Compact CMOS in wide bandgap semiconductor
CMOS Systems formed in Wide Bandgap Semiconductor and involving use of a material that forms a rectifying junction with either N and P-type Field Induced Semiconductor, in combination with, preferably, Parallel and Adjacent Channels subject to control by a Gate removed from said Channels by insulator.
This application is a CIP of Pending Applications Ser. No. 16/974,016 Filed Sep. 8, 2020 and Ser. No. 17/300,746 Filed Oct. 18, 2021, and further Claims Benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/280,053 Filed Nov. 16, 2021.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology, and more particularly to, in a preferred embodiment, a Compact CMOS System formed in Wide Bandgap Semiconductor and comprising a material which forms a rectifying junction with either N and P-type Field Induced Semiconductor in combination with Parallel and Adjacent Channels subject to control by a Gate removed from said Channels by insulator.
BACKGROUNDCMOS systems are well established, with an improvement in recent years being FINFET geometry, which had its origin about 20 or so years ago as demonstrated by patent to Hu et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,802 which is incorporated hereinto by reference. “FIN” is terminology given to semiconductor projections from a planar surface of a semiconductor substrate as they resemble fins on fish. The geometry of the FIN allows for application of MOS. Gate Electrodes not only above a Channel of a MOSFET formed in a substrate, but also to Sides of the effective 3D Structure. There are literally thousands of FINFET references now available, but none of which Inventor Welch is aware remotely disclose the present invention.
Further, in recent years use of Wide Bandgap Semiconductors, such as silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), gallium arsenide (GaAs), zinc oxide (ZnO); and diamond (C) are being applied in Device Fabrication, mostly in the area Power Applications.
Continuing, Inventor Welch previously patented the use of material which forms rectifying junctions with both N and P-type Silicon, whether the effective doping type is metallurgical or field induced. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,624,493; 5,663,584; 5,760,449; 6,091,128 and 6,268,636, (all of which are incorporated hereinto by reference). The listed patents to Welch report work performed under a Grant from the US Dept. of Energy under Contract No. DE-FG47-93R701314, beginning in 1992. The work was performed in the 1990's and early 2000's at the University of Nebraska Electrical Engineering Dept. Another related patent to Welch is U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,093, upon which the DOE Grant was initially based. In prior work, Inventor Welch had hands-on discovered that Chromium Disilicide was formed in Silicon by annealing Chromium (deposited via Electron beam or Sputtering onto Silicon) at about 600 degrees Centigrade, and said Chromium Disilicide forms rectifying junctions with either both N and P-type Silicon. Welch discovered, when following up on a request from his Professor (R. S. C. Cobbold), that Chromium Disilicide formed a very good rectifying with N-type Silicon during his Masters work at Toronto in the early 70's when seeking to learn if Chromium deposited on SiO2 migrated thereinto during a 600 degree C. anneal. (See “Migration of Ion-Implanted Krypton in Silicon During Anneal”, Welch, Davies and Cobbold, J. Appl. Physics, Vol. 48, No. 11, November 1977) for discussion of migration properties of Amorphizing Krypton ions implanted into silicon at various doses and energies during anneal). That temperature was important as his DMOST-type fabrication process as that involved regrowth of an amorphized region at the surface of a substrate, into a single crystal thereby incorporating ion implanted Boron and Phosphorous dopants onto electrically active substitutional sites in a single anneal, and while the anneal was performed Chromium was present as a self-aligned atop an SiO2 Gate Dielectric. To investigate Chromium migration in SiO2 during anneal Welch applied Chromium to the back unpolished side of a substrate for electrical contact purposes, upon which, on the polished side thereof, was formed a MOS Capacitor. Comparing Capacitance before and after the 600 degree C. annealing resulted in the Capacitance decreasing when, if anything, an increased Capacitance was expected due to Oxide thinning caused by Chromium migration. The discovered effect was traced to the formation of a Capacitance providing rectifying junction on the rough unpolished backside of the substrate. (This was reported in his MASc. Thesis titled “Design and Fabrication of Sub-Micron Channel by Double Ion Implantation”, MASC. Dissertation, University of Toronto, 1974. See also “Fabrication of Sub-micron Channel DMOST-Type MOSFTETS by Ion-Implantation of Source, Drain and Channel”, ISAST Transactions on Computers and Intelligent Systems, No. 2, Vol. 3, 2011). Inventor Welch's MASc. hands-on research resulted in operational Sub-micron Channel length DMOST-type MOSFETS fabricated by ion-implantation techniques, rather than pre-deposition and drive-in diffusions. Literature searching in about 1984, soon after Inventor Welch had completed his Law Degree at the University of Nebraska and tested into the patent and Nebraska State Bar, turned up an article by Lepselter and Sultanov titled “Some Properties of Chromium Doped Silicon”, in Soviet Physics Semiconductors“, Vol. 4, No. 11, Pages 1900-1902, May 1972 described the formation of a rectifying junction when Chromium is diffused into P-type Silicon. It was at that time Inventor Welch conceived using Chromium as a “dopant” in both N and P-type Silicon, to form a CMOS system and sought a Grant to investigate the effect. That effort eventually led to a Grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE).
A summary of the MASc. work, and the results of the work performed under the DOE Grant are presented in an unpublished proposed Ph.D. Thesis titled “Mid-Bandgap Doped Junction, Single Semiconductor Device Alternative to Conventional Dual Device CMOS, Fabrication Thereof, Operational Results, and Analysis”. Said unpublished Thesis is available from Inventor Welchat jdwscmosl@netzero.net In addition two articles “Mid-Bandgap Doped. Junction, Single Semiconductor Type Device Alternative to Conventional Dual Device CMOS”, Welch, ISAST Transactions on Electronics and Signal Processing, No. 1, Vol. 4, 2010, and “Insight to Operation of a Mid-Bandgap Doped Junction Single Semiconductor Type Device Alternative to Conventional Dual Device CMOS”, Welch, ISAST Transactions On Computers and Intelligent Systems, No. 1, Vol. 3, 2010), are also identified which report the same work.
Recently Inventor Welch studied FINFET systems, and in view thereof has conceived a simple approach to fabricating a compact FINFET CMOS System, which is disclosed herein. There remains need for CMOS systems that enable higher packing density of devices, and therefore prolong the validity of Moore's Law.
Also recently an old friend, Terry Pirruccello, alerted Inventor Welch to the use of Silicon Carbide in Semiconductors in Semiconductor Device Fabrication.
Need remains for new Semiconductor Devices.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTIONThe Present invention is, in one embodiment, a CMOS structure comprising a region of material in a wide bandgap substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type regions therein. Said CMOS structure further comprises at least two channels projecting from electrical contact with said region of material in said wide bandgap substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type regions therein, and said CMOS structure further comprises gate structures offset with respect to said channels by insulating material. The CMOS structure further comprises substantially non-rectifying junctions to said material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type wide bandgap semiconductor, and to distal ends of said at least two channels.
Said wide bandgap semiconductor substrate, at least in the regions of said channels can be characterized by a selection from the group consisting of:
-
- it is substantially or per se. intrinsic;
- it is substantially or per se. metallurigically compensated;
- it contains both metallurgical N and P-type dopants in unequal concentrations;
- it is metallurgically doped to provide at least one area of P-type material and at least one separate area of N-type material in each channel region.
As is the case with all Present Invention CMOS Devices, in use a voltage is applied between the substantially non-rectifying junctions at the distal ends of said at least two channels and a voltage is applied to said gate which, when switched between the voltages applied to the substantially non-rectifying distal ends of said at least two channels, causes a voltage to appear at the substantially non-rectifying junction to said region of material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type wide bandgap semiconductor which is inverted, in that when the higher of said voltages applied to the substantially non-rectifying junctions to said distal ends of said at least two channels is applied to said gate, the voltage at the substantially non-rectifying junction to said region of material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide is low, and vice-versa.
For the purposes of this Specification, The terminology “Wide Bandgap Semiconductor” refers to any Semiconductor material with a Bandgap larger than silicon (Si), (which is about 1.1 eV) up to a Bandgap which constitutes an Insulator (eg. 6+eV). A Wide Bandgap Material can be selected from the group consisting of:
-
- silicon carbide (SiC);
- gallium nitride (GaN)
- gallium arsenide (GaAs);
- zinc oxide (ZnO); and
- diamond (C).
A more specific Present Invention CMOS structure comprises a region of material in a silicon carbide substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide. Said CMOS structure further comprises at least two channels projecting from electrical contact with said region of material in a silicon carbide substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide, and said CMOS structure further comprises gate structures offset with respect to said channels by insulating material. Said CMOS structure further comprises substantially non-rectifying junctions to said material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide, and to distal ends of said at least two channels.
Said silicon carbide substrate, at least in the regions of said channels can be characterized by a selection from the group consisting of:
-
- it is substantially or per se. intrinsic;
- it is substantially or per se. metallurigically compensated;
- it contains both metallurgical N and P-type dopants in unequal concentrations;
- it is metallurgically doped to provide at least one area of P-type material and at least one separate area of N-type material in each channel region.
The material in said silicon carbide substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide, can vanadium doped silicon carbide.
The material comprising substantially non-rectifying junctions to said distal regions of channels can comprise nickel.
Another even more specific Present Invention compact CMOS structure comprises a region of material in a silicon carbide substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide. Said compact CMOS structure further comprising at least two channels projecting from electrical contact with said region of material in a silicon carbide substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide. Importantly in this embodiment is that said channels are substantially parallel and adjacent to one another to provide a very compact result. Again, said compact CMOS structure further comprising a gate structure offset with respect to said channels by insulating material, and said compact CMOS structure further comprises substantially non-rectifying junctions to said material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide, and to distal ends of said at least two channels.
Again, said silicon carbide substrate, at least in the regions of said channels can be characterized by a selection from the group consisting of:
-
- it is substantially or per se. intrinsic;
- it is substantially or per se. metallurigically compensated;
- it contains both metallurgical N and P-type dopants in unequal concentrations;
- it is metallurgically doped to provide at least one area of P-type material and at least one separate area.
As in the second embodiment said compact CMOS structure as can provide that the material in said silicon carbide substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide, is vanadium doped silicon carbide. And the material comprising substantially non-rectifying junctions to said distal regions of channels can comprise nickel.
In all embodiments the channels can be present in FINS which project from a surface of said wide bandgap semiconductor substrate.
The Present Invention will be better understood by reference to the Detailed Description Section of the Specification, in conjunctions with the Drawings.
It is noted that while
It is noted that in Inventor Welch's earlier Single Device CMOS fabrication work under the previously mentioned DOE Grant, the two device channels (equivalent to the two FINS (F1) and (F2) were sequential, hence the Gate was split and the resulting S-CMOS devices were not very compact, much as is the case with conventional P-N Junction based CMOS systems. In the present Compact FINFET CMOS system however, the substantially parallel and adjacent FINS (Channels) (F1) and (F2) are present adjacent to one another, and operated from a single Gate (G) structure. This is why the present FINFET system is compact. The present Device Configuration is not, to Inventor Welch's knowledge, remotely suggested in any prior art. It was only because of Inventor Welch's prior experience that the Present Invention conceived. Note as well that no N and P-type wells are necessary to fabricate P and N Channel MOSFETS as now Claimed. Inventor Welch did his earlier DOE sponsored fabrication of Single Device CMOS on Intrinsic Silicon, (see his U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,624,493; 5,663,584; 5,760,449; 6,091,128 and 6,286,636) and the previously mentioned Unpublished Thesis, but it is thought that use of Compensated Semiconductor might provide benefit, though there was not time to try that prior work. This lack of the need for space consuming N and P-doped wells is another factor that enables the present system to be compact, and makes the present invention less energy intensive to realize. For emphasis, the major factor enabling the present invention is that some materials (M) form rectifying junctions with either N or P-type filed induced effective doping n a Channel region of a MOSFET.
It is noted that “substantially non-rectifying” and “Substantially ohmic” are to be read as equivalent herein.
The present invention in
It is also noted that Terry J. Pirruccello is included as a Co-Inventor for conceiving fabricating the Welch CMOS in Silicon Carbide.
Having hereby disclosed the subject matter of the present invention, it should be obvious that many modifications, substitutions and variations of the present invention are possible in view of the teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described, and should be limited only in its breadth and scope only by the Claims.
Claims
1. A CMOS structure comprising a region of material in a wide bandgap substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type regions therein,
- said CMOS structure further comprising at least two channels projecting from electrical contact with said region of material in a said wide bandgap substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type regions therein;
- said CMOS structure further comprising gate structures offset with respect to said channels by insulating material;
- said CMOS structure further comprising substantially non-rectifying junctions to said material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type wide bandgap semiconductor, at distal ends of said at least two channels;
- said wide bandgap semiconductor substrate, at least in the regions of said channels being characterized by a selection from the group consisting of: it is substantially or per se. intrinsic; it is substantially or per se. metallurigically compensated; it contains both metallurgical N and P-type dopants in unequal concentrations; it is metallurgically doped to provide at least one area of P-type material and at least one separate area of N-type material in each channel region;
- such that in use a voltage is applied between the substantially non-rectifying junctions at the distal ends of said at least two channels and a voltage is applied to said gate which, when switched between the voltages applied to the substantially non-rectifying distal ends of said at least two channels, causes a voltage to appear at the substantially non-rectifying junction to said region of material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type wide bandgap semiconductor which is inverted, in that when the higher of said voltages applied to the substantially non-rectifying junctions to said distal ends of said at least two channels is applied to said gate, the voltage at the substantially non-rectifying junction to said region of material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide is low, and vice-versa.
2. A CMOS structure as in claim 1, in which the wide bandgap semiconductor is selected from the group consisting of:
- silicon carbide (SiC);
- gallium nitride (GaN)
- gallium arsenide (GaAs);
- zinc oxide (ZnO); and
- diamond (C).
3. A CMOS structure comprising a region of material in a silicon carbide substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide,
- said CMOS structure further comprising at least two channels projecting from electrical contact with said region of material in a silicon carbide substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide;
- said CMOS structure further comprising gate structures offset with respect to said channels by insulating material;
- said CMOS structure further comprising substantially non-rectifying junctions to said material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide, and to distal ends of said at least two channels;
- said silicon carbide substrate, at least in the regions of said channels being characterized by a selection from the group consisting of: it is substantially or per se. intrinsic; it is substantially or per se. metallurigically compensated; it contains both metallurgical N and P-type dopants in unequal concentrations; it is metallurgically doped to provide at least one area of P-type material and at least one separate area of N-type material in each channel region;
- such that in use a voltage is applied between the substantially non-rectifying junctions at the distal ends of said at least two channels and a voltage is applied to said gate which, when switched between the voltages applied to the substantially non-rectifying distal ends of said at least two channels, causes a voltage to appear at the substantially non-rectifying junction to said region of material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide which is inverted, in that when the higher of said voltages applied to the substantially non-rectifying junctions to said distal ends of said at least two channels is applied to said gate, the voltage at the substantially non-rectifying junction to said region of material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide is low, and vice-versa.
4. A CMOS structure as in claim 3, in which the material in said silicon carbide substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide, is vanadium doped silicon carbide.
5. A CMOS structure as in claim 3, in which the material comprising substantially non-rectifying junctions to said distal regions of channels comprises nickel.
6. A compact CMOS structure comprising a region of material in a silicon carbide substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide,
- said compact CMOS structure further comprising at least two channels projecting from electrical contact with said region of material in a silicon carbode substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide, said channels being substantially parallel and adjacent to one another;
- said compact CMOS structure further comprising a gate structure offset with respect to said channels by insulating material;
- said compact CMOS structure further comprising substantially non-rectifying junctions to said material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide, and to distal ends of said at least two channels;
- said silicon carbide substrate, at least in the regions of said channels being characterized by a selection from the group consisting of: it is substantially or per se. intrinsic; it is substantially or per se. metallurigically compensated; it contains both metallurgical N and P-type dopants in unequal concentrations; it is metallurgically doped to provide at least one area of P-type material and at least one separate area of N-type material in each channel region;
- such that in use a voltage is applied between the substantially non-rectifying junctions at the distal ends of said at least two channels and a voltage is applied to said gate which, when switched between the voltages applied to the substantially non-rectifying distal ends of said at least two channels, causes a voltage to appear at the substantially non-rectifying junction to said region of material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide which is inverted, in that when the higher of said voltages applied to the substantially non-rectifying junctions to said distal ends of said at least two channels is applied to said gate, the voltage at the substantially non-rectifying junction to said region of material which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide is low, and vice-versa.
7. A compact CMOS structure as in claim 6, in which the material in said silicon carbide substrate which forms rectifying junctions with both field induced N and P-type silicon carbide, is vanadium doped silicon carbide.
8. A compact CMOS structure as in claim 6, in which the material comprising substantially non-rectifying junctions to said distal regions of channels comprises nickel.
9. A CMOS structure as in claim 1, in which said channels are present in FINS which project from a surface of said wide bandgap semiconductor substrate.
10. A CMOS structure as in claim 3, in which said channels are present in FINS which project from a surface of said wide bandgap semiconductor substrate.
11. A compact CMOS structure as in claim 6, in which said channels are present in FINS which project from a surface of said wide bandgap semiconductor substrate.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 4, 2022
Publication Date: Mar 16, 2023
Inventors: JAMES D. WELCH (OMAHA, NE), TERRY J. PIRRUCCELLO (OMAHA, NE)
Application Number: 17/803,739