IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,745,445
Granted Patent B2
US 12,745,445 · App. 18/611,143 · Granted Sep 22, 2026

Wide band gap semiconductor device with surface insulating film

Inventors: Yuki Nakano (Kyoto, JP); Ryota Nakamura (Kyoto, JP)
Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
H10D64/513H10D30/663H10D30/665H10D30/668H10D62/104H10D62/115H10D62/117H10D62/125H10D62/126H10D62/127H10D62/393H10D62/60H10D62/8303H10D62/8325H10D62/8503H10D64/256H10D64/518H10D64/519H10D64/661H10D64/662H10D64/666H10D64/693H10D62/106H10D64/111H10D64/117H10D64/517
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,745,445
App. No.
18/611,143
Granted
Sep 22, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A semiconductor device of the present invention includes a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type having a cell portion and an outer peripheral portion disposed around the cell portion, and a surface insulating film disposed in a manner extending across the cell portion and the outer peripheral portion, and in the cell portion, formed to be thinner than a part in the outer peripheral portion.

Claims (36)

1 . A semiconductor device including a MISFET (Metal Insulator Field Effect Transistor), the semiconductor device comprising:

a semiconductor layer made of SiC, the semiconductor layer having a cell portion including a plurality of unit cells, an outer peripheral portion arranged around the cell portion, a base surface, and a lower surface formed at a relatively low height position with respect to the base surface;

a gate electrode provided on the semiconductor layer via a gate insulating film;

a gate pad;

a first surface insulating film formed on a surface of the semiconductor layer in the cell portion, the first surface insulating film covering the gate electrode and exposing a source portion including the lower surface through a contact hole;

a second surface insulating film formed on the surface of the semiconductor layer in the outer peripheral portion; and

a source pad formed on the first surface insulating film and electrically connected to the source portion through the contact hole, wherein the source pad has a step caused by a level difference between a surface of the first surface insulating film and the lower surface of the source portion, and

a thickness of the first surface insulating film is smaller than a thickness of the second surface insulating film.

2 . The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a source region of a first conductivity type provided on the surface of the semiconductor layer;

a channel region of a second conductivity type which is provided in a manner contacting the source region and in which a channel is formed at ON-time.

3 . The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the gate insulating film includes SiO 2 .

4 . The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of unit cells in a striped shape are formed in the cell portion.

5 . The semiconductor device according to claim 2 , further comprising a drain region of a first conductivity type provided in a manner contacting the channel region.

6 . The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the gate electrode is a planar structure.

7 . The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a gate trench formed on a surface side of the cell portion, wherein

the gate electrode is buried in the gate trench via the gate insulating film, and

the semiconductor device further comprises a voltage resistant structure having a semiconductor region.

8 . The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , wherein the gate trench includes a line-shaped trench.

9 . The semiconductor device according to claim 8 , wherein the gate insulating film includes at least one of SiO 2 , AlON, Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 /AlON, SiO 2 /AlON/SiO 2 , SiO 2 /SiN and SiO 2 /SiN/SiO 2 .

10 . The semiconductor device according to claim 7 , wherein the gate insulating film is, at a bottom portion of the gate trench, formed to be thicker than a part at a side portion of the gate trench.

11 . The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a source electrode that includes Al or Cu.

12 . The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the unit cells includes:

an n-type source region formed in a surface portion of the semiconductor layer;

a p-type channel region facing the gate electrode via the gate insulating film;

a channel contact region disposed in a region separated from the p-type channel region; and

a p-type layer electrically connecting the p-type channel region and the channel contact region.

13 . The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein

the at least one of the unit cells has a recess forming the lower surface, the recess being formed in the surface of the semiconductor layer in a region surrounded by the n-type source region,

the p-type layer is formed below the recess, and

the channel contact region is formed, at a bottom of the recess, in a surface portion of the p-type layer.

14 . The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , wherein the second surface insulating film has a thickness of 5500 Å to 20000 Å.

15 . The semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein a trench-gate-type MISFET is formed in the cell portion.

16 . The semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein a planar-gate-type MISFET is formed in the cell portion.

17 . The semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein the unit cells of the cell portion are regularly arranged in a polygonal shape or a stripe shape in a plan view.

18 . The semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein a multilayer wiring structure is disposed on the first surface insulating film.

Priority Claims (1)
JP 2013-043407 · Mar 5, 2013 · national
Continuity (8)
Continuation 17864151 · Jul 13, 2022
Continuation 17002359 · Aug 25, 2020
Continuation 16734101 · Jan 3, 2020
Continuation 16281954 · Feb 21, 2019
Continuation 15892874 · Feb 9, 2018
Continuation 15423112 · Feb 2, 2017
Continuation 14771399 · Mar 4, 2014
Related Publication 20240234529A1 · Jul 11, 2024
References Cited (87)
US 5864159A · Takahashi · 1999 [cited by applicant]
US 5895951A · So et al. · 1999 [cited by applicant]
US 6054752A · Hara et al. · 2000 [cited by applicant]
US 6118150A · Takahashi · 2000 [cited by applicant]
US 6521954B1 · Kouzuki et al. · 2003 [cited by applicant]
US 7221011B2 · Banerjee et al. · 2007 [cited by applicant]
US 8546223B2 · Arai et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 8686468B2 · Hsieh · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 9590061B2 · Nakano et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 9601589B2 · Nakano et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 10256313B2 · Nakano et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 11417743B2 · Nakano et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20020142548A1 · Takaishi · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 20020179976A1 · Takahashi · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 20030178673A1 · Bhalla et al. · 2003 [cited by applicant]
US 20060065923A1 · Pfirsch · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20060097267A1 · Kumar et al. · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20060131645A1 · Kaneko · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20070013412A1 · Yamauchi et al. · 2007 [cited by applicant]
US 20070173021A1 · Kocon et al. · 2007 [cited by applicant]
US 20080017897A1 · Saito et al. · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 20080135929A1 · Saito et al. · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 20100025693A1 · Malhan et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20100140689A1 · Yedinak et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20100163888A1 · Saggio · 2010 [cited by examiner]
US 20110140197A1 · Tomita et al. · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20110220991A1 · Takaya · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20110244638A1 · Kikuchi et al. · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20110284923A1 · Kamata · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20110309464A1 · Yamamoto et al. · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20120025306A1 · Tomita et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120146091A1 · Tanabe et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120228637A1 · Nakabayashi et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120261676A1 · Nakano · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120326207A1 · Yoshimochi · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20130099347A1 · Tamura et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20130168761A1 · Hsieh · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20130207172A1 · Hsieh · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20130306983A1 · Nakano et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20130307060A1 · Wang · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 20130313636A1 · Wood et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20140008718A1 · Toyoda · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20140138737A1 · Bobde et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20140295625A1 · Yoshimochi · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20160005827A1 · Nakano et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20160020289A1 · Nakano et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
CN 102265404A · 2011 [cited by applicant]
CN 102347353A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
JP H09270512A · 1997 [cited by applicant]
JP 2000101074A · 2000 [cited by applicant]
JP 2001024193A · 2001 [cited by applicant]
JP 2001320051A · 2001 [cited by applicant]
JP 2002185015A · 2002 [cited by applicant]
JP 2002353456A · 2002 [cited by applicant]
JP 2007005516A · 2007 [cited by applicant]
JP 2007529115A · 2007 [cited by applicant]
JP 2008028110A · 2008 [cited by applicant]
JP 2011101036A · 2011 [cited by applicant]
JP 2011124464A · 2011 [cited by applicant]
JP 2011134910A · 2011 [cited by applicant]
JP 2011165941A · 2011 [cited by applicant]
JP 2011187708A · 2011 [cited by applicant]
JP 2011210916A · 2011 [cited by applicant]
JP 2012004312A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
JP 2012009502A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
JP 2012033802A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
JP 2012060147A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
JP 2012178536A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
JP 2012199515A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
JP 2013033931A · 2013 [cited by applicant]
KR 20000013572A · 2000 [cited by applicant]
WO 2005065385A2 · 2005 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2010073759A1 · 2010 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2010095544A1 · 2010 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2010125661A1 · 2010 [cited by examiner]
First Office Action issued for Chinese Patent Application No. 202110280848.4, dated May 15, 2023, 10 pages including partial English machine translation. [cited by applicant]
Reexamination Notice issued for Chinese Patent Application No. 201810310958.9, dated Oct. 19, 2022, 21 pages ncluding English machine translation. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report issued for International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2014/055519, dated Apr. 22, 2014, 2 pages. [cited by applicant]
International Preliminary Report on Patentability and Written Opinion issued for International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2014/055519, dated Sep. 17, 2015, 13 pages including English translation. [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued for Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-043407, dated Mar. 2, 2017, 11 pages including English translation. [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued for Chinese Patent Application No. 201810310958.9, dated Oct. 29, 2020, 17 pages including English translation. [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued for Chinese Patent Application No. 201810310958.9, dated Apr. 14, 2021, 23 pages including English translation. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report issued for International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2014/055520, dated Apr. 22, 2014, 5 pages including English translation. [cited by applicant]
International Preliminary Report on Patentability and Written Opinion issued for International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2014/055520, dated Sep. 17, 2015, 13 pages including English translation. [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued for Chinese Patent Application No. 201810442488.1, dated Jan. 13, 2022, 7 pages. [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued Jul. 18, 2026 in corresponding Chinese Patent Application No. 202211546753.3 (12 pages; with English translation). [cited by applicant]
Office Action dated Jul. 24, 2026 in corresponding Chinese patent application No. 202211546791.9 (10 pages; with English translation). [cited by applicant]