Field Limiting Ring Electrode Layout for Edge Breakdown Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor devices face challenges in effectively managing electric field concentration at the edges of the active regions, leading to potential breakdown and reduced reliability.
Innovation Solution
The semiconductor device incorporates a design with trench separation structures, field limiting rings, and a specific arrangement of trench and emitter regions to manage electric field concentration, including trench separation structures with insulation films and embedded electrodes, and field limiting rings to relax electric field stress at pn junctions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If field limiting rings and field plate electrodes are disposed in the edge termination region, then electric field concentration at pn junctions is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The edge termination region is segmented into multiple zones with different structures: guard rings at the periphery, field limiting rings in intermediate regions, and field plate electrodes in specific areas. This segmentation allows each component to address specific electric field concentration points, improving breakdown resistance while maintaining manageable complexity through functional zoning.
Solution Approach 2:
Different structures are applied to different locations within the edge termination region based on local electric field requirements. Guard rings are placed where electric field concentration is most severe at the periphery, while field limiting rings and field plate electrodes are positioned in regions with moderate field concentration, creating a locally optimized structure that balances reliability and complexity.
2Reliability
If trench separation structures with insulation films are implemented, then electric field management is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Insulation films are formed within the trench separation structures during the manufacturing process before subsequent electrode deposition and device assembly. This preliminary formation of the insulation layer simplifies the overall manufacturing sequence by establishing the electric field management structure early, rather than requiring complex post-processing steps to add insulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation film acts as an intermediary material within the trench separation structure, mediating between the conductive electrodes and the semiconductor regions. This intermediary layer provides electric field management while maintaining a relatively simple manufacturing process, as the insulation film can be deposited using standard semiconductor fabrication techniques.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrode structure includes a plurality of FLR electrodes, each having, in at least one of four corner portions, an electrode curve portion defined by an inner edge and an outer edge that are circular arcs in plan view. The inner and outer edges of each electrode curve portion have different centers of curvature and different curvatures. For two mutually adjacent electrode curve portions, the relative magnitudes of the curvatures of the inner and outer edges are opposite. Each electrode curve portion thereby includes a region of large width and a region of narrow width between the inner and outer edges. A part of the region of large width in each electrode curve portion is electrically connected to a corresponding FLR through an FLR connection electrode that penetrates an insulating film.