Abstract: A DMOS field effect transistor having its gate electrode located in a trench includes a lightly doped epitaxial layer overlying the usual epitaxial layer. The trench penetrates only part way through the upper epitaxial layer which is more lightly doped than is the underlying lower epitaxial layer. The lightly doped upper epitaxial layer reduces the electric field at the bottom of the trench, thus protecting the gate oxide from breakdown during high voltage operation. Advantageously the upper portion of the lightly doped upper epitaxial layer has little adverse effect on the transistor's on resistance.

Abstract: An active mask is used to etch field oxide in active areas down to an n- epitaxial substrate. After gate oxide growth, a polysilicon layer is deposited and planarized. The active mask defines the polysilicon gate critical dimension for a terrace gate DMOS structure. The edges of the polysilicon gates are self-aligned to the edges of the thick terrace gate oxide. Because no interlayer alignment is required to delineate the polysilicon gate, the design need not provide for alignment tolerance. A non-critical mask is deposited overlapping the terrace oxide. An etch back to field oxide in exposed areas is performed. An oxide-selective etch is performed to reduce the oxide thickness in source regions. Self-aligned body implantation, body contact masking and implantation, and source masking and implantation are performed. A dielectric is deposited. A source contact mask is deposited and a contact etch is performed. Source metal is deposited, and passivation layer is formed.

Abstract: A trench DMOS transistor structure includes a contact to the transistor's source and body that is self-aligned to the trench. With a self-aligned contact, the distance from the edge of the source and body contact to the edge of the trench can be minimized. Thus, the distance between the trench edges can be reduced. As a result, the packing density of the transistor is increased dramatically. This gives rise to much improved performance in terms of low m-resistance and higher current drive capability. Alternate process modules are provided for fabricating the self-aligned contact structure.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a trench DMOS transistor structure results in the contact to the transistor's source and body being self-aligned to the trench. With a self-aligned contact, the distance from the edge of the source and body contact to the edge of the trench can be minimized. Thus, the distance between the trench edges can be reduced. As a result, the packing density of the transistor is increased dramatically. This gives rise to much improved performance in terms of low on-resistance and higher current drive capability. The process flow maximizes the height of the trench poly gate prior to formation of oxide spacers for the self-contact contact, thereby ensuring sufficient step height for the spacers.

Abstract: A DMOS field effect transistor having its gate electrode located in a trench includes a lightly doped epitaxial layer overlying the usual epitaxial layer. The trench penetrates only part way through the upper epitaxial layer which is more lightly doped than is the underlying lower epitaxial layer. The lightly doped upper epitaxial layer reduces the electric field at the bottom of the trench, thus protecting the gate oxide from breakdown during high voltage operation. Advantageously the upper portion of the lightly doped upper epitaxial layer has little adverse effect on the transistor's on resistance.

Abstract: A trenched DMOS transistor has improved device performance and production yield. During fabrication the cell trench corners, i.e. the areas where two trenches intersect, are covered on the principal surface of the integrated circuit substrate with a blocking photoresist layer during the source region implant step in order to prevent (block) a channel from forming in these corner areas. Punch-through is thereby eliminated and reliability improved, while source/drain on-resistance is only slightly increased. The blocking of the trench corners creates a cutout structure at each trench corner, whereby the source region does not extend to the trench corner, but instead the underlying oppositely-doped body region extends to the trench corner.

Abstract: A trenched DMOS transistor is fabricated using six masking steps. One masking step defines both the P+ regions and the active portions of the transistor which are masked using a LOCOS process. The LOCOS process also eliminates the poly stringer problem present in prior art structures by reducing the oxide step height. A transistor termination structure includes several field rings, each set of adjacent field rings separated by an insulated trench, thus allowing the field rings to be spaced very close together. The field rings and trenches are fabricated in the same steps as are corresponding portions of the active transistor.