Power semiconductor device with thick top-metal-design and method for manufacturing such power semiconductor device

1. A method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device, the method comprising the following steps:

providing a wafer of a first conductivity type, the wafer having a first main side and a second main side opposite to the first main side, and the wafer including an active cell area, which extends from the first main side to the second main side, in a central part of the wafer and a termination area surrounding the active cell area in an orthogonal projection onto a plane parallel to the first main side;

forming a metallization layer on the first main side to electrically contact the wafer in the active cell area, wherein the surface of the metallization layer, which faces away from the wafer, defines a first plane (B; B′) parallel to the first main side;

forming an isolation layer on the first main side to cover the termination area, wherein the surface of the isolation layer facing away from the wafer defines a second plane (A) parallel to the first main side;

after the step of forming the metallization layer and after the step of forming the isolation layer, mounting the wafer with its first main side to a flat surface of a chuck; and

thereafter thinning the wafer from its second main side by grinding while pressing the second main side of the wafer onto a grinding wheel by applying a pressure between the chuck and the grinding wheel,

wherein the second plane (A) is at most 1 μm further away from the wafer than the first plane (B; B′), wherein

the step of forming the metallization layer comprises:

a first step of forming a lower portion of the metallization layer on the first main side in the active cell area before the step of forming the isolation layer; and

a second step of forming an upper portion of the metallization layer on the lower portion of the metallization layer in the active cell area after the step of forming the isolation layer.

2. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the first plane (B) and the second plane (A) is less than 1 μm.

3. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the first plane (B′) is further away from the wafer than the second plane (A) and a distance between the first plane (B′) and the second plane (A) is 1 μm or more.

4. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the isolation layer in a direction perpendicular to the first main side is 5 μm or more.

5. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein in the first step of forming a lower portion of the metallization layer simultaneously at least one field plate is formed in the termination area.

6. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of forming at least one termination layer of a second conductivity type, which is different from the first conductivity type, in the termination area adjacent to the first main side, the termination layer surrounding the active cell area,

wherein the at least one termination layer is one of a spirally wound layer,

at least one guard ring, and

a VLD layer having a doping concentration which is gradually decreasing with increasing distance from the active cell area in a lateral direction.

7. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 6 , wherein each one of the at least one termination layer is electrically connected to individual portions of the metallization layer in the termination area, wherein the individual portions of the metallization layer are physically and electrically separated from any section of the metallization layer which is arranged on the active cell area.

8. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the isolation layer is formed of polyimide.

9. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the power semiconductor is an insulated gate bipolar transistor and the method further comprises the following steps before the step of forming the metallization layer:

a step of forming a plurality of cells in the active cell area, each cell comprising at least a base layer region of a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type and an emitter layer region of the first conductivity type,

wherein the emitter layer region is formed in the base layer region to be separated from the remaining regions of the wafer having the first conductivity type by the base layer region,

wherein both the base layer region and the emitter layer region are arranged adjacent to the first main side, and

wherein the metallization layer is electrically connected to the emitter layer region and the base layer region; and

a step of forming plurality of gate electrodes at the first main side, each of which comprises an electrically conductive gate layer and a first insulating layer and a second insulating layer, wherein the gate layer is separated and electrically isolated from any one of the layers in the wafer by the first insulating layer and from the metallization layer by the second insulating layer.

10. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 9 , the method further comprising a step of forming a collector layer of the second conductivity type adjacent to the second main side before or after the step of thinning the wafer, wherein a drift layer of the first conductivity type separates each one of the base layer regions from the collector layer.

11. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 2 , wherein the thickness of the isolation layer in a direction perpendicular to the first main side is 5 μm or more.

12. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 3 , wherein the thickness of the isolation layer in a direction perpendicular to the first main side is 5 μm or more.

13. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 2 , wherein in the first step of forming a lower portion of the metallization layer simultaneously at least one field plate is formed in the termination area.

14. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 3 , wherein in the first step of forming a lower portion of the metallization layer simultaneously at least one field plate is formed in the termination area.

15. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 4 , wherein in the first step of forming a lower portion of the metallization layer simultaneously at least one field plate is formed in the termination area.

16. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 2 , further comprising a step of forming at least one termination layer of a second conductivity type, which is different from the first conductivity type, in the termination area adjacent to the first main side, the termination layer surrounding the active cell area,

wherein the at least one termination layer is one of a spirally wound layer,

at least one guard ring, and

a VLD layer having a doping concentration which is gradually decreasing with increasing distance from the active cell area in a lateral direction.

17. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 16 , wherein each one of the at least one termination layer is electrically connected to individual portions of the metallization layer in the termination area, wherein the individual portions of the metallization layer are physically and electrically separated from any section of the metallization layer which is arranged on the active cell area.

18. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 2 , wherein the isolation layer is formed of polyimide.

19. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 2 , wherein the power semiconductor is an insulated gate bipolar transistor and the method further comprises the following steps before the step of forming the metallization layer:

a step of forming a plurality of cells in the active cell area, each cell comprising at least a base layer region of a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type and an emitter layer region of the first conductivity type,

wherein the emitter layer region is formed in the base layer region to be separated from the remaining regions of the wafer having the first conductivity type by the base layer region,

wherein both the base layer region and the emitter layer region are arranged adjacent to the first main side, and

wherein the metallization layer is electrically connected to the emitter layer region and the base layer region; and

a step of forming plurality of gate electrodes at the first main side, each of which comprises an electrically conductive gate layer and a first insulating layer and a second insulating layer, wherein the gate layer is separated and electrically isolated from any one of the layers in the wafer by the first insulating layer and from the metallization layer by the second insulating layer.

20. The method for manufacturing a power semiconductor device according to claim 3 , wherein the power semiconductor is an insulated gate bipolar transistor and the method further comprises the following steps before the step of forming the metallization layer:

a step of forming a plurality of cells in the active cell area, each cell comprising at least a base layer region of a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type and an emitter layer region of the first conductivity type,

wherein the emitter layer region is formed in the base layer region to be separated from the remaining regions of the wafer having the first conductivity type by the base layer region,

wherein both the base layer region and the emitter layer region are arranged adjacent to the first main side, and

wherein the metallization layer is electrically connected to the emitter layer region and the base layer region; and

a step of forming plurality of gate electrodes at the first main side, each of which comprises an electrically conductive gate layer and a first insulating layer and a second insulating layer, wherein the gate layer is separated and electrically isolated from any one of the layers in the wafer by the first insulating layer and from the metallization layer by the second insulating layer.