Method for forming a thermal conducting trench in a semiconductor structure

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of forming a trench filled with a thermally conducting material in a semiconductor substrate. In one embodiment, the method includes filling a portion of the trench with a thermally conducting material and patterning a contact to the thermally conducting material. The invention also relates to a semiconductor device. In one embodiment, the semiconductor device has a trench defining a cell region, wherein a portion of the trench includes a thermally conducting material, and a contact to the thermally conducting material. The invention further relates to a semiconductor device and a method of forming a semiconductor device with an interlayer dielectric that is a thermally conducting material.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of forming a semiconductor structure comprising: 
 forming a transistor structure in an active area of a semiconductor substrate, said transistor structure including a gate on said substrate, said gate having a top surface and opposing side surfaces, first dielectric spacer portions adjacent said top surface and said opposing side surfaces, and diffusion regions in said substrate adjacent said gate; and    depositing a thermally conducting non-electrical conducting material over said transistor structure.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of patterning a contact to at least one of said diffusion regions.  
     
     
         3 . The method of claim of  claim 2 , wherein said patterned contact has a top surface and a plurality of exposed side surfaces, and wherein after the step of patterning said contact to one of said diffusion regions, the method further comprises forming a second spacer portion of dielectric material adjacent to at least one of said exposed side portions of said contact.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising the step of depositing a thermally conducting material over said top surface of said contact.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said thermally conducting non-electrical conducting material is selected from the group consisting of AlN, BN, SiC, polysilicon, and CVD diamond.  
     
     
         6 . A method of forming a semiconductor structure comprising: 
 forming a transistor structure in an active area of a semiconductor substrate, said transistor structure including a gate on said substrate, said gate having a top surface and opposing side surfaces, dielectric spacer portions adjacent said top surface and said opposing side surfaces, diffusion regions in said substrate adjacent said gate, and a metal contact to at least one of said diffusion regions; and    depositing a thermally conducting non-electrical conducting material over said transistor structure.    
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said dielectric spacer portions are first dielectric spacer portions and wherein said metal contact has a top surface and a plurality of exposed side surfaces, said method further comprising forming a second spacer portion of dielectric material adjacent to at least one of said exposed side portions of said contact.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said thermally conducting non-electrical conducting material is selected from the group consisting of AlN, BN, SiC, polysilicon, and CVD diamond.