High-voltage integrated circuit with junction isolation.

0001The present invention relates to an integrated circuit for high voltage with junction isolation.

0002As is known, one of the greatest problems of high-­voltage integrated circuits with junction isolation (i.e. in which the different wells to be electrically separated are isolated by means of regions of appropriate conductivity set at such a potential as to form reverse-biased junctions with the wells to be isolated) is caused by the presence of high-­potential metallizations which extend on the surface of the circuit and overlie the isolation regions. Said metallizations, in fact, lower the breakdown voltage of the junction formed by the epitaxial layer accommodating the various wells and by the isolation regions. In particular, when the insulating oxide layer which covers the surface portion of this region is covered by a high-potential electrode, the shape of the depletion region and the distribution of the electric field in the surface region are modified, causing an early breakdown of the isolation/epitaxial layer junction.

0003In order to solve this problem an increase in the thickness of the silicon oxide insulation layer, interposed between the isolation regions and the metallizations, has been proposed. This solution however has some intrinsic limitations due to current technological possibilities and entails considerable difficulties in integration with signal components for which low oxide thicknesses are required. In order to overcome these limitations, field plates, that is electrostatic shields of polycrystalline silicon, connected to the ground and embedded in the silicon oxide, have been used hitherto; by covering the junctions, said shields alter the depletion regions and the electric field proximate to the surface and provide higher breakdown voltage values.

0004However, there is a limit value for the linear dimensions of these field plates above which their performance declines. For a better understanding of this behavior, reference should be made to figures 4a and 4b, which respectively illustrate the distribution of the equipotential lines and of the electric-field lines with constant modulus. As can be seen, the clustering of the potential lines proximate to the end of the field plate (layer 9) induces considerable electric fields at the surface, causing breakdown at approximately 300 V.

0005Given this situation, the aim of the present invention is to provide an integrated circuit for high voltage with junction isolation, capable of solving the problems of the prior art and in particular of withstanding higher voltages with no risk of junction breakdown.

0006Within this aim, a particular object of the present invention is to provide an integrated circuit with junction isolation which entails no modifications, and does not negatively affect, other parts of the circuit and in particular does not entail increases in the thickness of the insulating oxide which covers the surface of the circuit.

0007Not least object of the present invention is to provide an integrated circuit which is structurally simple and can be produced using individual steps which are per se well-­known in the electronics industry, in order to have a manufacturing cost comparable with that of known solutions.

0008This aim, the objects mentioned and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved by the integrated circuit for high voltage with junction isolation, as defined in the accompanying claims.

0009The characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, illustrated merely by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>figure 1 is a transverse sectional view across a wafer of semiconductor material accommodating an integrated circuit with junction isolation covered by a high-potential metallization;</li><li>figure 2 is a similar sectional view of an electric circuit having a known electrostatic shield;</li><li>figure 3 is a similar sectional view of the integrated circuit according to the invention;</li><li>figures 4a and 4b are plots of the distribution of the equipotential lines and of the electric field lines for the known circuit of figure 2; and</li><li>figures 5a and 5b are plots of the distribution of the equipotential lines and of the electric field lines (at an equal voltage) for the circuit according to the invention.</li></ul>

0010Reference is made to figure 1, which illustrates a portion of an integrated circuit comprising a junction isolation. In this figure, as in the following ones in which similar parts have been indicated by the same reference numerals, 1 indicates the substrate with P-type conductivity covered by an N-type epitaxial layer. The P⁺-type region 3 is used for the junction isolation of the epitaxial well or region 2, illustrated in the figure, from the adjacent epitaxial regions, which are not illustrated. The well 2 accommodates a layer 4 with N⁺-type conductivity which belongs to a component of the integrated circuit. On the surface of the semiconductor material body 1-4 there is a silicon oxide layer 5, and a metallization 6 (which makes contact with the region 4) extends on said layer 5 and passes above the isolation region 3. Said metallization 6, which is set to a high potential (symbolized in the figure by the contact connected to the voltage +V) alters the shape of the depletion region which forms around the junction between the epitaxial layer 2 and the isolation region 3. Said depletion region 7 has been illustrated in the figure in broken lines.

0011Figure 2 instead illustrates a known circuit in which the electrostatic shield (field plate) allowing to increase the breakdown voltage is provided. As can be seen, in this case a polycrystalline silicon region 9 has been provided inside the oxide layer 5. Said region 9 forming a field plate, is connected to the ground and has a portion in contact with the isolation region 3 and a region which overlies the junction and is completely embedded in the oxide 5. The reference numeral 10 indicates the depletion region around the junction, which as can be seen is altered with respect to the case illustrated in figure 1. The region 9 in practice "shields" the effect of the metallization 6, thus increasing the breakdown voltage.

0012An example of the distribution of the equipotential lines and of the electric field lines with constant modulus for the known solution of figure 2 is illustrated in figures 4a and 4b, from which, as mentioned, it can be seen that the clustering or crowding of the potential lines proximate to the end portion of the shield 9, with a total oxide thickness of approximately 4 microns, induces considerable fields on the surface, causing the breakdown of the junction at a voltage of approximately 300 V (the value of the electric field lines in figure 4b is given in V/cm).

0013Figure 3 instead illustrates an example of the solution according to the invention. As can be seen, according to the invention, besides the polycrystalline silicon shield 9 above the junction, a P⁻-type region 15 has been provided which extends along the surface of the body of semiconductor material and more precisely inside the epitaxial well 2 from the isolation region 3 towards the interior of said epitaxial well 2 below the metallization 6. Said region 15, together with the shield 9, extends the region on which the potential drop is distributed, thus preventing early breakdown.

0014This fact is pointed out by figures 5a and 5b which respectively illustrate the distribution of the equipotential lines and of the electric field lines with constant modulus for the solution according to the invention. As can be seen, the high-resistivity diffusion 15 allows a more uniform distribution of the potential lines with respect to the similar distributions shown in figures 4a and 4b, and therefore the electric field at the end portion of the polycrystalline-silicon shield 9 decreases considerably. The breakdown voltage is therefore raised by a few hundred volts, by virtue of this solution, by appropriately dimensioning the region 9.

0015The production of the isolation according to the invention does not require complicated process steps. For example, starting from a P-type substrate, boron is implanted in a known manner to form the lower part of the isolation region 3 (bottom isolation). This is followed by the N-type epitaxial growth (with phosphorus doping), forming the layer 2. A further boron implanting is then performed to provide the upper portion of the isolation (top isolation), followed by a masking to form the extension region 15. The P⁻ implanting of boron (for example with a dose of 3-6x10¹²cm⁻², an implanting energy of 70 keV for a length of 50-150 µm) then follows. A thermal step is then executed to diffuse the isolation, and then all the other regions of the device, including the silicon oxide layer, the electrostatic shield (field plate) and the metallizations, are produced in a known manner according to the circuit to be obtained.

0016As can be seen from the above description, the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects. In fact, by virtue of the described solution, the isolation junction can withstand higher voltages, and in particular the surface metallizations passing above the isolation junction can have higher voltages with respect to the case in which only the polycrystalline-silicon electrostatic shield (field plate) is present.

0017The described solution is furthermore extremely simple and reliable and requires no complicated process steps, so that the cost of the finished integrated circuit is comparable with that of known devices.

0018The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept. In particular the fact is stressed that though reference has been made in the example to a structure formed by an N-type epitaxial layer and by a P-type isolation, the described solution is obviously also applicable to circuits having an epitaxial layer and junction isolation of the opposite conductivity type.

0019All the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.

0020Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the scope of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.