U.S. patent application number 15/073201 was filed with the patent office on 2017-09-21 for transistor with bypassed gate structure field.
The applicant listed for this patent is Cree, Inc.. Invention is credited to Donald Farrell, Dan Namishia, Scott Sheppard, Simon Wood.
Application Number | 20170271329 15/073201 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58448611 |
Filed Date | 2017-09-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170271329 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Farrell; Donald ; et
al. |
September 21, 2017 |
Transistor with Bypassed Gate Structure Field
Abstract
A transistor device includes a source contact extending in a
first direction, a gate finger extending in the first direction
adjacent the source contact, and a drain contact adjacent the gate
finger, wherein the gate finger is between the drain contact and
the source contact. The device further includes a gate jumper
extending in the first direction, a gate bus connected to the gate
jumper and the gate finger, and a gate signal distribution bar that
is spaced apart from the gate bus in the first direction and that
connects the gate jumper to the gate finger.
Inventors: |
Farrell; Donald; (Raleigh,
NC) ; Wood; Simon; (Raleigh, NC) ; Sheppard;
Scott; (Chapel Hill, NC) ; Namishia; Dan;
(Wake Forest, NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Cree, Inc. |
Durham |
NC |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
58448611 |
Appl. No.: |
15/073201 |
Filed: |
March 17, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 29/4238 20130101;
H01L 29/404 20130101; H01L 23/4824 20130101; H01L 29/41758
20130101; H01L 27/088 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 27/088 20060101
H01L027/088; H01L 29/423 20060101 H01L029/423; H01L 29/417 20060101
H01L029/417; H01L 29/40 20060101 H01L029/40 |
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. A transistor device, comprising: a source contact extending in a
first direction; a gate finger extending in the first direction
adjacent the source contact; a drain contact adjacent the gate
finger, wherein the gate finger is between the drain contact and
the source contact; a gate pad connected to the gate finger; and a
gate jumper that is conductively connected to the gate pad, wherein
the gate pad is conductively connected to the gate finger at two or
more points along the gate finger, and wherein the gate pad is
conductively connected through the gate jumper to at least one of
the two or more points along the gate finger.
3. The transistor device of claim 2, wherein the gate jumper is
provided above the source contact and is electrically insulated
from the source contact.
4. The transistor device of claim 3, wherein the source contact
comprises a plurality of source contact segments that are spaced
apart in the first direction with a gap between first and second
ones of the source contact segments; the transistor device further
comprising a gate signal distribution bar in the gap between the
first and second source contact segments, the gate signal
distribution bar contacting the gate finger, wherein the gate
jumper is in conductive contact with the gate signal distribution
bar.
5. The transistor device of claim 4, further comprising a plurality
of gaps between pairs of adjacent ones of the source contact
segments, and a plurality of gate signal distribution bars in
respective ones of the gaps, the plurality of gate signal
distribution bars contacting the gate finger at a respective
plurality of contact points on the gate finger, wherein the gate
jumper is in conductive contact with the plurality of gate signal
distribution bars.
6. The transistor device of claim 5, further comprising a plurality
of conductive plugs that connect the gate jumper to the gate signal
distribution bars.
7. The transistor device of claim 4, further comprising a plurality
of source contacts arranged in a second direction that is
perpendicular to the first direction, wherein each of the plurality
of source contacts comprises a plurality of source contact segments
that are spaced apart in the first direction with gaps between
adjacent ones of the source contact segments.
8. The transistor device of claim 7, further comprising a source
contact bar that extends in the second direction and is
conductively connected to respective ones of the source contact
segments that are adjacent to one another in the second
direction.
9. The transistor device of claim 2, further comprising a gate bus
coupled to the gate finger and to the gate pad, wherein the gate
jumper is conductively connected to the gate bus, and wherein the
gate jumper is conductively connected to the gate finger at a
plurality of contact points along the gate finger that are spaced
apart from the gate bus in the first direction.
10. The transistor device of claim 9, further comprising a
plurality of gate signal distribution bars that conductively
connect the gate jumper to the gate finger at the plurality of
contact points along the gate finger.
11. A transistor device, comprising: a gate pad; a gate finger in
conductive contact with the gate pad at a first location at an end
of the gate finger and extending in a first direction; and a gate
jumper in conductive contact with the gate pad and extending in the
first direction; wherein the gate jumper is conductively connected
to the gate finger at a second location on the gate finger that is
spaced apart from the first location so that a gate signal received
at the gate pad is applied to the gate finger at the first location
and at the second location.
12. The transistor device of claim 11, further comprising a source
contact adjacent the gate finger, wherein the gate jumper is
provided above the source contact and is electrically insulated
from the source contact.
13. The transistor device of claim 12, wherein the source contact
comprises a plurality of source contact segments that are spaced
apart in the first direction with a gap between first and second
ones of the source contact segments; the transistor device further
comprising a gate signal distribution bar in the gap between the
first and second source contact segments, the gate signal
distribution bar contacting the gate finger, wherein the gate
jumper is in conductive contact with the gate signal distribution
bar.
14. The transistor device of claim 13, further comprising a
plurality of gaps between pairs of adjacent ones of the source
contact segments and a plurality of gate signal distribution bars
in respective ones of the gaps, the plurality of gate signal
distribution bars contacting the gate finger at a respective
plurality of locations on the gate finger, wherein the gate jumper
is in conductive contact with the plurality of gate signal
distribution bars.
15. The transistor device of claim 13, further comprising a
plurality of source contacts arranged in a second direction that is
perpendicular to the first direction, wherein each of the plurality
of source contacts comprises a plurality of source contact segments
that are spaced apart in the first direction with gaps between
adjacent ones of the source contact segments.
16. The transistor device of claim 15, further comprising a source
contact bar that extends in the second direction and is
conductively connected respective ones of the source contact
segments that are adjacent to one another in the second
direction.
17. The transistor device of claim 11, further comprising a gate
bus coupled to the gate finger and to the gate pad, wherein the
gate jumper and the gate pad are conductively connected to the gate
bus.
18. The transistor device of claim 17, further comprising a
plurality of gate signal distribution bars that conductively
connect the gate jumper to the gate finger at a plurality of
contact points along the gate finger.
19. The transistor device of claim 13, wherein the gate jumper
crosses above less than all of the source contact segments in the
source contact.
20. A transistor device, comprising: a substrate; a gate bus on the
substrate; first and second source contact segments on the
substrate and extending in a first direction, wherein the first and
second source contact segments are separated from one another in
the first direction by a gap; a gate finger on the substrate and
connected to the gate bus, wherein the gate finger extends in the
first direction adjacent the source contact segments; a drain
contact on the substrate adjacent the gate finger, wherein the gate
finger is between the drain contact and the source contact
segments; a gate jumper connected to the gate bus, wherein the gate
jumper is provided above the source contact segments and extends in
the first direction; and a gate signal distribution bar on the
substrate and extending from the gap between the first and second
source contact segments to the gate finger, wherein the gate signal
distribution bar contacts the gate finger at a gate signal
distribution point that is spaced apart from the gate bus in the
first direction; and wherein the gate signal distribution bar is
conductively connected to the gate jumper.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The inventive concepts described herein relate to
microelectronic devices and more particularly to high power, high
frequency transistor devices having a unit cell-based
structure.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Electrical circuits requiring high power handling capability
while operating at high frequencies, such as radio frequencies (500
MHz), S-band (3 GHz) and X-band (10 GHz), have in recent years
become more prevalent. Because of the increase in high power, high
frequency circuits, there has been a corresponding increase in
demand for transistors which are capable of reliably operating at
radio frequencies and above while still being capable of handling
higher power loads.
[0003] To provide increased output power, transistors with a larger
gate peripheries have been developed. One technique for increasing
the effective gate periphery of a transistor is to provide a
plurality of transistor cells that are connected in parallel. For
example, a high power transistor may include a plurality of gate
fingers that extend in parallel between respective elongated source
and drain contacts, as illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0004] In particular, FIG. 1 illustrates a metal layout of a
conventional transistor structure 10 that includes a gate pad 12, a
source pad 22 and a drain pad 32 on a semiconductor structure 20.
The gate pad 12 is connected by a gate bus 14 to a plurality of
gate fingers 16 that extend in parallel in a first direction (e.g.,
the y-direction indicated in FIG. 1). The source pad 22 is
connected to a plurality of parallel source contacts 26 via a
source bus 24, and the drain pad 32 is connected to a plurality of
drain contacts 36 via a drain bus 34. Each gate finger 16 runs
along the y-direction between a pair of adjacent source and drain
contacts 26, 36. A unit cell of the transistor 10 is illustrated at
box 40, and includes a gate finger 16 that extends between adjacent
source and drain contacts 26, 36. The gate length is dimension of
the gate metallization in the x-direction, while the gate width is
the distance by which the source and drain contacts 26, 36 overlap
in the y-direction. That is, "width" of a gate finger 16 refers to
the dimension of the gate finger 16 that extends in parallel to the
adjacent source/drain contacts 26, 36. The gate periphery of the
device refers to the sum of the gate widths for each gate finger 16
of the device 10.
[0005] In addition to adding unit cells, the gate periphery of a
multi-cell transistor device may be increased by making the gate
fingers wider (i.e., longer in the y-direction). As the gate
fingers of a device become wider, however, the high frequency
performance of the device may be adversely impacted. In addition,
making the gate fingers wider typically means that the gate fingers
must handle increased current densities, which can cause
electromigration of the gate finger metallization.
SUMMARY
[0006] A transistor device according to some embodiments includes a
source contact extending in a first direction, a gate finger
extending in the first direction adjacent the source contact, and a
drain contact adjacent the gate finger, wherein the gate finger is
between the drain contact and the source contact. A gate pad is
electrically connected to the gate finger at a plurality of points
along the gate finger.
[0007] The device further includes a gate jumper that extends in
the first direction and that is conductively connected to the gate
pad. The gate pad is conductively connected through the gate jumper
to at least one of the plurality of points along the gate
finger.
[0008] The device may further include a gate bus connected to the
gate jumper and the gate finger, and a gate signal distribution bar
that is spaced apart from the gate bus in the first direction and
that connects the gate jumper to the gate finger.
[0009] A transistor device according to further embodiments
includes a gate pad, a gate finger in conductive contact with the
gate pad at a first location on the gate finger and extending in a
first direction, and a gate jumper in conductive contact with the
gate pad and extending in the first direction. The gate jumper is
conductively connected to the gate finger at a second location on
the gate finger that is spaced apart from the first location so
that a gate signal received at the gate pad is applied to the gate
finger at the first location and at the second location.
[0010] A transistor device according to further embodiments
includes a gate bus, a gate finger in contact with the gate bus and
extending in a first direction, and a gate jumper in contact with
the gate bus and extending in the first direction, wherein the gate
jumper is in conductive contact with the gate finger at a location
along the gate finger that is spaced apart from the gate bus in the
first direction.
[0011] A transistor device according to further embodiments
includes a substrate, a gate bus on the substrate, and first and
second source contact segments on the substrate and extending in a
first direction. The first and second source contact segments are
separated from one another in the first direction by a gap. The
device further includes a gate finger on the substrate and
connected to the gate bus. The gate finger extends in the first
direction adjacent the source contact segments. The device further
includes a drain contact on the substrate adjacent the gate finger,
wherein the gate finger is between the drain contact and the source
contact segments, a gate jumper connected to the gate bus, wherein
the gate jumper is provided above the source contact segments and
extends in the first direction, and a gate signal distribution bar
on the substrate and extending from the gap between the first and
second source contact segments to the gate finger. The gate signal
distribution bar contacts the gate finger at a gate signal
distribution point that is spaced apart from the gate bus in the
first direction, and the gate signal distribution bar is
conductively connected to the gate jumper.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a
further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain
embodiment(s) of the invention. In the drawings:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a metal layout of a conventional
multi-cell transistor.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a metal layout of a transistor in
accordance with some embodiments.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a partial isometric view of a metal layout of a
transistor in accordance with some embodiments.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a partial cross section of a metal layout of a
transistor in accordance with some embodiments taken along line
A-A' of FIG. 2.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a plan view of a layout of a metal layout of a
transistor in accordance with some embodiments.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a detail plan view of a portion of a metal layout
of a transistor in accordance with some embodiments.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a cross-section of a unit cell of a transistor
device taken along line B-B' of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Embodiments of the present inventive concepts now will be
described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This
inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in many different
forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set
forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this
disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the
scope of the inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. Like
numbers refer to like elements throughout.
[0021] Embodiments of the inventive concepts provide multi-cell
transistor devices with large effective gate widths. By feeding the
gate signal to the gate fingers at multiple locations along the
width of the gate finger, the high frequency gain performance and
electromigration concerns normally associated with wide gate
fingers can be improved. According to some embodiments, a larger
gate width of a multi-cell transistor device can be accommodated by
adding a second layer of metal above the source regions of a cell
to act as a gate jumper. The gate jumper is connected to the gate
finger at various locations along the gate finger, effectively
dividing the gate finger into multiple segments. The gate jumper
may be provided by a second layer of metal above the source contact
that connects the gate pad to the gate segments. In some
embodiments, the gate jumper could run above the drain contact or
the gate finger instead of over the source contact.
[0022] By effectively dividing the gate into segments and
distributing the gate signal to each of the segments by means of a
gate jumper, the gain performance and electromigration concerns of
the device can be improved.
[0023] Accordingly embodiments of the inventive concepts provide a
transistor layout that defines multiple unit cells in series for
each gate. Individually, each of the unit cells has a shorter
effective gate width. However, when connected in series, the unit
cells can increase the effective length of a single gate finger.
The gate fingers of the series-connected unit cells are connected
to a gate bus by means of a second metal bridge that runs above the
source contacts of the unit cells. The metal bridge is connected
between the source contacts to connecting bars that run along the
surface of the substrate between the source contacts and connect to
the gate finger.
[0024] A transistor having a layout as described herein may have
higher frequency performance and higher output power while at the
same time having a reduced current density, which can improve
device reliability.
[0025] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a metal layout of a transistor 100
in accordance with some embodiments. The transistor is formed on a
semiconductor structure 120 that includes one or more device
epitaxial layers which are described in greater detail below. The
layout of FIG. 2 is simplified for ease of understanding and
includes a gate pad 112 that is connected to a gate bus 114 and a
drain pad 132 that is connected to a drain bus 134. The source pad
and source bus are omitted from FIG. 2 for clarity of illustration,
but are illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.
[0026] A plurality of gate fingers 116 are connected to the gate
bus 114 and extend in the y-direction. Likewise, a plurality of
drain contacts 136 are connected to the drain bus 134 and extend in
parallel with and adjacent to respective ones of the gate fingers
116. Although only four gate fingers 116 and three drain contacts
136 are illustrated in FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that the
transistor 100 may have many more gate fingers and source contacts
so that the transistor has a large number of unit cells.
[0027] Source contacts 162 are provided in the layout and extend in
the y-direction in parallel with adjacent ones of the gate fingers
116. The source contacts 162 are divided in the y-direction into
respective source contact segments 162a, 162b and 162c. The source
contact segments may be connected by means of source contact bars
128 (FIG. 6) that extend laterally across the device structure (in
the x-direction).
[0028] Adjacent ones of the source contact segments 162a to 162c
are separated by gaps 162g. Although FIG. 2 illustrates three
source gate contact segments 162a-162c for each source contact 162,
the inventive concepts are not limited to such a configuration, and
it will be appreciated that the source contact 162 may include two
or more source gate contact segments 162a-162c.
[0029] The gate fingers 116 may extend in parallel with the source
contacts 162 for the entire length of the source contacts 116.
However, because the source contacts 162 are divided into source
contact segments 162a, 162b and 162c, the source contact segments
162a, 162b and 162c define a plurality of series unit cells 40a,
40b, 40c for each of the gate fingers 116. That is, each gate
finger 116 acts as a gate contact for a plurality of unit cells
40a, 40b, 40c that are laid out in the direction (y-direction)
along which the gate fingers 116 extend and that defines the width
of the gate fingers 116. Thus, the total width contributed to the
gate periphery of the overall device by each gate finger 116 is
equal to the distance by which the gate finger 116 overlaps the
adjacent source contact segments 162a, 162b and 162c in the
y-direction.
[0030] The transistor 100 further includes a plurality of gate
jumpers 172 that extend along the y-direction in parallel with the
gate fingers 116. The gate jumpers 172 may be formed above the
source contacts 162, and may be insulated from the source contacts
162 by, for example, a dielectric layer and/or an air gap. The gate
jumpers 172 are electrically connected to the gate bus 114, and
connect each gate finger 116 to the gate bus 114 at multiple
locations along the gate finger 116.
[0031] In particular, the gate jumpers 172 connect to the gate
fingers 116 through gate signal distribution bars 174 that are
provided at multiple locations along the width of the device and
that extend laterally (in the x-direction) from the gaps 162g
between adjacent ones of the source contact segments 162a, 162b and
162c to the gate fingers 116. The gate signal distribution bars 174
contact the gate fingers 116 at gate signal distribution points
176. Thus, an electrical signal applied to the gate pad 112 (a
"gate signal") is carried to the gate bus 114, and then to the gate
jumpers 172, which distribute the gate signal to the gate fingers
116 at multiple locations (the gate signal distribution points 176)
along the width of the gate fingers 116. Thus, in the embodiments
illustrated in FIG. 1, rather than having the gate fingers 116
carry the gate signal for the entire width of the device, the gate
signal is carried by the gate jumpers 172 over a large part of the
width of the device and then distributed to the gate fingers 116 at
various locations along the width of the device.
[0032] The gate jumpers 172 may have larger cross sectional areas
than the gate fingers 116, and thus may be better able to handle
higher current densities than the gate fingers without the problems
normally associated with increased gate widths, such as
electromigration and reduction of high frequency gain
performance.
[0033] FIG. 3 is a partial isometric view of a metal layout of a
transistor 100 in accordance with some embodiments, and FIG. 4 is a
partial cross section of a metal layout of a transistor 100 taken
along line A-A' of FIG. 2. As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the
gate jumpers 172 are formed at a metal level higher than the metal
level of the source contact segments 162a, 162b, 162c, the gate
fingers 116, the gate bus 114 and the gate signal distribution bars
174. The gate jumpers 172 are connected to the gate bus 114 and the
gate signal distribution bars 174 by vertical contact plugs
178.
[0034] The gate jumpers 172, gate bus 114, vertical contact plugs
178 and gate signal distribution bars 174 may be formed of a
conductive material, such as copper or aluminum, having a very low
resistance.
[0035] FIG. 5 is a plan view of a layout of a metal layout of the
transistor 100 in accordance with some embodiments, and FIG. 6 is a
detail plan view of a portion 150 of the metal layout of FIG. 5.
The metal layout includes a plurality of unit cells 40 that extend
vertically (in the y-direction). Each of the unit cells 40 includes
one gate finger 116 that extends over the entire width of the
device, and is subdivided into series unit cells 40a, 40b, 40c that
are arranged in the vertical direction (y-direction) as described
above. In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, each of the
unit cells 40 has an overall width of 1120 microns, with the series
unit cells 40a, 40b, and 40c having widths of 370 microns, 380
microns and 370 microns, respectively, although the inventive
concepts are not limited to these particular dimensions. In this
manner, the effective gate width of the device may be
increased.
[0036] Referring to FIG. 6, a gate pad 112 and gate bus 114 are
provided at the one end of the structure, while a drain pad 132 and
drain bus 134 are provided at the other end of the structure.
Source pads 122 are provided on the side of the structure and are
connected to a source bus 124. The source bus 124 is connected to a
plurality of source distribution bars 128 that extend in the
lateral direction (x-direction) to contact the source contact
segments 162a, 162b, 162c.
[0037] The detail view of the portion 150 of the device layout of
the transistor 100 in FIG. 6 also illustrates the gate fingers 116,
the gate jumpers 172, gate signal distribution bars 174 and the
gate signal distribution points 176 where the gate signal
distribution bars 174 contact the gate fingers 116.
[0038] FIG. 7 is a cross-section of a unit cell 40 of a transistor
device 100 taken along line B-B' of FIG. 2. The transistor
structure 100 includes a semiconductor structure 120 including a
substrate 200, which may, for example, include 4H-SiC or 6H-SiC. A
channel layer 210 is formed on the substrate 210, and a barrier
layer 220 is formed on the channel layer 210. The channel layer 210
and the barrier layer 220 may include Group III-nitride based
materials, with the material of the barrier layer 220 having a
higher bandgap than the material of the channel layer 210. For
example, the channel layer 210 may comprise GaN, while the barrier
layer may comprise AlGaN.
[0039] Due to the difference in bandgap between the barrier layer
220 and the channel layer 210 and piezoelectric effects at the
interface between the barrier layer 220 and the channel layer 210,
a two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is induced in the channel
layer 210 at a junction between the channel layer 210 and the
barrier layer 220. The 2DEG is a highly conductive layer that
allows conduction between the source and drain regions of the
device beneath the source contact segment 162b and the drain
contact 136, respectively. A source contact segment 162b and a
drain contact 136 are formed on the barrier layer 220. A gate
finger 116 is formed on the barrier layer 220 between the drain
contact 136 and the source contact segment 162b. A gate jumper 172
is provided above the source contact segment 162b, and is connected
to the gate finger 116 through a vertical contact plug 178 and a
gate signal distribution bar 174. The vertical contact plug 178 and
the gate signal distribution bar are provided in gaps 162g between
adjacent ones of the source contact segments 162a-162c and do not
physically contact the source contact segments 162a-162c.
[0040] A first interlayer insulating layer 232 is formed on the
substrate over the drain contact 136, the gate finger 116, the
source contact segment 162b and the gate signal distribution bar
174. The interlayer insulating layer 232 may include a dielectric
material, such as SiN, SiO.sub.2, etc. The vertical contact plug
178 penetrates the first interlayer insulating layer 232. The gate
jumper 172 is formed on the first interlayer insulating layer 232,
which insulates the gate jumper 172 from the source contact segment
162b. A second interlayer insulating layer 234 may be formed on the
first interlayer insulating layer 232 and the gate jumper 172. The
second interlayer insulating layer 234 may include a dielectric
material, such as SiN, SiO.sub.2, etc.
[0041] The material of the gate finger 116 may be chosen based on
the composition of the barrier layer. However, in certain
embodiments, conventional materials capable of making a Schottky
contact to a nitride based semiconductor material may be used, such
as Ni, Pt, NiSi.sub.x, Cu, Pd, Cr, W and/or WSiN. The drain
contacts 136 and source contact segments 162 may include a metal,
such as TiAlN, that can form an ohmic contact to GaN.
[0042] Embodiments of the inventive concepts may be particularly
well suited for use in connection with Group III-nitride based high
electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices. As used herein, the
term "Group III nitride" refers to those semiconducting compounds
formed between nitrogen and the elements in Group III of the
periodic table, usually aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), and/or indium
(In). The term also refers to ternary and quaternary compounds such
as AlGaN and AlInGaN. These compounds all have empirical formulas
in which one mole of nitrogen is combined with a total of one mole
of the Group II elements.
[0043] Suitable structures for GaN-based HEMTs that may utilize
embodiments of the present invention are described, for example, in
commonly assigned U.S. Publication No. 2002/0066908A1 published
Jun. 6, 2002, for "Aluminum Gallium Nitride/Gallium Nitride High
Electron Mobility Transistors Having A Gate Contact On A Gallium
Nitride Based Cap Segment And Methods Of Fabricating Same," U.S.
Publication No. 2002/0167023A1 for "Group-III Nitride Based High
Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) With Barrier/Spacer Layer,"
published Nov. 14, 2002, U.S. Publication No. 2004/0061129 for
"Nitride-Based Transistors And Methods Of Fabrication Thereof Using
Non-Etched Contact Recesses," published on Apr. 1, 2004, U.S. Pat.
No. 7,906,799 for "Nitride-Based Transistors With A Protective
Layer And A Low-Damage Recess" issued Mar. 15, 2011, and U.S. Pat.
No. 6,316,793 entitled "Nitride Based Transistors On
Semi-Insulating Silicon Carbide Substrates," issued Nov. 13, 2001,
the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by
reference in their entirety.
[0044] In particular embodiments of the present invention, the
substrate 200 may be a semi-insulating silicon carbide (SiC)
substrate that may be, for example, 4H polytype of silicon carbide.
Other silicon carbide candidate polytypes include the 3C, 6H, and
15R polytypes.
[0045] Optional buffer, nucleation and/or transition layers (not
shown) may be provided on the substrate 200 beneath the channel
layer 210. For example, an AlN buffer layer may be included to
provide an appropriate crystal structure transition between the
silicon carbide substrate and the remainder of the device.
Additionally, strain balancing transition layer(s) may also be
provided as described, for example, in commonly assigned U.S.
Publication 2003/0102482A1, published Jun. 5, 2003, and entitled
"Strain Balanced Nitride Heterojunction Transistors And Methods Of
Fabricating Strain Balanced Nitride Heterojunction Transistors,"
the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if
set forth fully herein. Moreover, one or more capping layers, such
as SiN capping layers, may be provided on the barrier layer
220.
[0046] Silicon carbide has a much closer crystal lattice match to
Group III nitrides than does sapphire (Al.sub.2O.sub.3), which is a
very common substrate material for Group III nitride devices. The
closer lattice match of SiC may result in Group III nitride films
of higher quality than those generally available on sapphire.
Silicon carbide also has a very high thermal conductivity so that
the total output power of Group III nitride devices on silicon
carbide is, typically, not as limited by thermal dissipation of the
substrate as in the case of the same devices formed on sapphire.
Also, the availability of semi-insulating silicon carbide
substrates may provide for device isolation and reduced parasitic
capacitance. Appropriate SiC substrates are manufactured by, for
example, Cree, Inc., of Durham, N.C., the assignee of the present
invention.
[0047] Although silicon carbide may be used as a substrate
material, embodiments of the present invention may utilize any
suitable substrate, such as sapphire, aluminum nitride, aluminum
gallium nitride, gallium nitride, silicon, GaAs, LGO, ZnO, LAO, InP
and the like. In some embodiments, an appropriate buffer layer also
may be formed.
[0048] In some embodiments of the present invention, the channel
layer 210 is a Group III-nitride, such as Al.sub.xGa.sub.1-xN where
0.ltoreq.x<1, provided that the energy of the conduction band
edge of the channel layer 210 is less than the energy of the
conduction band edge of the barrier layer 220 at the interface
between the channel and barrier layers. In certain embodiments of
the present invention, x=0, indicating that the channel layer 210
is GaN. The channel layer 210 may also be other Group III-nitrides
such as InGaN, AlInGaN or the like. The channel layer 210 may be
undoped or unintentionally doped and may be grown to a thickness of
greater than about 20 .ANG.. The channel layer 210 may also be a
multi-layer structure, such as a superlattice or combinations of
GaN, AlGaN or the like.
[0049] The channel layer 210 may have a bandgap that is less than
the bandgap of the barrier layer 220, and the channel layer 210 may
also have a larger electron affinity than the barrier layer 220. In
certain embodiments of the inventive concepts, the barrier layer
220 is AlN, AlInN, AlGaN or AlInGaN with a thickness of between
about 0.1 nm and about 10 nm. In particular embodiments of the
inventive concepts, the barrier layer 22 is thick enough and has a
high enough Al composition and doping to induce a significant
carrier concentration at the interface between the channel layer
210 and the barrier layer 220.
[0050] The barrier layer 220 may be a Group III-nitride and has a
bandgap larger than that of the channel layer 210 and a smaller
electron affinity than the channel layer 210. Accordingly, in
certain embodiments of the present invention, the barrier layer 220
may include AlGaN, AlInGaN and/or AlN or combinations of layers
thereof. The barrier layer 220 may, for example, be from about 0.1
nm to about 30 nm thick. In certain embodiments of the present
invention, the barrier layer 220 is undoped or doped with an n-type
dopant to a concentration less than about 10.sup.19 cm.sup.-3. In
some embodiments of the present invention, the barrier layer 220 is
Al.sub.xGa.sub.1-xN where 0<x<1. In particular embodiments,
the aluminum concentration is about 25%. However, in other
embodiments of the present invention, the barrier layer 220
comprises AlGaN with an aluminum concentration of between about 5%
and about 100%. In specific embodiments of the present invention,
the aluminum concentration is greater than about 10%.
[0051] While embodiments of the present invention are illustrated
with reference to a GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT)
structure, the present inventive concepts are not limited to such
devices. Thus, embodiments of the present invention may include
other transistor devices having a plurality of unit cells and a
controlling electrode. Embodiments of the present invention may be
suitable for use in any semiconductor device where a wider
controlling electrode is desired and multiple unit cells of the
device are present. Thus, for example, embodiments of the present
invention may be suitable for use in various types of devices, such
as, MESFETs, MMICs, SITs, LDMOS, BJTs, pHEMTs, etc., fabricated
using SiC, GaN, GaAs, silicon, etc.
[0052] It will be understood that, although the terms first,
second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these
elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only
used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first
element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second
element could be termed a first element, without departing from the
scope of the present invention. As used herein, the term "and/or"
includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated
listed items.
[0053] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and
"the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood
that the terms "comprises" "comprising," "includes" and/or
"including" when used herein, specify the presence of stated
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components,
but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or
groups thereof.
[0054] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and
scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this
invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms used
herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent
with their meaning in the context of this specification and the
relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly
formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0055] It will be understood that when an element such as a layer,
region or substrate is referred to as being "on" or extending
"onto" another element, it can be directly on or extend directly
onto the other element or intervening elements may also be present.
In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on"
or extending "directly onto" another element, there are no
intervening elements present. It will also be understood that when
an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to
another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the
other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast,
when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or
"directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening
elements present.
[0056] Relative terms such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or
"lower" or "horizontal" or "lateral" or "vertical" may be used
herein to describe a relationship of one element, layer or region
to another element, layer or region as illustrated in the figures.
It will be understood that these terms are intended to encompass
different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation
depicted in the figures.
[0057] Embodiments of the invention are described herein with
reference to cross-section illustrations that are schematic
illustrations of idealized embodiments (and intermediate
structures) of the invention. The thickness of layers and regions
in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity. Additionally,
variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for
example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be
expected. Thus, embodiments of the invention should not be
construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions
illustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that
result, for example, from manufacturing.
[0058] In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed
typical embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms
are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only
and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention
being set forth in the following claims.
* * * * *