Schottky diode on a silicon carbide substrate

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to the forming of a Schottky diode.

[0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art

[0005] In the field of semiconductor components, the material which is currently mainly used is silicon. For very high breakdown voltages, silicon carbide is a priori preferable since silicon carbide can provide breakdown voltages per thickness unit approximately 10 times greater than silicon.

[0006] However, in the present state of technology, the methods currently used for the manufacturing of silicon-based components cannot be used for the manufacturing of components based on silicon carbide (SiC). In particular, it is presently impossible, in practice, to perform implantations and diffusions of P-type dopants into N-type doped silicon carbide, noting that the P-type dopant currently used for silicon carbide is aluminum and the N-type dopant is nitrogen. Indeed, a diffusion anneal for a P-type dopant would require temperatures on the order of 1700° C., which raises acute technological problems.

[0007] The elementary structure of a Schottky diode is illustrated in FIG. 1. This diode is formed from a heavily-doped N-type substrate 1 on which is formed an N-type epitaxial layer 2 properly doped to have the desired Schottky threshold. On this epitaxial N layer is deposited silicon oxide 3 defining a window in which the Schottky contact is desired to be established by means of an appropriate metallization 4. The rear surface of the component is coated with a metallization 5.

[0008] Such a structure has a very poor breakdown voltage. Indeed, the equipotential surfaces tend to curve up to rise back to the surface, which results, especially in the curved areas of the equipotential surfaces, in very strong field variations that limit the possible reverse breakdown voltage. To avoid this disadvantage, the structure shown in FIG. 2, in which a peripheral P-type ring 6 is formed at the periphery of the Schottky diode area, is conventionally used in the field of silicon-based components. As a result, the equipotential surfaces must pass in volume under the P regions and thus have a less pronounced curvature. This considerably improves the voltage withstand of the diode. As an example, with silicon of a doping level of 10¹⁶at./cm³, a voltage withstand on the order of 10 V will be obtained with no guard ring and a breakdown voltage on the order of 50 V will be obtained with a guard ring.

[0009] However, as previously indicated, such a P-type guard ring cannot be made in a structure formed on a silicon carbide substrate. In this case, the simple structure illustrated in FIG. 1 is not desirable either for the same reasons as in the case of a silicon substrate.

[0010] Thus, the present invention aims at providing a Schottky diode structure compatible with simple silicon carbide manufacturing methods and that provides a relatively high breakdown voltage.

[0011] To achieve these and other objects, the present invention provides a vertical Schottky diode including an N-type silicon carbide layer of low doping level formed by epitaxy on a silicon carbide substrate of high doping level, in which the periphery of the active area of the diode is coated with a P-type epitaxial silicon carbide layer; a trench crosses the P-type epitaxial layer and penetrates into at least a portion of the height of the N-type epitaxial layer beyond the periphery of the active area; the doping level of the P-type epitaxial layer is chosen so that, for the maximum voltage that the diode is likely to be subjected to, the equipotential surfaces corresponding to approximately ¼ to ¾ of the maximum voltage extend up to the trench.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the doping level of the P-type epitaxial layer is slightly greater than the doping level of the N-type epitaxial layer.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the distance between the external periphery of the active area and the internal periphery of the trench is on the order of 30 to 60 μm.

[0014] The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a vertical Schottky diode on a heavily-doped N-type silicon carbide substrate, including the steps of forming a lightly-doped N-type epitaxial layer; forming a P-type epitaxial layer; digging a peripheral trench; depositing an insulating layer; forming a central opening crossing the insulating layer, the P-type epitaxial layer and the N-type epitaxial layer; and depositing a metal capable of forming a Schottky barrier with the N-type epitaxial layer.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the doping level of the P-type epitaxial layer is chosen so that, for the maximum voltage that the diode is likely to be subjected to, the equipotential surfaces corresponding to approximately ¼ to ¾ of the maximum voltage extend to the trench.

[0016] The foregoing objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be discussed in detail in the following non-limiting description of specific embodiments in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a simplified cross-section view of an elementary Schottky diode;

[0018] FIG. 2 is a simplified cross-section view of a conventional Schottky diode on a silicon substrate; and

[0019] FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-section view of a Schottky diode on a silicon carbide substrate according to the present invention.

[0020] As usual in the field of semiconductor representation, the various layers of the various drawings are to scale neither in their horizontal dimensions, nor in their vertical dimensions.

[0021] The Schottky diode of FIG. 3 is formed from a heavily-doped N-type silicon carbide wafer 11. The N-type dopant is, for example, nitrogen. On wafer 11 is formed a thin more lightly-doped N-type epitaxial layer 12. For a desired breakdown voltage on the order of 600 to 1000 V, this epitaxial layer will have a thickness on the order of 3 to 6 μm. The Schottky contact is formed between this layer 12 and a metallization 14, for example, a platinum, titanium, or nickel silicide or the like. The rear surface of wafer 11 is coated with a metallization 5 corresponding to the diode cathode.

[0022] According to the present invention, before depositing metallization 14, the following steps are successively carried out:

[0023] forming a thin P-type doped silicon carbide epitaxial layer 15, the dopant being for example aluminum,

[0024] forming a peripheral trench 16 substantially having the depth of the sum of the thicknesses of epitaxial layers 12 and 15,

[0025] depositing a layer of a protection insulator 17, for example silicon oxide, and

[0026] forming a central opening in which is formed the Schottky metal layer 14, which is thus in contact with N layer 12 and which biases P layer 15.

[0027] The distance between the Schottky contact periphery and the trench is on the order of 30 to 60 μm, for example 40 μm.

[0028] The doping of P-type region 15 is chosen so that, when a voltage close to the maximum reverse breakdown voltage by the diode is applied thereto, the equipotential surfaces, instead of rising back to the surface, extend at least partially to the area of trench 16. It is, for example, desired to obtain that, when the maximum reverse voltage is applied, the equipotential surface corresponding to a value between ¼ and ¾ of the maximum voltage reaches the trench. By avoiding that the equipotential surfaces are too close together and have curvatures that are too pronounced, the existence of areas where the fields are too strong in the component or in the insulator surrounding is avoided. An almost ideal solution is illustrated by the equipotential surfaces shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3. For a diode having a breakdown voltage from 800 to 1000 V, four equipotential surfaces corresponding to four equally distributed values of the potential, for example values close to 200, 400, 600, and 800 V, have been shown. It should be noted that the equipotential surface substantially corresponding to 600 V reaches the trench.

[0029] The way in which the field lines are distributed will essentially depend on the doping level of the P-type epitaxial layer, which may however be very thin and have a thickness on the order of 1 to 3 μm.

[0030] Those skilled in the art will know how to choose the optimal doping level of the P-type epitaxial layer, especially according to the desired breakdown voltage and to the doping and the thickness of the N-type epitaxial layer, by using known simulation methods, for example by using the ISE-DESSIS simulation program.

[0031] More specifically, the applied reverse voltage being on the order of 800 V, for an N-type epitaxy of a thickness from 3 to 6 μm, for a P-type epitaxy of a thickness on the order of 1 to 3 μm, and for a trench substantially extending to the bottom of the N-type epitaxy, the applicant has shown that the following results are obtained:

[0032] 1) for an N-type epitaxy of 6.10¹⁵at./cm³and a P-type epitaxy of 5.10¹⁵at./cm³, all the equipotential surfaces curve up to the surface, including the 800-V equipotential surface, before reaching the trench;

[0033] 2) for an N-type epitaxy of 10¹⁶at./cm³and a P-type epitaxy of 5.10¹⁶at./cm³, part of the equipotential surfaces, starting from the 600-V equipotential surface, reach the trench;

[0034] 3) for an N-type epitaxy of 10¹⁶at./cm³and a P-type epitaxy of 10¹⁸at./cm³, all equipotential surfaces reach the trench, none rising up to the surface.

[0035] According to the present invention, a structure corresponding to the second case is preferred. Indeed, if all equipotential surfaces rise back up to the surface and if all equipotential surfaces reach the trench, the insulator deposited at the surface (currently silicon oxide) must have a particularly good breakdown voltage, that is, it must be deposited with particularly strong quality constraints to be able to resist the intense transverse fields applied thereto.

[0036] It may be deduced from the above examples that to be in the second case, the doping of the P-type layer must be slightly greater than the doping of the N-type layer, for example from 2 to 10 times greater.

[0037] Of course, the present invention is likely to have various alterations, modifications, and improvements which will readily occur to those skilled in the art, in particular as concerns the sizing of the various layers, vertically as well as horizontally.

[0038] Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting. The present invention is limited only as defined in the following claims and the equivalents thereto.