SELF-DRIVEN LDMOS TRANSISTOR

Abstract

The present invention provides a self-driven LDMOS, which utilizes a parasitic resistor between a drain terminal and an auxiliary region. The parasitic resistor is formed between two depletion boundaries in a quasi-linked deep N-type well. When the two depletion boundaries pinch off, a gate-voltage potential at a gate terminal will be clipped at a drain-voltage potential at said drain terminal. Since the gate-voltage potential is designed to be equal to or higher than a start-threshold voltage, the LDMOS will be turned on accordingly. Besides, no additional die space and masking process are needed to manufacture the parasitic resistor. Furthermore, the parasitic resistor of the present invention doesn't lower the breakdown voltage and the operating speed of the LDMOS. In addition, when the two depletion boundaries pinch off, the gate-voltage potential doesn't vary in response to an increment of the drain-voltage potential.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing process, more particularly, the present invention relates to an LDMOS transistor manufacturing process.

2. Description of Related Art

Self-driven LDMOS transistor technologies have been proposed, wherein one technology includes adjustment of a start-threshold voltage of an LDNMOS transistor, for instance, to a lower voltage potential with additional ion implantation. However, the disadvantage of this technology is higher leakage current, lowered breakdown voltage, and additional masking process cost. Another technology utilizes a parasitic drain-to-gate capacitor to couple a gate-voltage potential to make a self-driven LDMOS transistor. However, the capacitance of the parasitic drain-to-gate capacitor varies in response to a depletion capacitor connected in series, which fails to accurately control the gate-voltage potential at a required voltage potential. Yet another technology utilizes a voltage divider having a high resistance poly resistor between a gate and a drain of the LDMOS transistor and a resistor connected from the gate to a substrate to provide a gate-voltage potential for turning on the LDMOS transistor. However, the disadvantages of this invention include high resistance variation of the poly resistor, additional masking process cost, and larger occupied die space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention propose a self-driven LDMOS transistor, which utilizes a parasitic resistor between a drain terminal and an auxiliary region. The parasitic resistor is formed between two depletion boundaries. A gate-voltage potential of the LDMOS transistor is clipped at a drain-voltage potential at the drain terminal when two depletion boundaries pinch off. Since the gate-voltage potential is designed to be equal to or higher than a start-threshold voltage of the LDMOS transistor, the LDMOS transistor will be turned on accordingly.

According to the present invention, no additional masking process and no additional die space are needed to manufacture the parasitic resistor. Furthermore, the parasitic resistor of the present invention doesn't lower the breakdown voltage and the operating speed of the LDMOS transistor. Besides, when the two depletion boundaries pinch off, the gate-voltage potential no longer varies in response to an increment of the drain-voltage potential.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general descriptions and the following detailed descriptions are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a cross sectional view of a self-driven LDMOS transistor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of the self-driven LDMOS transistor with two depletion boundaries according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a characteristic property of a gate-voltage potential and a drain-voltage potential of the self-driven LDMOS transistor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a cross sectional view of a self-driven LDMOS transistor 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The LDMOS transistor 100 comprises a P-type substrate 90 with resistivity ranging from 10 ohm-cm to 100 ohm-cm. A quasi-linked deep N-type well 210 having N-type conductive ions is formed in the P-type substrate 90. The doping concentration of the quasi-linked deep N-type well 210 ranges from 1.7E17/cm³ to 8.3E18/cm³. The depth of the quasi-linked deep N-type well 210 ranges from 2 μm to 10 μm. The quasi-linked N-type well 210 has a gap with a width G, which ranges from 2 μm to 20 μm.

As shown in FIG. 1, the quasi-linked deep N-type well 210 has a discontinuous polarity distribution structure 220, which consists of a partial quasi-linked deep N-type well 210 and a partial P-type substrate 90. The discontinuous polarity distribution structure 220 is in parallel to a conduction channel 81 of the LDMOS transistor 100. A P-type well 35, which can be implemented with a P-type body, and a P-type well 25 having P-type conductive ions are formed in the quasi-linked deep N-type well 210. The doping concentration of the P-type wells 25 and 35 range from 3.3E17/cm³ to 1E19/cm³. The depth of the P-type wells 25 and 35 range from 1 μm to 5 μm. Field oxides 330, 331, and 332 are formed to serve as isolation structures.

A gate oxide layer 82 is formed over the conduction channel 81. The thickness of the gate oxide layer 82 ranges from 300 Å to 1000 Å. A polysilicon gate layer 80 is formed over the gate oxide layer 82 and the field oxide 330 for controlling a current flow in the conduction channel 81.

The LDMOS transistor 100 further comprises N+-type regions 55, 56 and 57 with a doping concentration higher than that of the quasi-linked deep N-type well 210, which range from 1E22/cm³ to 5E23/cm³. The N+-type region 55 forms an auxiliary region in the quasi-linked deep N-type well 210. The N+-type region 56 forms a drain region in the quasi-linked deep N-type well 210. The N+-type region 57 forms a source region in the P-type well 25. A P+-type region 32 having a doping concentration higher than that of P-type wells 25 and 35, which ranges from 1E22/cm³ to 5E23/cm³, forms a contact region in the P-type well 25.

Next, a dielectric layer 120 is formed over the P-type substrate 90. An electrode 60, such as metal layer, connects with the drain region to form a drain terminal of the LDMOS transistor 100. An electrode 70, such as metal layer, connects with the source region and the contact region to form a source terminal of the LDMOS transistor 100. A dielectric layer 150 is formed over the P-type substrate 90. An electrode 86, such as metal layer, connects with the auxiliary region and the polysilicon gate layer 80, which equalizes a voltage potential for the polysilicon gate layer 80 and the auxiliary region.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, when a positive voltage potential is applied to the drain terminal of the LDMOS transistor 100, a drain-voltage potential V_D at the drain terminal of the transistor 100 will be conducted via the quasi-linked deep N-type well 210 to build a gate-voltage potential V_G at the polysilicon gate layer 80. As shown in FIG. 3, the gate-voltage potential V_G increases in linear proportion to the drain-voltage potential V_D.

Since a positive voltage potential applied to the drain terminal of the LDMOS transistor 100 results in an inversed bias voltage, two depletion boundaries 30a and 30b will be formed and begin to approach each other when the drain-voltage potential V_D continuously increases. A parasitic resistor is formed between the drain terminal and the auxiliary region. The resistance of the parasitic resistor varies according to an average distance between the two depletion boundaries 30a and 30b. When the two depletion boundaries 30a and 30b pinch off, which is defined as a pinch-off situation, the gate-voltage potential V_G at the polysilicon gate layer 80 is no longer increased. Meanwhile, the gate-voltage potential V_G is clipped at a predetermined voltage potential V_PINCH-OFF, which is designed to be equal to or higher than a start-threshold voltage of the LDMOS transistor 100. Therefore, the LDMOS transistor 100 will be turned on accordingly. Moreover, when the two depletion boundaries 30a and 30b pinch off, the impedance of the parasitic resistor is high and therefore an extremely low leakage current of the LDMOS transistor 100 is achieved. As a result, the standby power consumption of the LDMOS transistor 100 can be dramatically reduced. The operating efficiency of the LDMOS transistor is therefore improved.

The two depletion boundaries 30a and 30b facilitate to form a pinch-off structure with the gap having the width G of the quasi-linked deep N-type well 210. Besides, the LDMOS transistor 100 is a voltage-controlled transistor and doesn't need external circuit, which might occupy extra die space, to form a self-driven structure. This further reduces the manufacturing cost.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A structure of a voltage-controlled transistor, comprising a voltage-control terminal, a source terminal, and a drain terminal; wherein a voltage potential at said voltage-control terminal varies in response to a voltage variation at said drain terminal; said voltage potential at said voltage-control terminal being controlled to be clipped at a predetermined voltage potential when a pinch-off situation of said voltage-controlled transistor occurs; wherein when said voltage potential at said voltage-control terminal exceeds said predetermined voltage potential, said voltage potential at said voltage-control terminal is no longer varied in response to a drain-voltage potential at said drain terminal; wherein a discontinuous polarity distribution structure is formed between said drain terminal and said voltage-control terminal; said voltage-control terminal is connected to an auxiliary region having the same doping polarity as said drain terminal; wherein said drain-voltage potential controls two depletion boundaries; and wherein when said two depletion boundaries pinch off, said voltage potential at said voltage-control terminal is controlled to be clipped at said predetermined voltage potential.

2. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said voltage-controlled transistor is turned on whenever said voltage-control terminal is controlled to be clipped at said predetermined voltage potential.

3. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a complementary doping region is disposed between said drain terminal and said voltage-control terminal of said voltage-controlled transistor, wherein a doping polarity of said complementary doping region is complementary to that of said drain terminal of said voltage-controlled transistor.

4. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said discontinuous polarity distribution structure is comprised of a doping region with complementary doping polarity to that of said drain terminal, wherein said doping region is in parallel to a conduction channel of said voltage-control transistor and facilitates said two depletion boundaries to pinch off.

5. A structure of a voltage-controlled transistor, utilizing a bias voltage to vary two depletion boundaries resulted from complementary ions, wherein a resistance of a parasitic resistor between a drain terminal and a voltage-control terminal of said voltage-controlled transistor varies in response to said two depletion boundaries controlled by a drain-voltage potential at said drain terminal, and wherein a voltage potential at said voltage-control terminal is clipped at said drain-voltage potential at said drain terminal when said two depletion boundaries pinch off.

6. The structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said voltage-controlled transistor is turned on when said voltage potential at said voltage-control terminal is clipped at a predetermined voltage potential.

7. An LDMOS, comprising a drain, a gate, and a source, wherein a quasi-linked doping region connects said drain and said gate, said quasi-linked doping region having a discontinuous polarity distribution structure is in parallel to a conduction channel of said LDMOS.

8. The LDMOS as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a first complementary doping region with complementary doping polarity to that of said drain, said first complementary doping region being disposed between said drain and said gate.

9. The LDMOS as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a second complementary doping region with complementary doping polarity to that of said drain, said second complementary doping region being coupled to an edge of said gate in said quasi-linked doping region.

10. The LDMOS as claimed in claim 7, wherein a doping concentration of said quasi-linked doping region ranges from 1.7E17/cm3 to 8.3E18/cm3.

11. The LDMOS as claimed in claim 7, wherein a depth of said quasi-linked doping region ranges from 2 μm to 10 μm.

12. The LDMOS as claimed in claim 7, wherein a width of said discontinuous polarity distribution structure in said quasi-linked doping region is between 0 μm and 20 μm.

13. The LDMOS as claimed in claim 7, wherein a gate oxide layer disposed under said gate has a thickness ranging from 300 Å to 1000 Å.

14. The LDMOS as claimed in claim 8, wherein a doping concentration of said first complementary doping region ranges from 3.3E17/cm3 to 1E19/cm3.

15. The LDMOS as claimed in claim 8, wherein a depth of said first complementary doping region ranges from 1 μm to 5 μm.

16. A process for manufacturing a voltage-controlled transistor, comprising steps of:

providing a substrate;

forming a quasi-linked deep well in said substrate;

forming a well with complementary doping polarity to that of said quasi-linked deep well in said substrate;

forming an oxide layer over said substrate for serving as isolation structures;

forming a gate-oxide layer over said quasi-linked deep well;

forming heavy doping regions in said quasi-linked deep well; and

forming a conductor for connecting a gate of said voltage-controlled transistor and said quasi-linked deep well.

17. The process as claimed in claim 16, wherein the step of forming said quasi-linked deep well further comprises a step of performing a thermal driving process under 1000° C.˜1200° C. for 6˜12 hours.

18. The process as claimed in claim 16, wherein the step of forming said well with complementary doping polarity to that of said quasi-linked deep well further comprises performing a thermal driving process under 900° C.˜1100° C. for 2˜6 hours.