Various embodiments for improved power devices as well as their methods of manufacture, packaging and circuitry incorporating the same for use in a wide variety of power electronic applications are disclosed. One aspect of the invention combines a number of charge balancing techniques and other techniques for reducing parasitic capacitance to arrive at different embodiments for power devices with improved voltage performance, higher switching speed, and lower on-resistance. Another aspect of the invention provides improved termination structures for low, medium and high voltage devices. Improved methods of fabrication for power devices are provided according to other aspects of the invention. Improvements to specific processing steps, such as formation of trenches, formation of dielectric layers inside trenches, formation of mesa structures and processes for reducing substrate thickness, among others, are presented. According to another aspect of the invention, charge balanced power devices incorporate temperature and current sensing elements such as diodes on the same die. Other aspects of the invention improve equivalent series resistance (ESR) for power devices, incorporate additional circuitry on the same chip as the power device and provide improvements to the packaging of charge balanced power devices.

Power semiconductor devices and methods of manufacture

A high-voltage transistor with a low specific on-state resistance and that supports high voltage in the off-state includes one or more source regions disposed adjacent to a multi-layered extended drain structure which comprises extended drift regions separated from field plate members by one or more dielectric layers. With the field plate members at the lowest circuit potential, the transistor supports high voltages applied to the drain in the off-state. The layered structure may be fabricated in a variety of orientations. A MOSFET structure may be incorporated into the device adjacent to the source region, or, alternatively, the MOSFET structure may be omitted to produce a high-voltage transistor structure having a stand-alone drift region.

High-voltage lateral transistor with a multi-layered extended drain structure

A nanowire array is described herein. The nanowire array comprises a substrate and a plurality of nanowires extending essentially vertically from the substrate; wherein: each of the nanowires has uniform chemical along its entire length; a refractive index of the nanowires is at least two times of a refractive index of a cladding of the nanowires. This nanowire array is useful as a photodetector, a submicron color filter, a static color display or a dynamic color display.

Light absorption and filtering properties of vertically oriented semiconductor nano wires

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a MOSFET includes a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type, a gate trench which extends into the first semiconductor region, and a source trench which extends into the first semiconductor region. The source trench is laterally spaced from the gate trench.

Dual trench power MOSFET

A power device includes a semiconductor region which in turn includes a plurality of alternately arranged pillars of first and second conductivity type. Each of the plurality of pillars of second conductivity type further includes a plurality of implant regions of the second conductivity type arranged on top of one another along the depth of pillars of second conductivity type, and a trench portion filled with semiconductor material of the second conductivity type directly above the plurality of implant regions of second conductivity type.

Superjunction Structures for Power Devices and Methods of Manufacture

A semiconductor body (10) has first and second opposed major surfaces (10a and 10b), with a first region (11) of one conductivity type and a plurality of body regions (32) of the opposite conductivity type each forming a pn junction with the first region (11). A plurality of source regions (33) meet the first major surface (10a) and are each associated with a corresponding body region (32) such that a conduction channel accommodating portion (33a) is defined between each source region (33) and the corresponding body region (32). An insulated gate structure (30,31) adjoins each conduction channel area (33a) for controlling formation of a conduction channel in the conduction channel areas to control majority charge carrier flow from the source regions (33) through the first region (11) to a further region (14) adjoining the second major surface (10b). A plurality of field shaping regions (20) are dispersed within the first region (11) and extend from the source regions (32) towards the further region (14) such that, in use, a voltage is applied between the source and further regions (33 and 14) and the device is non-conducting, the field shaping regions (20) provide a path for charge carriers from the source regions at least partially through the first region and cause a depletion region in the first region (11) to extend through the first region (11) towards the further region (14) to increase the reverse breakdown voltage of the device.

Insulated gate semiconductor device having field shaping regions

A semiconductor device has first and second opposed major surfaces (10 a and 10 b). A semiconductor first region (11) is provided between second (12 or 120) and third (14) regions such that the second region (12 or 120) forms a rectifying junction (13 or 130) with the first region (11) and separates the first region (11) from the first major surface (10 a) while the third region (14) separates the first region (11) from the second major surface (10 b). A plurality of semi-insulating or resistive paths (21) are dispersed within the first region (1′) such that each path extends through the first region from the second to the third region. In use of the device when a reverse biasing voltage is applied across the rectifying junction (13 or 130) an electrical potential distribution is generated along the resistive paths (21) which causes a depletion region in the first region (11) to extend through the first region (11) to the third region (14) to increase the reverse breakdown voltage of the device. The device may be, for example a pn-n diode in which case the second region is a semiconductive region of the opposite conductivity type to the first region or a Schottky diode in which case the second region (120) forms a Schottky contact with the first region.

Semiconductor device having a plurality of resistive paths

A thermally programmable memory has a programmable element (20) of a thermally programmable resistance preferably of phase change material, material and a blown antifuse (80) located adjacent to the programmable material. Such a blown antiiuse has a dielectric layer (100) surrounded by conductive layers (90,110) to enable a brief high voltage to be applied across the dielectric to blow a small hole in the dielectric during manufacture to form a small conductive path which can be used as a tiny electrical heater for programming the material. Due to the current confinement by the hole, the volume of the material that must be heated in order to switch to a highly- resistive state is very small. As a result the programming power can be low.

Dielectric antifuse for electro-thermally programmable device

A semiconductor body ( 10 ) has first and second opposed major surfaces ( 10 a and 10 b ), with a first region ( 11 ) of one conductivity type and a plurality of body regions ( 32 ) of the opposite conductivity type each forming a pn junction with the first region ( 11 ). A plurality of source regions ( 33 ) meet the first major surface ( 10 a ) and are each associated with a corresponding body region ( 32 ) such that a conduction channel accommodating portion ( 33 a ) is defined between each source region ( 33 ) and the corresponding body region ( 32 ). An insulated gate structure ( 30,31 ) adjoins each conduction channel area ( 33 a ) for controlling formation of a conduction channel in the conduction channel areas to control majority charge carrier flow from the source regions ( 33 ) through the first region ( 11 ) to a further region ( 14 ) adjoining the second major surface ( 10 b ). A plurality of field shaping regions ( 20 ) are dispersed within the first region ( 11 ) and extend from the source regions ( 32 ) towards the further region ( 14 ) such that, in use, a voltage is applied between the source and further regions ( 33 and 14 ) and the device is non-conducting, the field shaping regions ( 20 ) provide a path for charge carriers from the source regions at least partially through the first region and cause a depletion region in the first region ( 11 ) to extend through the first region ( 11 ) towards the further region ( 14 ) to increase the reverse breakdown voltage of the device.

Insulated gate field effect device

An electric device is disclosed comprising a pn-heterojunction (4) formed by a nanowire (3) of 111-V semiconductor material and a semiconductor body (1) comprising a group IV semiconductor material. The nanowire (3) is positioned in direct contact with the surface (2) of the semiconductor body (1) and has a first conductivity type, the semiconductor body (1) has a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type, the nanowire (3) forming with the semiconductor body (1) a pn-heterojunction (4). The nanowire of III-V semiconductor material can be used as a diffusion source (5) of dopant atoms into the semiconductor body. The diffused group III atoms and/or the group V atoms from the III-V material are the dopant atoms forming a region (6) in the semiconductor body in direct contact with the nanowire (3).

Godefridus A. M. Hurkx

Papers

Insulated gate semiconductor device having field shaping regions

Semiconductor device having a plurality of resistive paths

Dielectric antifuse for electro-thermally programmable device

Insulated gate field effect device

Semiconductor device comprising a pn-heterojunction