U.S. patent application number 15/398489 was filed with the patent office on 2018-07-05 for transient voltage suppression devices with symmetric breakdown characteristics.
The applicant listed for this patent is General Electric Company. Invention is credited to Alexander Viktorovich Bolotnikov, Reza Ghandi, Avinash Srikrishnan Kashyap, David Alan Lilienfeld, Victor Mario Torres.
Application Number | 20180190791 15/398489 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62683567 |
Filed Date | 2018-07-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180190791 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Torres; Victor Mario ; et
al. |
July 5, 2018 |
TRANSIENT VOLTAGE SUPPRESSION DEVICES WITH SYMMETRIC BREAKDOWN
CHARACTERISTICS
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a symmetrical, punch-through
transient voltage suppression (TVS) device includes a mesa
structure disposed on a semiconductor substrate. The mesa structure
includes a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity-type,
a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity-type disposed
on the first semiconductor layer, and a third semiconductor layer
of the first conductive-type disposed on the second semiconductor
layer. The mesa structure also includes beveled sidewalls forming
mesa angles with respect to the semiconductor substrate and edge
implants disposed at lateral edges of the second semiconductor
layer. The edge implants including dopants of the second
conductive-type are configured to cause punch-through to occur in a
bulk region and not in the lateral edges of the second
semiconductor layer.
Inventors: |
Torres; Victor Mario;
(Clifton Park, NY) ; Ghandi; Reza; (Niskayuna,
NY) ; Lilienfeld; David Alan; (Niskayuna, NY)
; Kashyap; Avinash Srikrishnan; (Portland, OR) ;
Bolotnikov; Alexander Viktorovich; (Niskayuna, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
General Electric Company |
Schenectady |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
62683567 |
Appl. No.: |
15/398489 |
Filed: |
January 4, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 29/24 20130101;
H01L 27/0255 20130101; H01L 29/1608 20130101; H01L 29/861 20130101;
H01L 29/0661 20130101; H01L 29/36 20130101; H01L 29/66121 20130101;
H01L 29/2003 20130101; H01L 29/7811 20130101; H01L 29/66537
20130101; H01L 29/7424 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 29/66 20060101
H01L029/66; H01L 29/36 20060101 H01L029/36; H01L 21/265 20060101
H01L021/265; H01L 21/306 20060101 H01L021/306; H01L 29/06 20060101
H01L029/06; H01L 29/16 20060101 H01L029/16; H01L 29/20 20060101
H01L029/20; H01L 29/24 20060101 H01L029/24; H01L 29/861 20060101
H01L029/861 |
Claims
1. A symmetrical, punch-through transient voltage suppression (TVS)
device, comprising: a mesa structure disposed on a semiconductor
substrate, wherein the mesa structure comprises: a first
semiconductor layer having a first doping concentration of a first
conductivity-type; a second semiconductor layer of a second
conductivity-type disposed on the first semiconductor layer,
wherein the second semiconductor layer comprises: a bulk region
having a second doping concentration of the second
conductivity-type; and edge implants disposed at lateral edges of
the second semiconductor layer adjacent to the bulk region and
having a third doping concentration of the second
conductivity-type; and a third semiconductor layer of the first
conductive-type disposed on the second semiconductor layer, wherein
the mesa structure comprises beveled sidewalls that form mesa
angles with respect to the semiconductor substrate that are less
than 90 degrees, and wherein the edge implants are configured to
cause punch-through to occur in the bulk region and not in the
lateral edges of the second semiconductor layer.
2. The TVS device of claim 1, wherein a difference between a
breakdown voltage of the TVS device under a forward bias (V.sub.BP)
and a breakdown voltage of the TVS device under a reverse bias
(V.sub.BN) is less than about 1% of V.sub.BP or V.sub.BN.
3. The TVS device of claim 1, wherein the TVS device comprises a
silicon carbide, gallium nitride, or gallium oxide TVS device.
4. The TVS device of claim 1, wherein area of the edge implants is
dependent at least in part on the mesa angle, such that the area of
the edge implants is greater when the mesa angle is smaller.
5. The TVS device of claim 1, wherein the edge implants have a
dopant concentration that is about 100% to about 150% greater than
a dopant concentration of the bulk region.
6. The TVS device of claim 1, wherein a dopant concentration in the
first semiconductor layer is approximately equal to a dopant
concentration in the third semiconductor layer, and is at least
about two orders of magnitude greater than a dopant concentration
in the bulk region of the second semiconductor layer.
7. The TVS device of claim 1, wherein the mesa angles are between
about 30 degrees and about 85 degrees.
8. A symmetrical punch-through transient voltage suppression (TVS)
device, comprising: a semiconductor substrate; and a mesa structure
disposed on the semiconductor substrate, wherein the mesa structure
comprises: a first N-type semiconductor layer having a first N-type
dopant concentration; a P-type semiconductor layer disposed on the
first N-type semiconductor layer, wherein the P-type semiconductor
layer comprises: a bulk region having a first P-type dopant
concentration; and edge implants disposed at lateral edges of the
P-type second semiconductor layer adjacent to the bulk region and
having a second P-type dopant concentration; and a second N-type
semiconductor layer having a second N-type dopant concentration
disposed on the P-type semiconductor layer, wherein the mesa
structure comprises beveled sidewalls that form mesa angles with
respect to the semiconductor substrate that are less than 90
degrees, and wherein the edge implants are configured to cause
punch-through to occur in the bulk region and not in the lateral
edges of the second semiconductor layer.
9. The punch-through TVS device of claim 8, wherein the first
N-type dopant concentration is substantially equal to the second
N-type dopant concentration.
10. The punch-through TVS device of claim 8, wherein the mesa
structure is made of silicon carbide, gallium nitride, or gallium
oxide.
11. The punch-through TVS device of claim 8, wherein the edge
implants have lateral lengths that that are greater when the mesa
angles are smaller.
12. The punch-through TVS device of claim 8, wherein the second
P-type dopant concentration is about 100% to about 150% greater
than the first P-type dopant concentration.
13. The punch-through TVS device of claim 8, wherein the first
N-type dopant concentration is approximately equal to the second
N-type dopant concentration and is at least two orders of magnitude
greater than the first P-type dopant concentration.
14. The punch-through TVS device of claim 8, wherein the mesa
angles are between about 30 degrees and about 85 degrees.
15. A method of manufacturing a punch-through transient voltage
suppression (TVS) device, comprising: forming a mesa structure,
comprising: forming a first epitaxial semiconductor layer having a
first dopant concentration of a first conductivity-type on top of a
semiconductor substrate; forming a second epitaxial semiconductor
layer having a second dopant concentration of a second
conductivity-type on top of the first epitaxial semiconductor
layer; implanting dopants of the second conductivity-type along
lateral edges of the second epitaxial semiconductor layer to form
two edge implanted regions each having a third dopant concentration
and a lateral length; and forming a third epitaxial semiconductor
layer having a fourth dopant concentration of the first
conductivity-type on top of the second epitaxial semiconductor
layer to form the mesa structure; and etching the mesa structure to
form beveled sidewalls having mesa angles relative to the
semiconductor substrate, wherein the mesa angles are less than 90
degrees.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein implanting dopants of the
second conductivity-type ensures a punch-through of the TVS device
to occur in a bulk region of the second epitaxial semiconductor
layer.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein implanting dopants of the
second conductivity-type occurs subsequent to forming the third
epitaxial semiconductor layer.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein the lateral length of the two
edge implanted regions is between about 1 micrometer and about 10
micrometers.
19. The method of claim 15, wherein the third dopant concentration
is about 100% to about 150% greater than the second dopant
concentration.
20. The method of claim 15, wherein the mesa angles are between
about 30 degrees and about 85 degrees.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to transient
voltage suppression (TVS) devices, and more specifically, to TVS
devices implemented as bidirectional diodes having symmetrical
breakdown characteristics.
[0002] TVS devices are commonly used in electronic devices to
protect components from power surges (e.g., transients,
over-voltage conditions) in integrated circuits. TVS devices are
generally either unidirectional or bidirectional. For an ideal
bidirectional TVS device, the breakdown voltages (V.sub.B) under
positive and negative biases have substantially the same magnitude
and, therefore, the breakdown voltage is symmetrical. However, for
actual TVS devices, the magnitudes of breakdown voltages under
positive and negative biases are often not identical, and the
difference between these two values is referred to as the delta
V.sub.B (.DELTA.V.sub.B). In general, a TVS devices with a low
.DELTA.V.sub.B enables similar protection from over-voltage
conditions under both positive and negative voltage polarities.
[0003] In general, a bidirectional TVS diode can be a suitable TVS
device for protecting electrical nodes whose signals are
bidirectional or can have voltage levels both above and below a
reference voltage, usually ground. There are different types of
bidirectional TVS diodes, among which, punch-through diodes (e.g.,
Zener or punch-through breakdown) may be desirable for low voltage
applications, where the punch-through occurs at a low voltage
(e.g., below an avalanche breakdown voltage). However, a
conventional bidirectional TVS diode may have shortcomings. In
particular, due to various fabrication process limitations, the
breakdown voltage of a conventional bidirectional TVS diode may not
be symmetrical. As such, a conventional bidirectional TVS diode may
not provide the same level of protection from both positive and
negative over-voltage conditions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0004] Certain embodiments commensurate in scope with the
originally claimed subject matter are summarized below. These
embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.
Indeed, the present disclosure may encompass a variety of forms
that may be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth
below.
[0005] In one embodiment, a symmetrical, punch-through transient
voltage suppression (TVS) device includes a mesa structure disposed
on a semiconductor substrate. The mesa structure includes a first
semiconductor layer having a first doping concentration of a first
conductivity-type. The mesa structure includes a second
semiconductor layer of a second conductivity-type disposed on the
first semiconductor layer, wherein the second semiconductor layer
includes a bulk region having a second doping concentration of the
second conductivity-type, and edge implants disposed at lateral
edges of the second semiconductor layer adjacent to the bulk region
and having a third doping concentration of the second
conductivity-type. The mesa structure also includes a third
semiconductor layer of the first conductive-type disposed on the
second semiconductor layer. Further, the mesa structure includes
beveled sidewalls that form mesa angles with respect to the
semiconductor substrate that are less than 90 degrees, and the edge
implants are configured to cause punch-through to occur in the bulk
region and not in the lateral edges of the second semiconductor
layer.
[0006] In another embodiment, a symmetrical punch-through transient
voltage suppression (TVS) device includes a semiconductor substrate
and a mesa structure disposed on the semiconductor substrate. The
mesa structure includes a first N-type semiconductor layer having a
first N-type dopant concentration. The mesa structure includes a
P-type semiconductor layer disposed on the first N-type
semiconductor layer, wherein the P-type semiconductor layer
includes a bulk region having a first P-type dopant concentration
and edge implants disposed at lateral edges of the P-type second
semiconductor layer adjacent to the bulk region and having a second
P-type dopant concentration. The mesa structure also includes a
second N-type semiconductor layer having a second N-type dopant
concentration disposed on the P-type semiconductor layer. Further,
the mesa structure includes beveled sidewalls that form mesa angles
with respect to the semiconductor substrate that are less than 90
degrees, and the edge implants are configured to cause
punch-through to occur in the bulk region and not in the lateral
edges of the second semiconductor layer.
[0007] In another embodiment, a method of manufacturing a
punch-through transient voltage suppression (TVS) device includes
forming a mesa structure. Forming the mesa structure includes
forming a first epitaxial semiconductor layer having a first dopant
concentration of a first conductivity-type on top of a
semiconductor substrate, and forming a second epitaxial
semiconductor layer having a second dopant concentration of a
second conductivity-type on top of the first epitaxial
semiconductor layer. Forming the mesa structure includes implanting
dopants of the second conductivity-type along lateral edges of the
second epitaxial semiconductor layer to form two edge implanted
regions each having a third dopant concentration and a lateral
length. Forming the mesa structure also includes forming a third
epitaxial semiconductor layer having a fourth dopant concentration
of the first conductivity-type on top of the second epitaxial
semiconductor layer to form the mesa structure. The method also
includes etching the mesa structure to form beveled sidewalls
having mesa angles relative to the semiconductor substrate, wherein
the mesa angles are less than 90 degrees.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the
present invention will become better understood when the following
detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout
the drawings, wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a punch-through TVS
device having a mesa structure, in accordance with embodiments of
the present disclosure;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a mesa structure of a
punch-through TVS device, wherein the mesa structure has beveled
sidewalls, in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a mesa structure of a
punch-through TVS, wherein the mesa structure has beveled sidewalls
with edge implants, in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0012] FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D are graphical representations of a
comparison between voltage breakdown characteristics for the
punch-through TVS device illustrated in FIG. 2 versus the
punch-through TVS device illustrated in FIG. 3, in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure; and
[0013] FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5B are a graphical representations of
potential distributions and current distributions of an upper
junction and a lower junction of a punch-through TVS device having
the mesa structure of FIG. 2 under reverse-bias, in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0014] FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D are a graphical representations of
potential distributions and current distributions of an upper
junction and a lower junction of a punch-through TVS device having
the mesa structure of FIG. 3 under reverse-bias, in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0015] FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, and 7E are cross-sectional schematic
views illustrating the mesa structure of FIG. 3 at various stages
of an example fabrication process, in accordance with embodiments
of the present disclosure; and
[0016] FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, and 8E are cross-sectional schematic
views illustrating the mesa structure of FIG. 3 at various stages
of another example fabrication process, in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure
will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise
description of these embodiments, all features of an actual
implementation may not be described in the specification. It should
be appreciated that in the development of any such actual
implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous
implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the
developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related
and business-related constraints, which may vary from one
implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that
such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but
would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication,
and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of
this disclosure.
[0018] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the
present disclosure, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are
intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The
terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be
inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than
the listed elements. The terms "substantially equal,"
"substantially the same" are intended to convey values that are
exactly equal, or approximately equal, to one another. The term
"about" and "approximately" as used herein is intended to convey a
suitable value that is within a particular tolerance (e.g.,
.+-.10%, .+-.5%, .+-.1%), as would be understood by one skilled in
the art of semiconductor fabrication.
[0019] As set forth above, an ideal TVS device (e.g., a TVS diode)
is a bidirectional current carrying device where the magnitude of
the V.sub.B is the substantially the same under positive (forward)
and negative (reverse) biases. For actual TVS devices, when the
V.sub.B values under positive (V.sub.BP) and negative (V.sub.BN)
biases are different, the difference (e.g., |V.sub.BP-V.sub.BN|) is
referred to as .DELTA.V.sub.B. While a low .DELTA.V.sub.B is
generally desirable, asymmetrical V.sub.B (e.g.,
.DELTA.V.sub.B>0) may arise due to fabrication process
limitations, among others. For example, depending on the
fabrication process limitations (e.g., uniform deposition, high
aspect ratio etching, etc.), variations in the structure of the TVS
diode (e.g., layout, geometry, dimension) may result in
asymmetrical V.sub.B. For example, the .DELTA.V.sub.B for an
isolated TVS diode having a vertically-conducting mesa may increase
when the interfaces between the mesa structure and an isolating
dielectric layer of the TVS diode are not vertical and/or when the
mesa isolation dielectric is significantly charged.
[0020] With this in mind, present embodiments are directed to a
symmetric bidirectional punch-through TVS device (e.g., a TVS
diode) that enables a symmetrical V.sub.B, as well as methods of
fabricating the same. The terms "symmetrical" or "symmetric" may be
used herein to describe a device and/or the breakdown voltage
thereof, and is intended to convey that the breakdown voltage in
under an applied forward (positive) bias (V.sub.BP) and the
breakdown voltage in under an applied reverse (negative) bias
(V.sub.BN) are substantially the same, resulting in a low
.DELTA.V.sub.B (e.g., less than about 1% of V.sub.BP or V.sub.BN).
As discussed below, the present disclosure enables the manufacture
of TVS diodes having symmetrical V.sub.B (e.g., low .DELTA.V.sub.B)
despite including a mesa structure having beveled sidewalls as a
result of etching. Therefore, while etching can result in a mesa
structure of a TVS diode with beveled sidewalls, for present
embodiments, a blocking layer (e.g., a middle semiconductor layer,
the P-layer of a N-P-N structure) of the mesa structure includes
edge implants that cause the TVS diode to uniformly break down away
from the beveled edges of the mesa structure, resulting in a
symmetrical V.sub.B. As such, present embodiments enable greater
freedom (e.g., fewer restrictions) on the fabrication process while
still providing a symmetrical V.sub.B (e.g., low
.DELTA.V.sub.B).
[0021] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a punch-through TVS
device 10 including a mesa structure 12A having beveled edges 14,
in accordance with embodiments of the present approach. As shown,
the punch-through TVS device 10 may be described with reference to
a vertical axis 13 and a lateral axis 15. In the illustrated
embodiment, the mesa structure 12A is formed on or above a
substrate 16 (e.g., a semiconductor substrate). The substrate 16
may be formed of wide bandgap materials, for example silicon
carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), gallium oxide
(Ga.sub.2O.sub.3), etc, in different embodiments.
[0022] The mesa structure 12A includes two epitaxial (epi) layers
of a first conductivity-type (e.g., N+) 18 and 20 respectively
disposed above and below an epitaxial layer of a second
conductivity-type (e.g., P-type) 22, yielding an N-P-N or a P-N-P
structure having an upper P-N junction 24 and a lower P-N junction
26. By specific example, in certain embodiments, the mesa structure
12A may include a heavily-doped N+ layer 20 disposed on the
substrate 16, a lightly-doped P-layer 22 disposed on the
heavily-doped N+ layer 20, and a heavily-doped N+ layer 18 disposed
on the lightly-doped P layer 22. As illustrated, a contact metal
layer 28 is formed on the epi layer 18, coupled to a front metal
layer 30 (e.g., anode). Another contact metal layer 32 is coupled
to the substrate 16 on the opposite side of the mesa 12A, coupled
to a back side metal 34 (e.g., cathode) for the illustrated
embodiment. In addition, the illustrated punch-through TVS device
10 is electrically isolated by a field oxide layer 36 and a
passivation layer 38, such that the punch-through TVS device 10 may
be fabricated alongside other semiconductor devices (e.g., field
effect transistors (FETs)) in an integrated circuit.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view the mesa structure 12A of
the TVS diode 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure. In the illustrated
embodiment, the mesa structure 12A has sidewalls 14, which form
mesa angles 52 with respect to the underlying substrate 16, as
illustrated in FIG. 1. The mesa sidewalls 14 are beveled (e.g.,
sloped or offset from the vertical axis 13) and the mesa angles 52
are smaller than 90 degrees (e.g., not perpendicular). It should be
noted that such beveled mesa sidewalls 14 may be formed,
intentionally or inadvertently, during fabrication processes of the
mesa structure 12A. For example, the beveled sidewalls 14 may be
unavoidably formed during a mesa etching process. By specific
example, the etching of certain types of epitaxial layers (e.g.,
SiC layers), can be challenging due to the aggressive etching
conditions involved, or the low selectively between masking
materials (e.g., SiO.sub.2 photoresist) and the substrate (e.g.,
SiC substrate), or a combination thereof.
[0024] The embodiment of the mesa structure 12A illustrated in FIG.
2 includes the heavily-doped N+ layer 20 having a thickness 54, the
lightly-doped P-layer 22 having a thickness 56, and the
heavily-doped N+ layer 18 having a thickness 58, wherein the
thicknesses 54 and 58 are substantially equal to one another and
are greater than the thickness 56. It may be appreciated that the
thicknesses 54, 56, and 58 may be increased or decreased
individually or collectively to achieve a desired V.sub.B. It may
be generally appreciated that a depletion region is formed when two
semiconductors of opposite conductivity-type meet at a junction. In
the illustrated embodiment, a first depletion region 70 having a
depletion width 71 is formed between the heavily-doped N+ layer 18
and the lightly-doped P-layer 22 (e.g., at the upper P-N junction
24), and a second depletion region 72 having a depletion width 73
is formed between the lightly-doped P-layer 22 and the
heavily-doped N+ layer 20 (e.g., at the lower P-N junction 26).
[0025] It may be appreciated that the charge in the depletion
region on one side of the junction (e.g., on the N-side) balances
the charge on the other side of the junction (e.g., on the P-side).
In other words, for the junctions 24 and 26 of the mesa 12A,
N.sub.aW.sub.p=N.sub.dW.sub.n, where N.sub.a represents the
concentration of the negatively charged acceptors on the P-side,
N.sub.d represents the positively charged donors on the N-side, and
W.sub.p and W.sub.n are the depletion widths on the P- and N-sides,
respectively. For the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the
lightly-doped P-layer 22 may be described as having a central or
bulk region 74 (e.g., not adjacent to the beveled sidewalls 14), in
which the depletion regions 70 and 72 are substantially flat (e.g.,
not curved, constant depletion widths 71 and 73). Further, for the
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the lightly-doped P-layer 22 may
be described as having lateral edges 76 that extend away from the
bulk region 74 (e.g., along the lateral axis 15) in which the
depletion regions 70 and 72 are curved (e.g., not flat, include
non-uniform depletion widths 71 and 73), as discussed below.
[0026] For the first depletion region 70 of the mesa structure 12A
of FIG. 2, the volume of semiconductor material near the lateral
edges 76 in the upper P-N junction 24 is greater for the
lightly-doped P-layer 22 than for the heavily-doped N+ layer 26.
Accordingly, to maintain the charge neutrality, in the lateral
edges 74 of the lightly-doped P-layer 22, the first depletion
region 70 bends or curves upward toward the heavily-doped N+ layer
18. As a result of this bending, the width 71 of the depletion
region 70 is thicker in the bulk region 74 than at the lateral
edges 76 of the lightly-doped P-layer 22. The concave curvature
(with respect to the current flow direction) of the first depletion
region 70 near the lateral edges 76 of the lightly-doped P-layer 22
results in punch-through occurring in the bulk region 74. For the
second depletion region 72, however, the volume of the
semiconductor material near the lateral edges 76 of the lower P-N
junction 26 is smaller for the lightly-doped P-layer 22 than for
the heavily-doped N+ layer 20. Accordingly, to maintain the charge
neutrality, in the lateral edges 74 of the lightly-doped P-layer
22, the second depletion region 72 bends or curves upward toward
the lightly-doped P-layer 22. As a result of this bending, the
width 73 of the depletion region 72 is thicker at the lateral edges
76 than in the bulk region 74 of the lightly-doped P-layer 22. The
convex curvature (with respect to the current flow direction) of
the second depletion region 72 results in punch-through occurring
at a lower voltage (e.g., lower than the V.sub.B at the first
depletion region 70) neat the lateral edges 76.
[0027] When a reverse or negative bias is applied across a P-N
junction, punch-through occurs at a sufficiently high reverse bias
(V.sub.BN) when current flows across the depletion layer or region
(e.g., the first depletion region 70, the second depletion region
72) with a depletion width (W) (e.g., the width 71, the width 73).
In the illustrated embodiment, the lightly doped P-layer 22 acts as
a current blocking layer. More specifically, the depletion layer
(e.g., the first depletion region 70, the second depletion region
72) blocks the current flow with an effective charge-blocking
thickness that is defined by a relationship t-W, wherein t is the
thickness of the current blocking layer (e.g., thickness 56) and W
is the thickness of the depletion layer (e.g., the width 71, the
width 73). Therefore, the effective charge-blocking thickness (t-W)
decreases with increasing depletion width (W). In other words, the
V.sub.B of the P-N junction is dictated by the voltage required for
the current to punch through a depletion layer having an particular
effective charge-blocking thickness, and the V.sub.B increases with
increasing effective charge-blocking thickness (e.g., due to more
effective current blocking). For the mesa structure 12A with the
beveled mesa sidewalls 14, as shown in FIG. 2, because the
depletion widths 71 and 73 for the upper and lower junctions 24 and
26 are different (e.g., the W values are different), the effective
charge-blocking thickness, and hence the V.sub.B for the upper and
lower junctions 24 and 26, are different. In particular, in FIG. 2,
the effective charge-blocking thickness is greater in the upper
junction 24 than in the lower junction 26, because the W of the
upper junction 24 (e.g., the depletion width 71 in the bulk region
74) is smaller than the W of the lower junction 26 (e.g., the
depletion width 72 at the lateral edges 76). Accordingly, the
V.sub.B of the upper junction 24 is greater than the V.sub.B of the
lower junction 26, .DELTA.V.sub.B is greater than zero, and the
breakdown voltage is asymmetrical for an embodiment of the TVS
diode 10 having the illustrated mesa structure 12A of FIG. 2.
[0028] Based on the foregoing, it may be appreciated that as the
mesa angles 52 increase, the bending of the first and second
depletion regions 70 and 72 in the lateral edges 76 of the mesa 12A
becomes less significant, and the effective charge-blocking
thicknesses of the upper and lower junctions 24 and 26 become
substantially the same. Accordingly, as the mesa angles 52 fall
below 90 degrees, the .DELTA.V.sub.B typically increases and the
punch-through of the TVS device 10 has unsymmetrical voltage
breakdown characteristics.
[0029] One approach to achieve a TVS device having symmetrical
voltage breakdown characteristics is to fabricate the mesa
structure 12A having vertical mesa sidewalls 14 (e.g., mesa angles
52 greater than about 80 degrees, approaching 90 degrees). However,
as set forth above, due to fabrication limitations, it may be
impractical or cost-prohibitive to fabricate vertical mesa
sidewalls due to stringent etching requirements, and more often the
mesa sidewalls 14 are beveled rather than vertical. The high
chemical stability of SiC, for example, makes a well-controlled,
vertical mesa profile with acceptable surface damage difficult to
fabricate. More specifically, due to the chemical stability of SiC,
a combination of gases (e.g., sulfur hexafluoride (SF.sub.6),
oxygen (O.sub.2), argon (Ar)) and high-powered plasma are used to
produce species that are sufficiently volatile to achieve desirable
etch rates for etching SiC. In addition, in certain embodiments,
passivating species may be supplied along the walls of the mesa in
order to control the slope profile during etching. Additionally,
the etching chemistry should be selective against etching of
masking layers, such as SiO.sub.2 or photoresist, as significant
etching of the masking materials can also result in undesired etch
profiles. Further, the plasma power should be suitably tuned to
provide sufficient ion bombardment to aid reaction product
desorption, and at the same time to avoid poor mesa profile (e.g.
bowing or micro-trenching) or excessive sidewall roughness.
Finally, care should be taken to avoid exposing any open areas
adjacent to the mesa 12A to unwanted ion bombardment during etching
as this can cause or increase the sloping of the sidewalls 14.
Accordingly, achieving a vertical mesa sidewall by precise control
of mesa etching parameters is difficult and cumbersome.
[0030] With the foregoing challenges to achieving a vertical mesa
sidewall in mind, another approach to achieving a symmetrical TVS
device is to fabricate a mesa structure in which punch-through
occurs exclusively in the bulk region 74, as opposed to near the
lateral edges 76, to reduce or eliminate .DELTA.V.sub.B. FIG. 3 is
a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of mesa structure 12B,
similar to the mesa structure 12A of FIG. 2, of a TVS device 10, as
illustrated in FIG. 1. However, in contrast with the mesa structure
12A of FIG. 2, the mesa structure 12 B of FIG. 3 has beveled
sidewalls 14 that include edge implants 90 having the same
conductivity-type as the epitaxial layer 22. For the illustrated
embodiment, these edge implants 90 are heavily-doped P+ regions 90
that occupy the lateral edges 76 of the lightly-doped P-layer 22
and that improve the symmetrical voltage breakdown characteristics
of the mesa 12B. As will be discussed below, these edge implants 90
enable the manufacture of a mesa structure 12B having mesa angles
52 less than 90 degrees that demonstrates symmetrical voltage
breakdown characteristics. For example, in certain embodiments, the
mesa angles 52 may be about 85 degrees, about 80 degrees, or about
75 degrees. In other embodiments, the mesa angles 52 may be between
about 30 degrees and about 85 degrees. The epi layers 18 and 20 may
have equal or substantially equal thickness (e.g., the thicknesses
54 and 58 are equal or substantially equal to one another).
Additionally, in certain embodiments, the epi layers 18 and 20 may
each have a dopant concentration that is at least two orders of
magnitude (e.g., 100.times.) higher than a dopant concentration in
the bulk region 74 of the epi layer 22. Further, the epi layers 18
and 20 may be thicker than the epi layer 22 (e.g., the thicknesses
54 and 58 are greater than the thickness 56). As discussed above,
the thicknesses 54, 56, and 58 of the epi layers 20, 22, and 18,
respectively, may be changed individually and/or collectively to
achieve a desired V.sub.B. For example, in certain embodiments, the
thicknesses 54 and 58 are greater than about 0.3 micrometer
(.mu.m).
[0031] The edge implants 90 may be described as each having a top
edge 92 with a first lateral length 94, and a bottom edge 96 with a
second lateral length 98. The epi layer 22 has a lateral length 100
at an interface 102 adjacent to upper epi layer 18. A ratio between
the first lateral length 94 and the lateral length 100 is referred
as R.sub.P+ (e.g., R.sub.P+=lateral length 94/lateral length 100).
In one embodiment, R.sub.P+ may be about 0.1%, about 0.5%, about
1%, between about 1% and about 5%, or any values therebetween. In
one embodiment, R.sub.P+ is changed based on the mesa angles 52,
dimensions of the mesa structure 12B (e.g., the lateral length
100), among other factors. For example, the first lateral length 94
and/or the R.sub.P+ may be greater if the mesa angles 52 are
relatively smaller, and vice versa. In certain embodiments, the
first lateral length 94 may be between about 1 .mu.m and about 10
.mu.m.
[0032] The edge implants 90 generally have a dopant concentration
(C.sub.P+) that is greater than a dopant concentration (C.sub.P) in
the more lightly-doped epi layer 22. In one embodiment, C.sub.P+ is
between about 100% and about 150% greater than C.sub.P. In one
embodiment, the increase in dopant concentration (e.g.,
C.sub.P+-C.sub.P) is referred as .DELTA.C.sub.P+, and
.DELTA.C.sub.P+ may change at least based on the mesa angles 52,
and/or the dimension of the heavily-doped P+ regions 90 (e.g., the
first lateral length 94), among other factors. For example, the
C.sub.P+ and/or .DELTA.C.sub.P+ may be greater if the mesa angles
52 are relatively smaller, and vice versa. For example, in certain
embodiments, the C.sub.P+ may be about 2.times.10.sup.17
cm.sup.-3.
[0033] It may be appreciated that, since depletion width decreases
with increasing doping concentration, due to the presence of the
edge implants 90, the depletion widths 71 and 73 of the upper and
lower P-N junctions 24 and 26 are reduced in the lateral edges 76
of the epi layer 22, as indicated by the arrows 78, compared to the
bulk region 74. Because the depletion regions 70 and 72 are thinner
(e.g., pinch off) in near the lateral edges 76 and thicker in the
bulk region 74 of the layer 22, as an applied positive (forward) or
negative (reverse) bias increases in magnitude, a critical electric
field is reached sooner (e.g., punch-through occurs) in the bulk
region 74, where the depletion widths 71 and 73 are relatively
thicker. Because the depletion widths 71 and 73 of the upper and
lower junctions 24 and 26 are substantially equal to one another in
the bulk region 74 of the epi layer 22, the V.sub.B for the upper
junction 24 is substantially equal to the V.sub.B for the lower
junction 26. Accordingly, the .DELTA.V.sub.B may be significantly
reduced or completely eliminated such that the breakdown voltage is
symmetrical. In other words, the breakdown voltage is more
symmetrical (e.g., reduced .DELTA.V.sub.B) when the punch-through
occurs in the bulk region 74 rather than near the lateral edges 76
of the layer 22. It should be noted that the C.sub.P+ and the first
lateral length 94 of the edge implants 90 may be individually
and/or collectively tuned to promote punch-through to occur in the
bulk region 74 rather than near the lateral edges 76 of the mesa
structure 12B, in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0034] FIGS. 4A-D are graphical representations of simulated
breakdown voltage characteristics. More specifically, FIGS. 4A-D
compare the breakdown voltage characteristics of a punch-through
TVS device 10 having the mesa structure 12A with beveled sidewalls
14 (as illustrated in FIG. 2) versus a punch-through TVS device 10
having the mesa structure 12B with beveled sidewalls 14 that
include edge implants 90 (as illustrated in FIG. 3), in accordance
with embodiments of the present disclosure. For FIGS. 4A-D, the
horizontal axes represent the reverse bias voltage, and the
vertical axes represent the leakage current.
[0035] In particular, the graphs shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B represent
the reverse biased I-V characteristics of the upper junction 24 and
the lower junction 26, respectively, for the mesa structure 12A
illustrated in FIG. 2, which lacks the edge implants 90. Based on
the illustrated I-V curves, punch-through occurs at about 9.3 V in
the upper junction 24, as indicated by the vertical line 110, and
about 8 V in the lower junction 26, as indicated by the vertical
line 112. As such, FIGS. 4A and 4B are consistent with the
foregoing discussion of FIG. 2 that due to the beveled mesa
sidewalls 14 and associated edge effects, punch-through occurs at a
relatively greater V.sub.B for the upper junction 24 and at a
relatively smaller V.sub.B for the lower junction 26. In this case,
the difference in the V.sub.B values (e.g., about 9.3 V and about 8
V) demonstrate an asymmetrical breakdown voltage, with a
.DELTA.V.sub.B of about 1.3 V.
[0036] The graphs shown in FIGS. 4C and 4D represent the
reverse-biased I-V characteristics for the upper junction 24 and
the lower junction 26, respectively, for the mesa structure 12B
illustrated in FIG. 3, which includes the edge implants 90. Based
on the illustrated I-V curves, as indicated by the lines 114 and
116, punch-through occurs at about 9.3 V in both the upper and
lower junctions 24 and 26. This is consistent with the foregoing
discussion of FIG. 3, where as a result of the edge implants 90,
punch-through occurs in the bulk region 74, in which V.sub.B is
unaffected by the beveled mesa sidewalls 50 and the associated
effects thereof. As indicated in FIGS. 4C and 4D, there is no
substantial difference in the V.sub.B values (e.g., both are about
9.3 V), and the .DELTA.V.sub.B is about 0 V, indicating symmetrical
breakdown voltage characteristics.
[0037] FIGS. 5 and 6 are graphical representations of simulated
potential distributions and current distributions for TVS devices
10 under reverse bias. More specifically, FIGS. 5A-D represent a
punch-through TVS device 10 having the mesa structure 12A
illustrated in FIG. 2 that lacks the edge implants 90, while FIGS.
6A-D represent a punch-through TVS device 10 having the mesa
structure 12B illustrated in FIG. 3 that includes the edge implants
90, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. For
the represented embodiments, the potential and current distribution
plots for the reverse-biased upper and lower junctions 24 and 26
are presented as contour graphs plotted at a resolution of 1 ampere
per square centimeter (A/cm.sup.2). Each region or isosurface
enclosed by a respective voltage isotherm has a substantially the
same voltage, and each region or isosurface enclosed by a
respective current isotherm has substantially the same current. The
lighter-shaded regions represent higher potential or current and
the darker-shaded regions represent lower potential or current, in
accordance with the keys 118.
[0038] In particular, FIG. 5A represents the potential
distribution, and FIG. 5B the current distribution, for the upper
junction 24 of a punch-through TVS device 10 having the mesa
structure 12A illustrated in FIG. 2 that lacks the edge implants
90. FIG. 5C represents the potential distribution, and FIG. 5D the
current distribution, for the lower junction 26 of the same device
under reverse (negative) bias. As illustrated in FIG. 5C,
punch-through occurs at a lower bias in the lower junction 26 near
the lateral edges 76, as indicated by the potential and current
accumulations in regions indicated by arrows 120 and 122,
respectively. It should also be noted that without the edge
implants 90, a leakage current (e.g., as indicated by the arrow
122) is illustrated as flowing through the lower junction 26 along
the beveled mesa sidewall 50, as illustrated in FIG. 5D.
[0039] By comparison, FIG. 6A represents the potential
distribution, and FIG. 6B the current distribution, for the upper
junction 24 of a punch-through TVS device 10 having the mesa
structure 12B illustrated in FIG. 3 that includes the edge implants
90 under negative (reverse) bias. FIG. 6C represents the potential
distribution, and FIG. 6D the current distribution, for lower
junction 26 of the same device under negative (reverse) bias. In
sharp contrast to FIGS. 5A-D, as a result of edge implants 90, the
punch-through in both the upper and lower junctions 24 and 26
occurs in the bulk region 74 rather than near the lateral edges 76.
The primary currents punch-through the upper and lower junctions 24
and 26 in the bulk region as indicated by arrows 124 and 126,
respectively, while no leakage current is indicated.
[0040] The data presented in FIGS. 5 and 6 is also consistent with
the foregoing discussion of FIGS. 2 and 3, demonstrating that the
disclosed edge implants 90 are effective in inducing punch through
in the bulk region 74 rather than the lateral edges 76, such that
the V.sub.B is unaffected by the beveled mesa sidewalls 14. That
is, with the disclosed edge implants 90, the mesa angles 52 and/or
other interface conditions (e.g., interface roughness) of the mesa
sidewalls 14 are substantially less likely to affect the V.sub.B of
the punch-through TVS device 10. Accordingly, the disclosed
technique may relax and/or eliminate the dependence of device
performance on particular mesa etching conditions, resulting in a
more manufacturable device with improved reliability. Furthermore,
since the depletion widths 71 and 73 are reduced near the lateral
edges 76, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the leakage current may also be
reduced or eliminated via the disclosed edge implants 90, as
illustrated by the comparison of FIGS. 5D and 6D. It is appreciated
that these characteristics are highly desirable for TVS
devices.
[0041] With the foregoing in mind, FIGS. 7 and 8 each illustrates
an example method for fabricating the mesa structure 12B, which
includes the edge implants 90, as illustrated in FIG. 3. For
example, FIGS. 7A-E are cross-sectional schematic views
illustrating the mesa structure of FIG. 3 at various stages of an
example fabrication process, in accordance with embodiments of the
pressure disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 7A, any suitable
epitaxial growth process may be carried out to form the
semiconductor layer 20 (e.g., heavily-doped N+ layer 20) having the
first conductivity-type on or above the substrate 16 (not shown).
As illustrated in 7B, next any suitable epitaxial growth process
may be carried out to form the semiconductor layer 22 (e.g.,
lightly-doped P layer 22) having the second conductivity-type on or
above the semiconductor layer 20. Subsequently, as illustrated in
FIG. 7C, an ion implantation process may be used to implant or
increase an amount of dopants of the second conductivity-type
(e.g., P-type dopants) in a lateral edges 76 of the semiconductor
layer 22 and form the edge implants 90. Then, as illustrated in
FIG. 7D, a suitable epitaxial process may be used to form the
semiconductor layer 18 (e.g., heavily-doped N+ layer 18) on or
above the semiconductor layer 22. Once the mesa structure 12B of
FIG. 7D is formed, an etching process may be used, which forms the
mesa structure 12B having beveled mesa sidewalls 14 with edge
implants 90, as illustrated in FIG. 7E.
[0042] Alternatively, the mesa structure 12B that includes the edge
implants 90, as illustrated in FIG. 3, may be fabricated via a
method described in FIG. 8. FIGS. 8A-E are cross-sectional
schematic views illustrating the mesa structure of FIG. 3 at
various stages of another example fabrication process, in
accordance with embodiments of the pressure disclosure. As
illustrated in FIG. 8A, a suitable epitaxial growth process may be
carried out to form the semiconductor layer 20 (e.g., heavily-doped
N+ layer 22) having the first conductivity-type on or above the
substrate 16 (not shown). As illustrated in FIG. 8B, next, a
lightly-doped semiconductor layer 22 having the first or second
conductivity-type (e.g., a lightly-doped P layer 22 or a
lightly-doped N-layer 22) is formed on or above the semiconductor
layer 20. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 8C, another semiconductor
layer 18 (e.g., heavily-doped N+ layer 18) having the first
conductivity-type is formed on or above the semiconductor layer 22.
Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 8D, a sufficiently high energy
ion implantation process is used to implant dopants of the second
conductivity-type (e.g., P-type) in the lightly-doped semiconductor
layer 22 to achieve a desired doping profile in the semiconductor
layer 22, including the edge implants 90. For example, in certain
embodiments, a lightly-doped P-type layer 22 is grown between
heavily-doped N+ layers 18 and 20, and the ion implantation process
is used to implant or increase the amount of P-type dopants present
in the lateral edges 76 of the lightly-doped P-layer 24, forming
the heavily-doped P+ edge implants 90. By further example, in
certain embodiment, a lightly-doped N-type layer 22 is disposed
between heavily-doped N+ layers 18 and 20, and ion implantation is
used to implant P-type dopants to convert the N-type layer 22 into
the P-type layer 22, and also to implant additional P-type dopants
in the lateral edges 76 of the layer 22 to form heavily-doped P+
edge implants 90. Once the mesa structure 12B of FIG. 8D is
achieved, an etching process may be used, which forms the mesa
structure 12B having beveled mesa sidewalls 14 with edge implants
90, as illustrated in FIG. 8E.
[0043] This written description uses examples to disclose the
invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person
skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and
using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated
methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the
claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled
in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope
of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ
from the literal language of the claims, or if they include
equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from
the literal language of the claims.
* * * * *