A silicon carbide semiconductor device, including a semiconductor substrate, and a first semiconductor region, a plurality of second semiconductor regions, a plurality of third semiconductor regions and a plurality of fourth semiconductor regions formed in the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a plurality of trenches penetrating the second, third and fourth semiconductor regions, a plurality of gate electrodes respectively provided via a plurality of gate insulating films in the trenches, a plurality of fifth semiconductor regions each provided between one of the gate insulating films at the inner wall of one of the trenches, and the third semiconductor region and the fourth semiconductor region through which the one trench penetrates. The semiconductor device further includes first electrodes electrically connected to the second, third and fourth semiconductor regions, and a second electrode provided on a second main surface of the semiconductor substrate.

A silicon carbide semiconductor device includes: a body region of a second conductivity type provided on a drift layer of a first conductivity type; a source region of a first conductivity type provided on the body region; a source electrode connected to the source region; a gate insulating film provided on an inner surface of a trench; a gate electrode provided inside the trench with interposition of the gate insulating film; a protective layer of a second conductivity type provided below the gate insulating film; a connection layer of a second conductivity type being in contact with the protective layer and the body region; and an electric field relaxation layer of a second conductivity type being in contact with a bottom surface of the connection layer, provided below the connection layer, and having a lower impurity concentration of a second conductivity type than the connection layer.

A bottom of a trench is an Si plane or a C plane while sidewalls of the trench are an m-plane. In the trench, a gate electrode is provided via a gate insulating film. The gate insulating film is a HTO film with a thickness of at least 50 nm. By a post-HTO-deposition annealing at a temperature in a range of 1250 degrees C. to 1300 degrees C. under a mixed gas atmosphere containing nitric oxide, nitrogen, and oxygen, the film density of the gate insulating film is within a range of 2.21 g/cm.sup.3 to 2.38 g/cm.sup.3. The total oxygen flow amount of the mixed gas atmosphere of the post-HTO-deposition annealing is at most 5%. The gate insulating film has a two-layer structure including a low-density film that is within 3 nm from a SiC/SiO.sub.2 interface and has a relatively low film density, and a high- density film that is at least 3 nm apart from the SiC/SiO.sub.2 interface and has a relatively high film density.

A silicon carbide semiconductor device is a SiC-SBD that has, in an active region, at a front surface of a semiconductor substrate containing silicon carbide, a mixture of a SBD structure having Schottky barrier junctions between a titanium film that is a lowermost layer of a front electrode and an n.sup.−-type drift region, and a JBS structure having pn junction portions between p-type regions and the n.sup.−-type drift region. The p-type regions form ohmic junctions with the titanium film that is the lowermost layer of the front electrode. After an ion implantation for the p-type regions, activation annealing is performed at a temperature in a range of 1700 degrees C. to 1900 degrees C. for a treatment time exceeding 20 minutes, whereby contact resistance between the titanium film and the p-type regions is adjusted to be in a range of about 5×10.sup.−4 Ω.Math.cm.sup.2 to 8×10.sup.−3 Ω.Math.cm.sup.2.

A silicon carbide epitaxial substrate includes a silicon carbide single crystal substrate and a silicon carbide layer. In a direction parallel to a central region, a ratio of a standard deviation of a carrier concentration of the silicon carbide layer to an average value of the carrier concentration of the silicon carbide layer is less than 5%. The average value of the carrier concentration is more than or equal to 1×10.sup.14 cm.sup.−3 and less than or equal to 5×10.sup.16 cm.sup.−3. In the direction parallel to the central region, a ratio of a standard deviation of a thickness of the silicon carbide layer to an average value of the thickness of the silicon carbide layer is less than 5%. The central region has an arithmetic mean roughness (Sa) of less than or equal to 1 nm. The central region has a haze of less than or equal to 50.

According to an embodiment, provided is a semiconductor device including: a first electrode; a second electrode; and a silicon carbide layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the silicon carbide layer including: a first silicon carbide region of an n-type; and a second silicon carbide region disposed between the first silicon carbide region and the first electrode, the second silicon carbide being in contact with the first electrode, and the second silicon carbide containing one oxygen atom bonding with four silicon atoms.

P-type low-concentration regions face bottoms of trenches and extend in a longitudinal direction (first direction) of the trenches. The p-type low-concentration regions are adjacent to one another in a latitudinal direction (second direction) of the trenches and connected at predetermined locations by p-type low-concentration connecting portions that are scattered along the first direction and separated from one another by an interval of at least 3 μm. The p-type low-concentration regions and the p-type low-concentration connecting portions have an impurity concentration in a range of 3×10.sup.17/cm.sup.3 to 9×10.sup.17/cm.sup.3. A depth from the bottoms of the trenches to lower surfaces of the p-type low-concentration regions is in a range of 0.7 μm to 1.1 μm. Between the bottom of each of the trenches and a respective one of the p-type low-concentration regions, a p.sup.+-type high-concentration region is provided. Each p.sup.+-type high-concentration region has an impurity concentration that is at least 2 times the impurity concentration of the p-type low-concentration regions.

An SBD of a JBS structure has on a front side of a semiconductor substrate, nickel silicide films in ohmic contact with p-type regions and a FLR, and a titanium film forming a Schottky junction with an n.sup.−-type drift region. A thickness of each of the nickel silicide films is in a range from 300 nm to 700 nm. The nickel silicide films each has a first portion protruding from the front surface of the semiconductor substrate in a direction away from the front surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a second portion protruding in the semiconductor substrate from the front surface of the semiconductor substrate in a depth direction. A thickness of the first portion is equal to a thickness of the second portion. A width of the second portion is wider than a width of the first portion.

A silicon carbide semiconductor device includes a silicon carbide substrate having a first main surface and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface. A gate trench is provided in the first main surface. The gate trench is defined by side surfaces and a bottom surface. The side surfaces penetrate the source region and the body region to reach the drift region. The bottom surface connects to the side surfaces. The gate trench extends in a first direction parallel to the first main surface. The silicon carbide substrate further includes an electric field relaxation region that is the second conductive type, the electric field relaxation region being provided between the bottom surface and the second main surface and extending in the first direction, and a connection region that is the second conductive type, the connection region electrically connecting a contact region to the electric field relaxation region. In a plan view in a direction normal to the first main surface, the gate trench and the electric field relaxation region are disposed on a virtual line that extends in the first direction, and the connection region is in contact with the electric field relaxation region on the virtual line.

To provide a technique capable of improving performance and reliability of a semiconductor device. An n.sup.−-type epitaxial layer (12) is formed on an n-type semiconductor substrate (11), and a p.sup.+-type body region (14), n.sup.+-type current spreading regions (16, 17), and a trench. TR are formed in the n.sup.−-type epitaxial layer (12). A bottom surface B1 of the trench TR is located in the p.sup.+-type body region (14), a side surface S1 of the trench TR is in contact with the n.sup.+-type current spreading region (17), and a side surface S2 of the trench TR is in contact with the n.sup.+-type current spreading region (16). Here, a ratio of silicon is higher than a ratio of carbon in an upper surface T1 of the n.sup.−-type epitaxial layer (12), and the bottom surface B1, the side surface S1, and the side surface 32 of the trench. Furthermore, an angle θ1 at which the upper surface T1 of the n.sup.−-type epitaxial layer (12) is inclined with respect to the side surface S1 is smaller than an angle θ2 at which the upper surface T1 of the n.sup.−-type epitaxial layer (12) is inclined with respect to the side surface S2.