Trench power MOSFET in silicon carbide and method of making the same

Abstract

A structure of accumulated type trench MOSFET in silicon carbide (SiC) and forming method are disclosed. The MOSFET includes a trench gate having a gate oxide layer, a polysilicon layer, a source region, and a drain region. The source region contains a p+ heavily doped region, an n+ heavily doped region and a p-base region, and a source contact metal layer. The p+ heavily doped region the n+ heavily doped region and the p-base region are abutting each other. The former two are extended to the front surface of the silicon carbide substrate having the source contact metal layer formed over and the latter one is beneath them. Moreover, the p-base region is separated from the trench by an accumulation channel. The drain contact metal layer is formed on the rear surface of the silicon carbide substrate where the rear region of the silicon carbide is heavily doped than the front region thereof.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of forming trench MOSFET device, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing an n-type heavily doped silicon carbide substrate having an n-type drift layer formed thereon;    forming a first photoresist pattern having openings to define p-base regions on said drift layer;    performing a first ion implant to form said p-base regions in said drift layer using said first photoresist pattern as a mask;    removing said first photoresist pattern;    performing a second ion implant to form an n-type heavily doped layer in said drift layer and extended to a surface of said drift layer;    forming a trench in said drift layer in between said p-base regions through a lithography and an etching process, wherein said trench separated from said p-base regions by an accumulation channel width;    forming a gate oxide layer over all surfaces of said drift layer;    forming a polycrystalline silicon layer on said gate oxide layer, and refilling said trench;    patterning said polycrystalline silicon layer to form a trench polygate;    forming a second photoresist pattern on said drift layer whose openings define p-type heavily doped regions;    performing a third ion implant to form p-type heavily doped regions in said n-type heavily doped layer and extended to said surface of said drift layer using said second photoresist pattern as a mask, wherein each p-type heavily doped region is doped with around double p-type impurity concentration than n-type impurity concentration in said n-type heavily doped layer so that each p-type heavily doped region is thus abutting remnant n-type heavily doped layer and over one of said p-base regions;    removing said second photoresist pattern;    forming an insulating layer over all exposed surface of said drift layer;    patterning said insulating layer to define an capping layer over said trench polygate and a portion of n-type heavily doped layer and to define a poly-gate contact;    performing a thermal anneal to activate all ions doped;    forming a first metal layer atop front surface of said silicon carbide substrate;    patterning said first metal layer to form a source contact metal layer on said insulating layer, p-type heavily doped regions and said and n-type heavily doped layer and form a trench polygate contact metal layer on said poly-gate contact;    removing all layers formed on a rear surface of said silicon carbide substrate until said silicon carbide substrate is exposed; and    forming a second metal layer on said rear surface to be as a drain electrode.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said trench is of about 0.8-5.0 μm in depth, and said gate oxide layer is of about 50-200 nm.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said n-type impurities are nitrogen ions and said p-type impurities are selected from aluminum ion or BF 2     +   .  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said step of performing a thermal anneal is carried out at a temperature of 1400-1600° C.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  and further comprising performing a thermal oxidation to oxidize said polycrystalline silicon layer after forming a trench polygate.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said insulating layer is a TEOS layer having a thickness of about 0.3-1.0 μm.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , post the step of forming drain contact further comprising a step of performing a thermal anneal to form ohmic contacts for said source contacts and said drain contact.  
     
     
         8 . A trench MOSFET structure, comprising: 
 an n-type heavily doped silicon carbide substrate having an n-type drift layer formed thereon and having a trench gate formed in said drift layer;    an n-type heavily doped region formed in said drift layer and extended to an outer surface of said drift layer and abutting said trench gate;    a p-type heavily doped region formed in said drift layer and abutting said n-type heavily doped region;    a p-base region formed in said drift layer and beneath both said p-type heavily doped region and said n-type heavily doped region, and said p-base region spaced from said trench gate by an accumulation channel width;    an insulating layer capped said trench gate and a portion of said n-type heavily doped region except a trench gate contact;    a source contact metal layer formed on said p-type heavily doped region, said n-type heavily doped region and said insulating layer; and    a drain metal contact formed on a rear surface of said silicon carbide substrate.    
     
     
         9 . The trench MOSFET structure of  claim 8  wherein said p-base region having a bottom of about the same altitude as said bottom of said trench. gate;  
     
     
         10 . The trench MOSFET structure of  claim 8  wherein said trench gate comprises a trench, a gate oxide layer conformal forming on sidewalls and a bottom of said trench, and a polycrystalline silicon formed on said gate oxide layer, further said polycrystalline silicon and said gate oxide layer extended from said sidewalls to cover a portion of said drift layer.  
     
     
         11 . The trench MOSFET structure of  claim 10  and further comprising an -oxide layer formed in between said polysilicon layer and said insulating layer.  
     
     
         12 . The trench MOSFET structure of  claim 10 , wherein said gate oxide layer has a thickness of about 50-200 nm.  
     
     
         13 . The trench MOSFET structure of  claim 8 , wherein a bottom junction of said p-base region is about the same as said bottom of said trench gate,  
     
     
         14 . The trench MOSFET structure of  claim 8  wherein said trench gate contact is located at a termination region.