Semiconductor devices and methods of forming a semiconductor device that includes a deep shielding pattern that may improve a reliability and/or a functioning of the device. An example method may include forming a wide band-gap semiconductor layer structure on a substrate, the semiconductor layer structure including a drift region that has a first conductivity type; forming a plurality of gate trenches in an upper portion of the semiconductor layer structure, the gate trenches spaced apart from each other, each gate trench having a bottom surface, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and an upper opening; forming an obstruction over a portion of each gate trench that partially obscures the upper opening; and implanting dopants having a second conductivity type that is opposite the first conductivity type into the bottom surfaces of the gate trenches, where the dopants implanted into the bottom surface of the gate trenches form deep shielding patterns.

A silicon carbide semiconductor device can switch between an on-state and an off-state by controlling a channel region with an application of a gate voltage. The silicon carbide semiconductor device includes a silicon carbide layer, a gate insulating film, and a gate electrode. The silicon carbide layer includes a channel region. The gate insulating film covers the channel region. The gate electrode faces the channel region with the gate insulating film therebetween. The resistance of the channel region in the on-state takes a minimum value at a temperature of not less than 100° C. and not more than 150° C.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a silicon carbide semiconductor device that reduces a channel resistance and increases reliability of a gate insulating film. The present invention includes a trench partially formed in a surface layer of an epitaxial layer, a well layer formed along side surfaces and a bottom surface of the trench, a source region formed in a surface layer of the well layer on the bottom surface of the trench, a gate insulating film, and a gate electrode. The gate insulating film is formed along the side surfaces of the trench and has one end formed so as to reach the source region. The gate electrode is formed along the side surfaces of the trench and formed on the gate insulating film.

A semiconductor apparatus has a silicon carbide substrate heavily doped with the first conductivity type and a lightly doped silicon carbide drift region of the first conductivity type over the silicon carbide substrate. A first body region in the drift region is doped with second conductivity type opposite the first. A first source region in the first body region is heavily doped with the first conductivity type. A gate trench is formed in the first source region and first body region. At least one sidewall of the gate trench is parallel to a crystal plane of the silicon carbide structure having greater carrier mobility than a C-face thereof. The gate trench extends a length of the first body region and the source region to a separation region laterally adjacent to the first region wherein the separation region is in the drift region.

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a structure, an insulating film, a control electrode, first and second electrodes. The structure has a first surface, and includes a first, a second, and a third semiconductor region. The structure has a portion including the first, second, and third semiconductor regions arranged in a first direction along the first surface. The insulating film is provided on the first surface. The control electrode is provided on the insulating film. The first electrode is electrically connected to the third semiconductor region. The second electrode is electrically connected to the first semiconductor region. The insulating film includes a charge trap region. A bias voltage is applied to the first and second electrodes, and includes a shift voltage. The shift voltage shifts a reference potential of a voltage applied to the first and second electrodes by a certain voltage.

A silicon carbide semiconductor device includes a silicon carbide semiconductor layer, a gate insulating film formed on the silicon carbide semiconductor layer, and a gate electrode provided on the gate insulating film, wherein the gate electrode has a polysilicon layer at least on a side of an interface with the gate insulating film, and the gate insulating film has an oxide film derived from the polysilicon layer, at an interface between the gate insulating film and the polysilicon layer of the gate electrode.

In an embodiment, a wide bandgap semiconductor power device, includes a wide bandgap semiconductor substrate layer; an epitaxial semiconductor layer disposed above the wide bandgap semiconductor substrate layer; a gate dielectric layer disposed directly over a portion of the epitaxial semiconductor layer; and a gate electrode disposed directly over the gate dielectric layer. The gate electrode includes an in-situ doped semiconductor layer disposed directly over the gate dielectric layer and a metal-containing layer disposed directly over the in-situ doped semiconductor layer.

A drift layer is made of silicon carbide and has a first conductivity type. At least one trench has a first side surface facing a Schottky barrier diode region, and a second side surface extending in a transistor region and contacting a source region, a body region, and the drift layer. A first protective region is provided under the at least one trench, has a second conductivity type, and is higher in impurity concentration of the second conductivity type than the body region. A second protective region extends from the first protective region, reaches at least one of the first side surface and an end region of the second side surface continuous with the first side surface, has an uppermost portion shallower than a lowermost portion of the body region, and is higher in impurity concentration of the second conductivity type than the body region.

After trench etching, trench corner portions are rounded by hydrogen annealing at a temperature of at least 1500 degrees C. Next, n-type regions that cause leak current and are formed in inner walls of the trenches by the hydrogen annealing are removed by a heat treatment (hydrogen etching) under a hydrogen atmosphere of a temperature less than 1500 degrees C. and the inner walls are planarized. Next, the inner walls are nitrided by introducing nitrogen into the heat treatment furnace while the temperature of the hydrogen-etching heat treatment decreases, thereby forming a SiN film along the inner walls. Next, an HTO film is formed, as gate insulating films, on the SiN film along the inner walls of the trenches. Thereafter, by PDA, an oxygen amount of an interface section of a SiO.sub.2/SiC interface is set to be at most 1.6×10.sup.15/cm.sup.2 and a nitrogen amount is set to more than 5.0×10.sup.14/cm.sup.2.

A silicon carbide substrate having a gate insulating film provided in contact with a first main surface, having a gate electrode provided in contact with the gate insulating film, and having a source region exposed from first main surface is prepared. A first recess having a first inner wall surface is formed in an interlayer insulating film by performing a first isotropic etching with respect to the interlayer insulating film with use of a mask layer. A second recess having a second inner wall surface is formed by performing a first anisotropic etching with respect to the interlayer insulating film and the gate insulating film with use of the mask layer and thereby exposing the source region from gate insulating film. An interconnection is formed which is arranged in contact with the first inner wall surface and the second inner wall surface and electrically connected to a source electrode.