between the first electrode and the second electrode. A cell region of the semiconductor component is subdivided into a main cell region and an auxiliary cell region, wherein the breakdown voltage of the auxiliary cells is greater than the breakdown voltage of the main cells.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor component comprising:
a semiconductor body having:
a first electrode electrically connected to a first zone of the semiconductor body;
a second electrode electrically connected to a second zone of the semiconductor body;
a drift path region arranged in the semiconductor body between the first electrode and the second electrode having drift zones;
a cell region having:
a main cell region with main cells; and
an auxiliary cell region with auxiliary cells;
wherein the breakdown voltage of the auxiliary cells is greater than the breakdown voltage of the main cells; and
wherein the drift zones have a length d2 in the auxiliary cell region and a length d1 in the main cell region, where d2 is longer than d1.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein the drift path region has field plates.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein a dopant concentration of the drift path is higher in the auxiliary cell region than in the main cell region.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein a distance between the field plates is larger in the auxiliary cell region than in the main cell region.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein the main cell region and the auxiliary cell region include respective a trench structures having trench walls, and wherein an oxide thickness profile along the trench walls of the trench structure in the main cell region differs from an oxide thickness profile of the trench walls of the trench structures of the field plates in the auxiliary cell region.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are situated on a common surface.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor component of claim 1, wherein the first electrode is situated on a first surface and the second electrode is situated on a second surface opposite the first surface.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The semiconductor component of claim 2, wherein the field plates are arranged in a trench structure and project vertically into the semiconductor body in the drift path region, wherein the trench walls have an insulating layer and the trench structure is filled with an electrically conductive material or with a dielectric material.

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

The semiconductor component of claim 2, wherein the number of field plates is larger in the main cell region than in the auxiliary cell region.

### Claim 10 (depends on 2)

The semiconductor component of claim 2, wherein the field plates, in the auxiliary cell region, are insulated from the surrounding drift path region by an insulating layer and, at a position between the first electrode and the second electrode, are electrically coupled to the drift path region and are at a drift path potential of the coupling position.

### Claim 11 (depends on 2)

The semiconductor component of claim 2, wherein the field plates of the main cell region and of the auxiliary cell region are electrically connected via at least one interconnect, and the electrical potential of the field plates in the auxiliary cell region defines the potential of the field plates in the main cell region via the interconnect.

### Claim 12 (depends on 2)

The semiconductor component of claim 2, further comprising a discharge cell region which interacts with the field plates of the auxiliary cell region and of the main cell region.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The semiconductor component of claim 10, wherein the coupling positions of the field plates in the auxiliary cell region are arranged at an end of the field plates and are coupled to the potential of the drift path region at this position via p+-conducting floating zones projecting into the n-conducting drift zone region.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The semiconductor component of claim 10, wherein p+-conducting floating zones of the field plates of the auxiliary cell region have a p-channel MOS discharge structure.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The semiconductor component of claim 13, wherein a p-conducting discharge layer near the surface of the p+-conducting floating zones of the field plates of the auxiliary cell region has individual connecting webs to a body zone, wherein the gate electrode structure is interrupted in the region of the connecting webs.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The semiconductor component of claim 13, wherein the field plate discharge structure has an interconnect that is oriented perpendicular to the lateral direction of the field plates of the auxiliary cell region and crosses the drift path, wherein the drift path, below these interconnects of the field plate discharge structure, has a highly doped region of the same conduction type as the drift path, which region produces a contact to the drift path.

### Claim 17

A semiconductor component comprising:
a semiconductor body having:
a first electrode electrically connected to a first zone of the semiconductor body;
a second electrode electrically connected to a second zone of the semiconductor body;
a drift path region arranged in the semiconductor body between the first electrode and the second electrode;
a cell region having:
a main cell region with main cells; and
an auxiliary cell region with auxiliary cells;
wherein the breakdown voltage of the auxiliary cells is greater than the breakdown voltage of the main cells; and
wherein the main cell region and the auxiliary cell region include respective a trench structures having trench walls, and wherein an oxide thickness profile along the trench walls of the trench structure in the main cell region differs from an oxide thickness profile of the trench walls of the trench structures of the field plates in the auxiliary cell region.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The semiconductor component of claim 17, wherein the drift path region has drift zones, and wherein the drift zones have a length d2 in the auxiliary cell region and a length d1 in the main cell region, where d2 is longer than d1.

### Claim 19

A semiconductor component comprising:
a semiconductor body having:
a first electrode electrically connected to a first zone of the semiconductor body;
a second electrode electrically connected to a second zone of the semiconductor body;
a drift path region arranged in the semiconductor body between the first electrode and the second electrode;
a cell region having:
a main cell region with main cells; and
an auxiliary cell region with auxiliary cells;
wherein the breakdown voltage of the auxiliary cells is greater than the breakdown voltage of the main cells;
wherein the drift path region has drift zones and field plates, wherein the drift zones are longer in the auxiliary cell region than in the main cell region; and
wherein the field plates are arranged in a trench structure and project vertically into the semiconductor body in the drift path region, wherein the trench walls have an insulating layer and the trench structure is filled with an electrically conductive material or with a dielectric material.