SCHOTTKY DIODE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF
20230099660 ยท 2023-03-30
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
H01L29/417
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/66219
ELECTRICITY
H01L23/3171
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/205
ELECTRICITY
H01L21/7605
ELECTRICITY
International classification
H01L21/324
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/20
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/205
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
Disclosed are a Schottky diode and a manufacturing method thereof. The Schottky diode includes a substrate, a first semiconductor layer, a heterostructure layer, a passivation layer, and a cap layer stacked in sequence. The passivation layer includes a first groove and a second groove, and the first groove and the second groove penetrate through at least the passivation layer. A first electrode is arranged at least on the cap layer corresponding to the first groove; a second electrode is arranged in the second groove. A Schottky contact is formed between the first electrode and the cap layers, so that a direct contact area between the first electrode and the heterostructure layer may be avoided, a contradiction between the forward turn-on voltage and the reverse leakage of the Schottky diode may be balanced, and a leakage characteristic of the heterostructure layer in a high temperature environment may be suppressed.
Claims
1. A Schottky diode, comprising: a first semiconductor layer; a heterostructure layer located on the first semiconductor layer; a cap layer located on the heterostructure layer, the cap layer at least comprising a first area and a second area; a passivation layer located on the cap layer, the passivation layer comprising a first groove and a second groove, the first groove and the second groove at least penetrating through the passivation layer, and the first groove corresponding to the first area; a first electrode formed in correspondence to the first groove, the first electrode being in contact with the first area and/or the first electrode being in contact with the heterostructure layer; and a second electrode located in the second groove.
2. The Schottky diode according to claim 1, wherein the cap layer is an intrinsic semiconductor layer; or the cap layer is a P-type semiconductor layer, and a doping element of the P-type semiconductor layer comprises magnesium; or the cap layer is a co-doped semiconductor layer, and co-doped elements of the co-doped semiconductor layer comprise magnesium and one or more of silicon, germanium and oxygen.
3. The Schottky diode according to claim 1, wherein the Schottky diode further comprises a second semiconductor layer, the second semiconductor layer is located in the first groove below the first electrode and above the first area, and the second semiconductor layer fails to fill up the first groove in a horizontal direction.
4. The Schottky diode according to claim 3, wherein the second semiconductor layer is a P-type semiconductor layer, a doping element comprises magnesium, and a doping concentration of magnesium ranges from 1E16/cm.sup.3 to 5E20/cm.sup.3.
5. The Schottky diode according to claim 3, wherein a sidewall of the second semiconductor layer is not aligned with a sidewall of the first electrode.
6. The Schottky diode according to claim 1, wherein the cap layer is doped with a doping element, and a doping element content of the first area is higher than a doping element content of the second area.
7. The Schottky diode according to claim 2, wherein if the cap layer is the P-type semiconductor layer or the co-doped semiconductor layer, a doping concentration of the doping element of the cap layer is less than a doping concentration of the second semiconductor layer.
8. The Schottky diode according to claim 4, wherein if the cap layer is the P-type semiconductor layer or the co-doped semiconductor layer, a doping concentration of the doping element of the cap layer is less than a doping concentration of the second semiconductor layer.
9. The Schottky diode according to claim 1, wherein the first area of the cap layer is an activated area.
10. The Schottky diode according to claim 1, wherein the first area comprises a third groove, the third groove penetrates through the cap layer and exposes the heterostructure layer, and the third groove communicates with the first groove.
11. The Schottky diode according to claim 1, further comprising a barrier layer arranged between the heterostructure layer and the cap layer.
12. The Schottky diode according to claim 1, further comprising a dielectric layer, wherein the dielectric layer is located at least on the passivation layer and/or on a sidewall of the first groove.
13. The Schottky diode according to claim 1, wherein the heterostructure layer at least comprises a channel layer and a potential barrier layer, and the channel layer and the barrier layer are stacked in sequence.
14. The Schottky diode according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor layer is a nucleation layer and/or a buffer layer.
15. The Schottky diode according to claim 3, wherein a material of the first semiconductor layer and a material of the second semiconductor layer are group III nitrides.
16. The Schottky diode according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate, wherein the substrate is arranged below the first semiconductor layer.
17. A manufacturing method of a Schottky diode, comprising: forming a first semiconductor layer on a substrate; forming a heterostructure layer on the first semiconductor layer; forming a cap layer on the heterostructure layer, wherein the cap layer comprises a first area and a second area; forming a passivation layer with a first groove and a second groove on the cap layer; performing annealing to activate the first area and obtaining an unactivated area of the cap layer not covered by the passivation layer; forming a first electrode in the first groove; and forming a second electrode in at least one of the second groove.
18. The manufacturing method of a Schottky diode according to claim 17, after the performing annealing to activate the first area and obtaining an unactivated area of the cap layer not covered by the passivation layer, further comprising: forming a second semiconductor layer in the first groove, the second semiconductor layer not filling up the first groove in the horizontal direction; wherein the forming a first electrode in the first groove comprises: forming the first electrode in the first groove while covering the second semiconductor layer and the first area not covered by the second semiconductor layer.
19. The manufacturing method of a Schottky diode according to claim 17, wherein the performing annealing to activate the first area and obtaining an unactivated area of the cap layer not covered by the passivation layer comprises: performing annealing in nitrogen, nitric oxide, air, or a mixed gas of nitrogen and oxygen.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0049] Accompanying drawings described here are incorporated in the specification and constitute a part of the specification, and are used to illustrate embodiments consistent with the disclosure and explain principles of the disclosure in combination with the description.
[0050]
[0051]
[0052]
[0053]
[0054]
[0055]
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[0058]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0059] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are illustrated in accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals in different accompanying drawings refer to the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the exemplarily embodiments below are not intended to represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as recited in the appended claims.
[0060]
[0061] Furthermore, the heterostructure layer 300 is formed on the first semiconductor layer 200, the heterostructure layer 300 may include a multi-layer structure, and a material of the multi-layer structure is selected from group III nitrides. Optionally, the heterostructure layer 300 includes at least a channel layer and a potential barrier layer.
[0062] Furthermore, the cap layer 400 is formed on the heterostructure layer 300, and the cap layer 400 includes a first area 401 and a second area 402. A passivation layer 500 is formed on the cap layer 400. The passivation layer 500 may provide passivation and protection functions, reduce a surface state of the device, and effectively reduce current collapse. A material of the passivation layer 500 may include one or more of silicon nitride, silicon aluminum nitride and silicon dioxide. The passivation layer 500 may be formed on the cap layer 400 through a deposition process, including one or more of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD) and metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).
[0063] In this embodiment, the cap layer 400 is an intrinsic semiconductor layer. For example, the cap layer 400 is an intrinsic III-nitrides semiconductor layer. Furthermore, there is no difference in material and function between the first area 401 and the second area 402 of the cap layer 400. Both the two areas are used for protecting the heterostructure layer 300 and preventing carrier scattering.
[0064]
[0065] According to
[0066] It may be seen from the above embodiments that the Schottky contact is formed between the first electrode 700 and the cap layer 400, so that a direct contact between the first electrode 700 and the heterostructure layer 300 may be avoided. And a contradiction between the forward turn-on voltage and the reverse leakage of the Schottky diode 1 may be balanced, and a leakage characteristic of the heterostructure layer 300 in a high temperature environment may be suppressed.
[0067] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a manufacturing method and structure of this embodiment are basically the same as the embodiment described above. And there is only a difference that the cap layer 400 may also be a P-type semiconductor layer. Optionally, a doping element may include magnesium, and a doping concentration of magnesium may range from 1E16/cm.sup.3 to 5E20/cm.sup.3. It should be noted that if the cap layer 400 is the P-type semiconductor layer, a difference between the first area 401 and the second area 402 is that the first area 401 is an activated area, while the second area 402 is an unactivated area. Furthermore, the activated area is formed by performing an annealing process to the first area 401 of the cap layer 400. In a specific process step, the heterostructure layer 300, the cap layer 400 and the passivation layer 500 are stacked in layers; then the first groove 10 penetrating through the passivation layer 500 to the cap layer 400 is formed; and the structure with the first groove 10 formed is placed in a hydrogen-free atmosphere for annealing, for example, the structure may be annealed in nitrogen, nitric oxide, air or a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen. Since the cap layer 400 corresponding to the first groove 10 is not covered by the passivation layer 500, hydrogen atoms may overflow and other atoms may be activated to form the activated area at the first area 401. And the second area 402 covered by the passivation layer 500 may be kept in a semi-insulating state as there is no channel for hydrogen atoms at other areas of the cap layer 400 covered by the passivation layer 500 to overflow, so that an unactivated area of the second area 402 is formed.
[0068] In this embodiment, not only a contradiction between the forward turn-on voltage and the reverse leakage of the Schottky diode 1 may be balanced and a leakage characteristic of the heterostructure layer 300 in a high temperature environment may be suppressed, but also the first electrode 700 is in contact with the activated area of the first area 401 of the cap layer 400, where a carrier concentration of the activated area is high, which is beneficial to improve the device performance.
[0069] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a manufacturing method and structure of this embodiment are basically the same as those embodiments described above. And there is only a difference that the cap layer 400 may also be a co-doped semiconductor layer. Optionally, co-doping elements may include magnesium, silicon and/or germanium. It should be noted that, if the cap layer 400 is the co-doped semiconductor layer, a difference between the first area 401 and the second area 402 is that the first area 401 is an activated area and the second area 402 is an unactivated area.
[0070] Compared with the foregoing embodiment, as multiple elements are co-coped, a self-compensation effect of magnesium impurities is reduced by co-doping, a hole concentration is greatly increased, and the forward turn-on voltage is reduced.
[0071]
[0072] The second semiconductor layer 600 is a P-type semiconductor layer, and optionally, a P-type nitride layer, and a doping element includes magnesium. Therein, a doping concentration of magnesium may range from 1E16/cm.sup.3 to 5E20/cm.sup.3. A manufacturing method of the second semiconductor layer 600 is selective growth. Meanwhile, the P-type semiconductor layer is formed by performing doping to an intrinsic semiconductor layer, for example, the P-type semiconductor layer may be formed by doping magnesium through a doping method of ion implantation of magnesium. Optionally, the P-type semiconductor layer may be obtained by doping magnesium based on group III nitrides. Furthermore, the second semiconductor layer 600 may be activated through an annealing process. For example, during the annealing process which may be performed in nitrogen, nitric oxide, air, or a mixed gas of nitrogen and oxygen, hydrogen atoms in the second semiconductor layer 600 will overflow and magnesium atoms will be activated, so that the second semiconductor layer 600 is activated.
[0073] In this embodiment, the first electrode 700 is arranged on the cap layer 400 and above the second semiconductor layer 600 corresponding to the first groove 10; a second electrode 800 is formed in the second groove 20. Optionally, a sidewall of the second semiconductor layer 600 is not aligned with a sidewall of the first electrode 700, so that an electric field peak generated by the sidewall of the first electrode 700 may be weaken. It should be noted that since the first groove 10 exposes a part of the cap layer 400, a Schottky contact may be formed between the first electrode 700 and the cap layer 400 exposed by the first groove 10 and as well between the first electrode 700 and the second semiconductor layer 600. The second semiconductor layer 600 may further improve the breakdown voltage to a certain extent.
[0074]
[0075] In this embodiment, a Schottky contact may be formed between the first electrode 700 and the cap layer 400, so that a direct contact area between the first electrode 700 and the heterostructure layer 300 may be reduced. And with an ohmic contact formed between the first electrode 700 and the heterostructure layer 300, a mixed electrode contact mode made be formed, so that a contradiction between the forward turn-on voltage and the reverse leakage of the Schottky diode may be balanced, which is beneficial to improve the device performance.
[0076]
[0077] The doping concentration is gradually increased from the heterostructure layer 300 to the first electrode 700, which is beneficial to reduce interface transition energy between the first electrode 700 and the second semiconductor layer 600 and reduce break-over voltage. And meanwhile a low doping element concentration may be maintained in a contact area of the heterostructure layer 300, so that reverse breakdown may be controlled.
[0078]
[0079] The barrier layer 900 may be used to control and limit a depth of etching. Optionally, the barrier layer 900 may include an AlGaN layer. A depth of third groove 30 may be precisely controlled by arranging the barrier layer 900.
[0080]
[0081]
[0082] Based on the above technical solutions, a technological process corresponding to a manufacturing method of a Schottky diode is provided by the disclosure.
[0083] In step 601, as shown in
[0084] In step 602, as shown in
[0085] In step 603, as shown in
[0086] In step 604, as shown in
[0087] In step 605, a structure with the first groove 10 formed is annealed to activate the first area 401, and area of the cap layer 400 covered by the passivation layer 500 forms an unactivated area. Furthermore, magnesium may be doped in the first area 401, and a doping concentration of magnesium may range from 1E16/cm.sup.3 to 5E20/cm.sup.3. And then the structure to be processed with the first groove 10 doped with magnesium is placed in a hydrogen-free atmosphere for annealing, for example, the structure may be annealed in nitrogen, nitric oxide, air or a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen. Since the cap layer 400 corresponding to the first groove 10 is not covered by the passivation layer 500, hydrogen atoms may overflow and other atoms may be activated to form the activated area at the first area 401. And the second area 402 covered by the passivation layer 500 may be kept in a semi-insulating state as there is no channel for hydrogen atoms at other areas of the cap layer 400 covered by the passivation layer 500 to overflow, so that an unactivated area of the second area 402 is formed.
[0088] In step 606, as shown in
[0089] Furthermore, in the process of ion implantation, a depth of ion implantation is not limited. Optionally, ion implantation may also be performed at the first area 401 below the second semiconductor layer 600, so a doping element concentration of the first area 401 is higher than that of the second area 402.
[0090] In step 607, as shown in
[0091] In step 608, as shown in
[0092] In another embodiment, as shown in
[0093] It should be noted that: the disclosure does not limit a manufacturing sequence of the first electrode 700 and the second electrode 800.
[0094] Considering the description and the embodiments disclosed herein, those skilled in the art may easily come up with other embodiments of the disclosure. The disclosure is intended to cover any variations, application or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow the general principles of the disclosure, and to include common knowledge or conventional techniques in the technical field not disclosed in the disclosure. The specification and embodiments are to be regarded as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.
[0095] Understandably, the present disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.