Schottky Diode Metal Gate Electrodes Leakage Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Schottky diodes in semiconductor devices face challenges such as increased leakage currents due to thinner silicidation and field regions, which affect performance and yield, especially as feature sizes decrease and contact sizes and spacings are scaled down.
Innovation Solution
The formation of a Schottky diode with a metal electrode contacting a doped region, surrounded by spacers, which isolates it from silicide regions, allowing for improved contact formation and reduced parasitic resistances, and a method involving the deposition of a metal layer over a substrate with trenches to create a metal-semiconductor junction with optimized Schottky barrier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If silicide regions are used to form Schottky contacts, then compatibility with conventional semiconductor processing is achieved, but leakage currents increase due to thinner silicidation and field regions
Solution Approach 1:
A dielectric layer is introduced as an intermediary between the metal electrode and the second doped region. This dielectric layer prevents direct contact and unwanted interactions while allowing capacitive coupling, thereby reducing leakage currents without compromising manufacturing compatibility
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the problematic silicide region from the contact formation process and replaces it with a metal electrode directly contacting the doped region. This eliminates the leakage issues associated with thin silicidation while maintaining process compatibility
2Length of moving object
If contact sizes and contact to contact spacing are decreased, then device size is reduced and performance is improved, but manufacturing precision challenges increase and defects are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameter from silicide to metal, and structural parameter by introducing a dielectric layer, enabling smaller contact sizes with better precision. The metal electrode provides superior contact properties at reduced dimensions without introducing the defects associated with scaled silicidation
3Reliability
If metal electrode directly contacts second doped region, then contact resistance is reduced, but unwanted direct contact with silicide regions occurs causing leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The dielectric layer serves as a mediator that allows the metal electrode to be positioned over the second doped region for low resistance contact while preventing direct contact with adjacent silicide regions, thereby eliminating leakage paths
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances the performance and reliability of Schottky diodes by reducing leakage currents and improving contact formation, leading to better semiconductor device performance and yield, particularly in applications requiring fast response times like microwave detectors and varactors.
Implementation Method 1
depositing many types of thin films of material over the semiconductor wafers
Implementation Method 2
A second metal electrode comprising a second portion of the metal layer is disposed over the dielectric layer. The second metal electrode is capacitively coupled to the second doped region
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, the semiconductor device includes a first doped region disposed in a first region of a substrate. A first metal electrode having a first portion of a metal layer is disposed over and contacts the first doped region. A second doped region is disposed in a second region of the substrate. A dielectric layer is disposed on the second doped region. A second metal electrode having a second portion of the metal layer is disposed over the dielectric layer. The second metal electrode is capacitively coupled to the second doped region.