Insulated gate bipolar transistor comprising negative temperature coefficient thermistor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9825023-B2
Application number	US-201514880924-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2015
Priority date	Oct 21, 2014
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

An embodiment of an IGBT comprises an emitter terminal at a first surface of a semiconductor body. The IGBT further comprises a collector terminal at a second surface of the semiconductor body. A first zone of a first conductivity type is in the semiconductor body between the first and second surfaces. A collector injection structure adjoins the second surface, the collector injection structure being of a second conductivity type and comprising a first part and a second part at a first lateral distance from each other. The IGBT further comprises a negative temperature coefficient thermistor adjoining the first zone in an area between the first and second parts.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An insulated gate bipolar transistor, comprising:
an emitter terminal at a first surface of a semiconductor body;
a collector terminal at a second surface of the semiconductor body;
a first zone of a first conductivity type in the semiconductor body between the first and second surfaces;
a collector injection structure adjoining the second surface, the collector injection structure being of a second conductivity type and comprising a first part and a second part at a first lateral distance from each other; and
a negative temperature coefficient thermistor adjoining the first zone in an area between the first and second parts,
wherein the negative temperature coefficient thermistor is separate from and comprises a different material than the collector injection structure.

2. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 1 , wherein a short region of the first zone is sandwiched between the first and second parts along a lateral direction.

3. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 2 , wherein the first zone includes a drift region having a smaller doping concentration than the short region.

4. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 3 , further comprising a doped region adjoining the second surface in a junction termination area surrounding a transistor cell area including the first and second parts, wherein a doping concentration in the doped region differs from the doping concentration of the drift region.

5. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 4 , wherein the doped region is of the second conductivity type having a smaller doping concentration than the first and second parts.

6. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 4 , wherein the doped region is of the first conductivity type having a same profile of doping concentration along a vertical direction as the area between the first and second parts.

7. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 1 , wherein the negative temperature coefficient thermistor is sandwiched between the first and second parts along a lateral direction.

8. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 1 , wherein an interface between the negative temperature coefficient thermistor and a first part of the first zone is sandwiched between the first and second parts along a lateral direction.

9. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 1 , wherein the negative temperature coefficient thermistor is arranged between a first part of the first zone and a collector contact electrically connected to the collector injection structure.

10. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 1 , wherein the first lateral distance between the first and second parts is in a range between 0.5 μm and 500 μm.

11. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 1 , wherein the collector injection structure further comprises a third part and a fourth part at a second lateral distance from each other; and a part of the first zone sandwiched between the third and fourth parts along a lateral direction is in contact to a collector contact electrically connected to the collector injection structure.

12. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 1 , wherein the first and second parts are arranged in a transistor cell area.

13. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 1 , wherein a lateral dimension of the first part is greater than a lateral dimension of the second part.

14. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 1 , wherein the negative temperature coefficient thermistor is a material characterized by a phase change from an amorphous phase into a crystalline phase at a critical temperature.

15. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 14 , wherein the material is a chalcogenide.

16. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 15 , wherein the chalcogenide includes at least one of GeTe and Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 .

17. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 1 , wherein the negative temperature coefficient thermistor is a semiconductor material having a bandgap smaller than a bandgap of a semiconductor material of the semiconductor body.

18. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 1 , wherein the negative temperature coefficient thermistor contacts the first and second parts of the collector injection structure.

19. The insulated gate bipolar transistor of claim 18 , wherein the negative temperature coefficient thermistor contacts the first and second parts of the collector injection structure at the second surface of the semiconductor body.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Austria Ag

Inventors

• Basler Thomas
• Griebl Erich
• Mahler Joachim
• Pedone Daniel
• Scholz Wolfgang
• Seng Philipp
• Tuerkes Peter
• Voss Stephan

Classifications

• H10W42/80

  protecting against overcurrent or overload, e.g. fuses or shunts (integrated devices comprising arrangements for electrical protection H10D89/60) · CPC title

• H01L29/7397

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L29/0834

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/0288 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/0629

  Electricity · mapped topic