INTEGRATED CIRCUIT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE BIPOLAR TRANSISTOR AND A CORRESPONDING METHOD OF PRODUCTION
20220375954 · 2022-11-24
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
H10B41/42
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/7373
ELECTRICITY
International classification
Abstract
A bipolar transistor includes a common collector region comprising a buried semiconductor layer and an annular well. A well region is surrounded by the annular well and delimited by the buried semiconductor layer. A first base region and a second base region are formed by the well region and separated from each other by a vertical gate structure. A first emitter region is implanted in the first base region, and a second emitter region is implanted in the second base region. A conductor track electrically couples the first emitter region and the second base region to configure the bipolar transistor as a Darlington-type device. Structures of the bipolar transistor may be fabricated in a co-integration with a non-volatile memory cell.
Claims
1. An integrated circuit including a Darlington type bipolar transistor arranged in and/or on a doped semiconductor substrate of a first type, the Darlington type bipolar transistor comprising: a common collector region for a first transistor and a second transistor of said Darlington type bipolar transistor, the common collector region comprising a buried semiconductor layer of a second type opposite the first type in the doped semiconductor substrate, and a doped annular well of the second type joining the buried semiconductor layer; a doped semiconductor well of the first type surrounded by the annular well and delimited by the buried semiconductor layer; a vertical structure extending vertically through the doped semiconductor well to divide the doped semiconductor well to contain a first base region for the first transistor electrically insulated from a second base region for the second transistor; a doped first emitter region of the second type for the first transistor located in the first base region; a doped second emitter region of the second type for the second transistor located in the second base region; and a conductor track for electrically coupling the first emitter region for the first transistor with the second base region for the second transistor.
2. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the vertical structure comprises a trench filled with a conductive material that is electrically insulated by a dielectric shell on a bottom and sides of the trench.
3. The integrated circuit according to claim 2, wherein the vertical structure further comprises an implanted region in the doped semiconductor well containing the first and second base regions doped by the second type and occupying a space between the bottom of the trench and the buried semiconductor layer.
4. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the vertical structure extends vertically in the doped semiconductor well containing the first and second base regions from a front face of the doped semiconductor well, and extends longitudinally, in a direction of a plane of the front face, diametrically from one edge to another edge of the doped annular well surrounding the doped semiconductor well.
5. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, further including a non-volatile memory cell including a floating gate transistor and a buried transistor access transistor with a vertical gate, wherein the doped semiconductor well containing the first and second base regions has a same depth, a same composition and a same concentration of dopants as a well of the non-volatile memory cell which contains a channel region of the floating gate transistor.
6. The integrated circuit according to claim 5, wherein: the buried semiconductor layer of the common collector region has a same composition and a same depth as a buried semiconductor layer constituting a source plane extending below the well of the non-volatile memory cell; the doped annular well of the common collector region has a same composition and a same structure as an annular well surrounding the well of the non-volatile memory cell and which allows for electrical contact to be made with the buried semiconductor layer forming the source plane; and the vertical structure electrically insulating the first base region and the second base region has a same structure and a same size as the vertical gate of the buried access transistor.
7. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein said Darlington type bipolar transistor is a circuit component of a temperature-independent reference voltage generating circuit.
8. A method for manufacturing an integrated circuit in a semiconductor substrate doped by a first type, comprising: manufacturing a Darlington type bipolar transistor, comprising: forming a common collector region for a first transistor and a second transistor of said Darlington type bipolar transistor by implanting a buried semiconductor layer doped by a second type opposite the first type in the semiconductor substrate, and implanting a doped annular well of the second type joining the buried semiconductor layer; implanting a doped semiconductor well of the first type in a region surrounded by the annular well and delimited by the buried semiconductor layer; forming a vertical structure extending vertically through the doped semiconductor well to the buried semiconductor layer so as to electrically insulate a first base region of the first transistor and a second base region of the second transistor; implanting of a doped first emitter region of the second type for the first transistor in the first base region; implanting a doped second emitter region of the second type for the second transistor in the second base region; and forming a conductor track electrically coupling the first emitter region for the first transistor with the second base region for the second transistor.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein forming the vertical structure comprises: etching a trench; forming a dielectric shell on a bottom and sides of the trench; and filling the trench with an electrically conductive material.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein forming the vertical structure further comprises implanting a doped region of the second type in the doped semiconductor well to occupy a space between the bottom of the trench and the buried semiconductor layer.
11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the vertical structure extends vertically into the doped semiconductor well from a front face of the doped semiconductor well, and extends longitudinally, in a direction of a plane of the front face, diametrically from one edge to another edge of the doped annular well surrounding the doped semiconductor well.
12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising manufacturing a non-volatile memory cell including a floating gate transistor and a buried access transistor with a vertical gate: wherein implanting the doped semiconductor well is performed at a same time as implanting a well of the non-volatile memory cell containing a channel region of the floating gate transistor.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: implanting the buried semiconductor layer of the common collector region is performed at a same time as implanting a buried semiconductor layer forming a source plane extending below the well of the non-volatile memory cell; implanting the doped annular well of the common collector region is performed at a same time as implanting an annular well surrounding the well of the non-volatile memory cell which allows for electrical contact to be made with the buried semiconductor layer forming the source plane; and forming the vertical structure electrically insulating the first base region and the second base region is performed at a same time as forming the vertical gate of the buried access transistor.
14. An integrated circuit, comprising: a doped semiconductor substrate of a first type; a buried semiconductor layer of a second type opposite the first type in the doped semiconductor substrate; a doped annular well of the second type in contact with the buried semiconductor layer; wherein the doped annular well surrounds a doped semiconductor well of the first type; an insulating structure extending vertically through the doped semiconductor well to divide the doped semiconductor well to contain a first region of the first type electrically insulated from a second region of the first type; a first doped region of the second type located in the first region; a second doped region of the second type located in the second region; an electrical connection of the first doped region to the second region; wherein said integrated circuit is a Darlington type bipolar transistor include a first transistor and second transistor having a common collector formed by the buried semiconductor layer and the doped annular well, a first base of the first transistor formed by the first region, a second base of the second transistor formed by the second region, a first emitter of the first transistor formed by the first doped region and a second emitter of the second transistor formed by the second doped region.
15. The integrated circuit according to claim 14, wherein the insulating structure comprises a trench.
16. The integrated circuit according to claim 15, wherein said trench is filled with a conductive material that is electrically insulated by a dielectric shell on a bottom and sides of the trench.
17. The integrated circuit according to claim 15, wherein the insulating structure further comprises an implanted region doped by the second type in the doped semiconductor well, said implanted region occupying a space between the bottom of the trench and the buried semiconductor layer.
18. The integrated circuit according to claim 14, wherein the insulating structure extends vertically in the doped semiconductor well from a front face of the doped semiconductor well, and extends longitudinally, in a direction of a plane of the front face, diametrically from one edge to another edge of the doped annular well surrounding the doped semiconductor well.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0033] Other advantages and features of the invention are given in the following detailed description of an embodiment and implementation, which are not to be considered limiting, and accompanying drawings, in which:
[0034]
[0035]
[0036]
[0037]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038]
[0039] The bipolar transistor TBP is formed in a doped semiconductor substrate PSUB of a first type, for example the p-type.
[0040] The bipolar transistor TBP is designed in the manner of a Darlington type configuration with two-bipolar-transistors, wherein a single “triple well” contains the two base regions, i.e., a Darlington configuration with two transistors with the size of a standard form of single bipolar transistor.
[0041] Reference is made to
[0042] When the upstream transistor and the downstream transistor of the Darlington configuration each have the same current gain β.sub.0, so the equivalent current gain β of the bipolar transistor TBP can be expressed by β=β.sub.0.sup.2+2*β.sub.0. The equivalent base-emitter threshold voltage Vbe of the bipolar transistor TBP is the sum of the threshold voltages Vbe.sub.0 of the upstream and downstream transistors, i.e., Vbe=Vbe.sub.0+Vbe.sub.0. For example β=168 if β.sub.0=12, and Vbe=1.2V if Vbe.sub.0=0.6V.
[0043] Reference is once again made
[0044] The well PW containing the two base regions B1, B2 is thus surrounded laterally, i.e., in x and y directions, by a doped annular well NW of the second type, and is delimited in depth, i.e., in vertical direction z, by a doped buried semiconductor layer NISO of the second type. The annular well NW extends in depth until it joins the buried semiconductor layer NISO.
[0045] The term “annular” denotes a ring form which is not necessarily circular, i.e. a geometric area delimited by an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter parallel to one another. In the view from above (
[0046] Furthermore, the buried semiconductor region NISO and the doped annular well NW both of the second type form the common collector region C. Highly doped contact zones C+ are formed in the annular well NW at a front face (in an xy plane), which make it possible to connect a metal terminal of collector C.
[0047] To electrically insulate the first base region B1 contained in the well PW and the second base region B2 also contained in the well PW, the bipolar transistor includes a vertical gate structure SGV extending vertically through the semiconductor well PW between the base regions B1, B2 to the buried semiconductor layer NISO.
[0048] The vertical gate structure SGV comprises a trench filled with a conductive material GV electrically insulated by a dielectric shell OX on the bottom and sides of the trench.
[0049] This type of vertical gate structure SGV corresponds to a vertical gate structure of a buried transistor, used in particular as an access transistor TA (see,
[0050] The vertical gate structure SGV can thus be advantageously manufactured “free of charge” in conjunction with the corresponding manufacturing steps of the memory cell CEL. The vertical gate structure SGV will thus have the same structure (i.e., the same layout, and the same materials) and the same size (in particular the depth) as the gate of the buried access transistor with vertical gate TA (see,
[0051] In a first alternative (not explicitly shown in
[0052] In a second alternative (represented in
[0053] The implanted region NIMP thus occupies a space left in the semiconductor well PW containing the base regions, between the bottom of the trench and the buried semiconductor layer NISO and makes it possible to achieve electrical insulation between the two base regions B1, B2.
[0054] This second alternative corresponds in particular to the case of cointegrated manufacture with a buried access transistor TA with a vertical gate of a non-volatile memory cell CEL (see,
[0055] Thus, the vertical gate structure SGV extends vertically into the semiconductor well PW from the front face FA to the buried semiconductor layer NISO (visible in
[0056] Longitudinally, i.e., in a direction of the plane of the front face FA, for example in y-direction, the vertical gate structure SGV extends diametrically from one edge of the annular well NW to the other (visible in
[0057] Thus, the vertical gate structure SGV occupies a very small space in the well PW to mutually insulate two base regions B1, B2 in the same well PW. This makes it possible to form two transistors arranged in a Darlington configuration in an area corresponding to a conventional design of a single bipolar transistor.
[0058] Lastly, a doped first emitter region E1 of the second type is located in the first base region B1, and a doped second emitter region E2 of the second type is located in the second base region B2.
[0059] A conductor track M1, for example formed by a metal track in a metal level of an interconnection part of the integrated circuit CI, makes it possible to form the Darlington configuration by electrically coupling the first emitter region E1 (for example belonging to the “upstream” transistor of the Darlington configuration) with the second base region B2 (for example belonging to the “downstream” transistor of the Darlington configuration).
[0060] The emitter regions E1, E2, as well as the contact zones B1+, B2+ of the respective base regions B1, B2, and the contact zones C+ of the common collector region C, are formed locally by highly concentrated implantations of dopants, at the front face FA in openings of lateral insulation regions STI.
[0061] The lateral insulation regions STI are, for example, of standard shallow trench insulation (STI) designs, which are not shown in the top view of
[0062] Furthermore, as described in the following, in connection with
[0063] On the one hand, the cointegration has the economic advantage of manufacturing the bipolar transistor TBP without an additional step, i.e., without additional cost.
[0064] On the other hand, the cointegration with non-volatile memory technologies makes it possible to improve the performance of the bipolar transistor TBP, in addition and in combination with the quadratic increase of the current gain β of the Darlington configuration.
[0065] Indeed, the current gain β.sub.0 of one of the two transistors of the Darlington configuration, may be expressed as a function of (μ.sub.n/μ.sub.p, 1/W.sub.b, N.sub.e/N.sub.b), where μ.sub.n is the mobility of n-type carriers, μ.sub.p is the mobility of p-type carriers, W.sub.b is the width of the base region, N.sub.e is the concentration of the dopants of the emitter region, and N.sub.b is the concentration of dopants of the base region.
[0066] In other words, the current gain β.sub.0 is inversely proportional to the concentration of dopants of the base N.sub.b and inversely proportional to the width of the base W.sub.b (emitter-collector distance).
[0067] In the embodiment of the bipolar transistor TBP as represented in
[0068] However, the depth of the memory cell wells is typically smaller than the depth of triple wells of other types of embodiments, in particular due to the size of the vertical gate region of the access transistors. In practice, a second depth implantation of a buried semiconductor layer is made above the buried semiconductor layer NISO. In the representations of the drawings, this second buried semiconductor layer belongs to the layer NISO. In addition, the concentration of dopants of the memory cells wells is typically lower than the concentrations in the triple wells of other embodiments, in particular in order to increase the voltage resistance of the PN junctions formed with the well.
[0069] Thus, by reducing the width of the base W.sub.b and by reducing the concentration of the base dopants N.sub.b due to the cointegration with the memory cell formation CEL, the current gain β.sub.0 of each of the two transistors of the Darlington configuration is increased.
[0070] For example, the current gain β.sub.0 may be substantially 12 in the case of cointegration with a memory cell CEL, representing more than 2 times the current gain of a bipolar transistor generally cointegrated with CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductors) logic transistors.
[0071] The equivalent current gain β of the bipolar transistor TBP, as previously expressed in relation to
[0072] The value of the current gain β≈170 of the bipolar transistor TBP described in relation to
[0073] Consequently, the bipolar transistor TBP described in relation to
[0074] In addition to the immediate advantage of reducing the size of the bipolar transistor TBP, this also has an advantage in terms of reliability, in particular in terms of the transistors matching. Indeed, matching errors may be the result of distant positions of corresponding transistors; however, having three times fewer transistors within a group of transistors also makes it possible to reduce the distance between the most distant transistors in the group and thus improve the matching.
[0075] In particular, the temperature-independent reference voltage generating circuits need high current gain and are sensitive to matching errors.
[0076] Reference is made in this respect to
[0077] In this type of circuit BGC, a low current gain β affects the accuracy, the precision, and variations with temperature quite significantly.
[0078] Consequently, the bipolar transistor TBP as described in relation to
[0079]
[0080] In this example, the bipolar transistor TBP is made entirely in cointegration with the manufacturing steps of memory cells CEL, made in the same semiconductor substrate PSUB, for example in doped silicon of the first type, typically the p-type.
[0081]
[0082] The result 500 also illustrates the result of implantation steps of a “triple well” type structure in the bipolar transistor part TBP and in the memory cell part CEL.
[0083] The implantation steps of the “triple wells” thus include:
[0084] a depth implantation of the buried semiconductor layer NISO of the common collector region C of the bipolar transistor TBP, at the same time as a depth implantation of a buried semiconductor layer NISOnvm for forming a source plane extending below a well PWnvm containing the memory cell CEL. The buried semiconductor layers NISO, NISOnvm are doped by a second type, opposite the first type, for example the n-type;
[0085] an implantation of the annular well NW of the common collector region C of the bipolar transistor, at the same time as an implantation of an annular well NWnvm surrounding the well containing the memory cell PWnvm. The annular wells NW, NWnvm are implanted with energy making it possible to reach the depth of the semiconductor layers NISO, so as to form an insulating structure in continuity with said buried semiconductor layers NISO, NISOnvm.
[0086] The annular wells NW, NWnvm are doped by the second type, for example n-type; and an implantation of the doped semiconductor well PW of the first type intended to contain the base regions B1, B2 (see,
[0087] In particular, the dopants of doped wells PW, PWnvm of the first type, respectively, intended to contain the base regions B1, B2 and the memory cell CEL, have a concentration between 2*10.sup.12 cm.sup.−3 and 3*10.sup.13 cm.sup.−3. This relatively low concentration is intended in particular to ensure a high avalanche voltage of the PN junctions in the part of the memory cell CEL, which advantageously makes it possible to increase the current gain β of the bipolar transistor TBP.
[0088] Furthermore, the depth of said wells PW, PWnvm, delimited by the vertical position of the buried semiconductor layers NISO, NISOnvm, is for example between 300 nm and 700 nm. This relatively small depth is provided in order to limit the etching time of the trenches TR, TRta (
[0089]
[0090] An implantation is also performed at and about (for example, from the bottom of) the trenches TR, TRta, in the respective wells PW, PWnvm. Thus, respective implanted regions NIMP, NIMPta, doped by the second type, for example the n-type, occupy a space between the bottom of the trenches TR, TRta and the buried semiconductor layers NISO, NISOnvm.
[0091] The implantation of the implanted region NIMPta at the bottom of the trench TRta of the memory cell CEL makes it possible, in particular, to form a source region contacting the source plane NISOnvm, and this advantageously makes it possible to ensure the electrical insulation between the two base regions B1, B2 in the well PW of the bipolar transistor TBP.
[0092] On the one hand, in the representation of
[0093] On the other hand, the implanted region NIMP initially from the bottom of the trench TR in the well PW of the bipolar transistor TBP is represented after diffusion, and thus extends from the bottom of the shallow insulation trenches STI to the buried semiconductor layer NISO.
[0094] This effectively provides electrical insulation between the first base region B1 and the second base region B2. However, the structure within the trench TR, i.e., in particular the dielectric shell OX formed at step 700 described in relation to
[0095]
[0096] Step 700 also includes filling to excess trenches TR, TRta with an electrically conductive material P0, for example polycrystalline silicon.
[0097]
[0098] Furthermore, floating gate structures SGF1, SGF2 have been formed in the memory cell part CEL.
[0099] The floating gate structures SGF1, SGF2 typically include a tunnel dielectric layer on the front face FA of the well PWnvm, a floating gate region on the tunnel dielectric, an inter-gate dielectric layer on the floating gate and a control gate region on the inter-gate dielectric layer.
[0100]
[0101] Furthermore, an implantation of the first type of dopants, for example p-type, base region contact zones B1+, B2+ are formed in openings of the shallow insulation trench STI provided for this purpose in the respective base regions B1, B2, together with an implantation of substrate contact zones P+ in openings of the shallow insulation trench STI provided for this purpose in the substrate PSUB.
[0102] Furthermore, contact pillars are made on the strongly implanted regions B1+, B2+, C+, E1, E2 in order to couple the first emitter region E1 with the second base region B2+, for example by means of a metal track M1; and to form a base terminal B of the bipolar transistor TBP on the first base region B1+, an emitter terminal E of the bipolar transistor TBP on the second emitter region E2, and a collector terminal C of the bipolar transistor TBP on the collector contact zone C+.
[0103] At the same time, contact pillars are formed in the memory cell CEL in order to form bit line terminals BL1, BL2 on the drain regions D, word line terminals WL on the conductive gate of the access transistor TA, control gate line terminals CGL1, CGL2 on the control gates of the floating gate structures SGF1, SGF2, and a source plane terminal SL on the source plane contact area NWnvm, NISOnvm.