Semiconductor device with power transistor cells and lateral transistors and method of manufacturing

US9590094B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-9590094-B2
Application numberUS-201514738245-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateJun 12, 2015
Priority dateJun 26, 2014
Publication dateMar 7, 2017
Grant dateMar 7, 2017

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

By thermal oxidation a field oxide layer is formed that lines first and second trenches that extend from a main surface into a semiconductor layer. After the thermal oxidation, field electrodes and trench gate electrodes of power transistor cells are formed in the first and second trenches. A protection cover including a silicon nitride layer is formed that covers a cell area with the first and second trenches. With the protection cover covering the cell area, planar gate electrodes of lateral transistors are formed in a support area of the semiconductor layer.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising: forming, by thermal oxidation, a field oxide layer lining first and second trenches that extend from a main surface into a semiconductor layer; forming, after the thermal oxidation, field electrodes and trench gate electrodes of power transistor cells in the first and second trenches; forming a protection cover comprising a silicon nitride layer and covering a cell area that comprises the first and second trenches; forming, by local oxidation of silicon and after forming the protection cover, insulator structures between the cell area and the support area and/or between areas assigned to lateral transistors; and forming planar gate electrodes of lateral transistors in a support area of the semiconductor layer with the protection cover covering the cell area. 2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: implanting, after forming the planar gate electrodes, dopants for contemporaneously forming source zones of the power transistor cells and source/drain zones of the lateral transistors. 3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the source zones and the source/drain zones have a same vertical extension with respect to the main surface. 4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the local oxidation of silicon uses an oxidation mask comprising a silicon nitride layer, and the insulator structures are formed in openings of the oxidation mask. 5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising: removing the oxidation mask; and removing nitrogen-containing portions by a wet oxidation after providing the protection cover, wherein an auxiliary oxide layer is formed. 6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising: replacing the auxiliary oxide layer by a planar gate dielectric for the lateral transistors. 7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: forming and recessing, before forming the field oxide layer, a sacrificial oxide lining the first and second trenches. 8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: implanting, after forming the planar gate electrodes, dopants for forming body zones of the power transistor cells and wells of the second conductivity type in a support area outside the cell area. 9. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising: forming, by thermal oxidation, a field oxide layer lining first and second trenches that extend from a main surface into a semiconductor layer; forming, after the thermal oxidation, field electrodes and trench gate electrodes of power transistor cells in the first and second trenches, wherein forming the field electrodes comprises depositing a conductive first fill material, removing first portions of the first fill material in a polishing process and removing second portions in upper sections of the first trenches by a recess etch, wherein remnant portions of the first fill material form the field electrodes; removing a first portion of the field oxide layer in the upper sections of the first trenches by using the field electrodes as etch mask; forming a gate dielectric on portions of the semiconductor layer exposed by removing the first portion of the field oxide layer; forming a protection cover comprising a silicon nitride layer and covering a cell area that comprises the first and second trenches; and forming planar gate electrodes of lateral transistors in a support area of the semiconductor layer with the protection cover covering the cell area. 10. The method of claim 9 , wherein forming the trench gate electrodes comprises depositing a conductive second fill material and removing first portions of the second fill material in a polishing process to form trench gate electrodes in the upper sections of the first trenches.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • into Group IV semiconductors · CPC title

  • of electrically active species · CPC title

  • the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz · CPC title

  • Formation by thermal treatments (formation by plasma treatment H10P14/6319) · CPC title

  • Formation by oxidation, e.g. oxidation of the substrate · CPC title

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US9590094B2 cover?
By thermal oxidation a field oxide layer is formed that lines first and second trenches that extend from a main surface into a semiconductor layer. After the thermal oxidation, field electrodes and trench gate electrodes of power transistor cells are formed in the first and second trenches. A protection cover including a silicon nitride layer is formed that covers a cell area with the first and…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Infineon Technologies Ag
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification H01L29/7811. Mapped technology areas include Electricity.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Mar 07 2017 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 8 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).