Patent Publication Number: US-11049784-B2

Title: Semiconductor device for use in harsh media

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to semiconductor devices which can be deployed in harsh media. More specifically it relates to harsh media sensors comprising a passivation layer and to methods comprising such a sensor. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a standard connection between polysilicon  14  and mono-silicon  11  realized in a CMOS process. A well doping  10  may be present in the mono-silicon  11 . Polysilicon  14  is deposited and patterned on top of a field oxide  13 . The flanks of the polysilicon  14  are covered with an insulator with a side wall passivation  15  such as oxide or nitride. The mono-silicon  11  that is not covered with field oxide and the polysilicon  14  are implanted simultaneously. Then diffusion takes place to form the source and drain contacts  12 . Then a metal is deposited and during an annealing step it is dissolved into the mono-silicon and the polysilicon to form a silicide  16 . The metal that is not dissolved is etched away whereas the silicide  16  remains. Obtaining a first metal conductor layer  18  connected with the mono-silicon  11  and/or polysilicon  14  is achieved by deposition of a first High Density Plasma (HDP) oxide  19  followed by etching contact holes in the first HDP oxide  19  to provide access to the silicide of the poly-  14  and simultaneously other holes to provide access to the silicide of the mono-silicon  11 . The contact holes are filled with a metal plug  17  and a connection between the different plugs is made with the first metal conductor  18  deposition. Patterning of this first metal  18  defines which contacts are connected and which contacts are not. Then the process of another metal layer process can be applied starting with the deposition of a second HDP oxide  20 . As a result, the mono-silicon  11  is electrically connected to structures of polysilicon  14  by metal line  18  on top of metal contact plugs  17 . In general copper or aluminium is used to form this first metal conductor  18 . 
     The electrical connection between the polysilicon shield  14  and mono-silicon contact  12  shown in  FIG. 1  is not suitable for pressure sensors that operate in harsh environments. 
     In  FIG. 1  a second HDP oxide  20  is deposited over the first metal  18  and over the first HPD oxide  19  and a PECVD nitride  21  is present on top of the device. 
     Instead of through a first metal layer, in principle one can create a mono-  11  polysilicon  14  contact by sintering an edge  22  of polysilicon  11  that is defined on mono-silicon  14 . The left of  FIG. 2  shows a cross section of such a contact. During patterning of the polysilicon  14  the gate oxide  23  next to the edge of the polysilicon in the areas without field oxide is also removed. After the drain/source  12  implant and diffusion the sputtering of the metal for the silicide  16  is carried out, it then also covers the edges of the polysilicon. During the anneal step the metal diffuses into the silicon and the silicon diffuses into the metal. As a result, the silicide  16  grows at the silicon surface and therefore the silicide  16  grown on the mono-silicon  12  will connect to the silicide  16  grown at the edges of the polysilicon  14  and bridge the thin gate oxide  23 , thereby making an edge contact  22 . To assure that such a contact between mono- and polysilicon is not made between the gate and the source/drain diffusions of CMOS transistors a side wall passivation  15  is normally defined at the edges of the polysilicon  14  as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,735. Normally no lithography is carried out for this side wall passivation  15 . In this example the processing of the sidewall passivation  15  has to be skipped to make mono-polysilicon contacts or must be locally etched away when shielded piezoresistors are integrated together with CMOS transistors. The creation of mono-polysilicon contacts by creating a silicide on the edges of the polysilicon is therefore a non-standard way of CMOS processing. Sputtering at side walls is normally not required for CMOS processing and therefore special control is needed to assure mechanical and electrical connection at the edges of the polysilicon. Standard CMOS processes might need modifications to assure proper mono-polysilicon contacts. Dedicated Process Control Modules must be developed to monitor the quality of the mono-polysilicon contact during mass production. 
     If it is not possible to use aluminum of copper interconnects, alternative prior art solutions lead to an increase of the resistance of the connection lines. This is illustrated in the table below shows the resistance of different kinds of interconnect. A top metal layer of 1 μm aluminium is very common for CMOS processing (e.g. metal  18  in  FIG. 1 ) and can be used as a bench mark for resistivity. The table shows that sheet resistance of doped silicon with a silicide has a sheet resistivity that is two orders of magnitude higher than that of aluminium: 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
                 R sheet  1 μm Al 
                 0.03 
                 Ohm/sq 
               
               
                   
                 R sheet  0.2 μm Pt 
                 0.85 
                 Ohm/sq 
               
               
                   
                 R sheet  silicided silicon 
                 3.0 
                 Ohm/sq 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     For harsh media often a 0.2 um thick platinum layer is used with the compromise between thickness (cost) and resistivity resulting in a resistivity that is more than an order of magnitude higher than that of 1 μm aluminium. In view of this combination of a good conductivity of the interconnects and a reliable operation in harsh media, there is therefore still room for improvement in semiconductor devices which need to be robust against harsh media and in methods for producing these semiconductor devices. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of embodiments of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device which provides reliability in harsh media and to provide a method for producing such a semiconductor device. 
     The above objective is accomplished by a method and device according to the present invention. 
     In a first aspect embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor device. 
     The semiconductor device comprises a first doped semiconductor layer, a second doped semiconductor layer, an oxide layer covering the first doped semiconductor layer and the second doped semiconductor layer. The first doped semiconductor layer is a monosilicon layer and the second doped semiconductor layer is a polysilicon layer 
     The semiconductor device also comprises at least one interconnect. The interconnect is electrically connecting the first doped semiconductor layer with the second doped semiconductor layer. The interconnect comprises a metal alloy which has a first part in contact with the first doped semiconductor layer and a second part in contact with the second doped semiconductor layer. A part of the metal alloy between the first part and the second part crosses over a sidewall of the second doped semiconductor layer. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the semiconductor device may also comprise a conductive path which comprises polycrystalline semiconductor material. This may be structured polycrystalline material with slits in the direction of the current. 
     At least one electronic component is formed in the first and/or second semiconductor layer. 
     The semiconductor device moreover comprising a stoichiometric passivation layer which covers the first and second doped semiconductor layer and the oxide layer. 
     It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the stoichiometric passivation layer provides reliability of the semiconductor device (e.g. sensor) in harsh media. 
     It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that such a stoichiometric passivation layer can be applied without damaging the interconnect and/or the conductive path. This is possible because the metal alloy and the structured polycrystalline semiconductor material do not get damaged by the heat when applying the stoichiometric passivation layer. 
     It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the chemical and mechanical robustness is increased by providing a passivation which has a stoichiometric structure. 
     It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that all conductive paths are present under the passivation layer as this allows to avoid leakage currents between the connection paths, especially when the semiconductor device is exposed to moisture. 
     It is an advantage that a semiconductor device in accordance with embodiments of the present invention can be produced using standard CMOS production facilities. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the bondpad is made of a noble metal. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the sidewall of the second doped semiconductor layer is perpendicular to the surface of the first and second doped semiconductor layers. This is achieved by vertical etching. Perpendicular sidewalls to the first and second semiconductor layers is particularly advantageous as it has the advantage that smaller transistors can be realized. The interconnect comprises a metal alloy on the sidewall of the second doped semiconductor layer in addition to the metal alloy on the planar structures for making the connection between the first and second semiconductor layer. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the semiconductor device comprises a well of a second conductivity type in a deep well of a first conductivity type or substrate of the first conductivity type opposite to the second conductivity type. 
     The deep well or substrate of the first conductivity type are realized in the first doped semiconductor layer. 
     The at least one the electronic component is present in the well of the second conductivity type. 
     The second semiconductor layer is present between the passivation layer and the electronic component. The oxide layer is present over the second semiconductor layer, over the well and over the deep well or substrate of the first conductivity type. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the conductive path is connected between the at least one electronic component and at least one via which is connected through the passivation layer with a bondpad. 
     It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that, by providing a conductive path between the at least one via and the electronic component, it is possible to put the via and the electronic component at a certain distance from each other. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the semiconductor device comprises a field oxide wherein the field oxide is present between the second doped semiconductor layer and the first doped semiconductor layer. 
     If a well is present in the first doped semiconductor layer, the field oxide may be present between the second doped semiconductor layer and the well. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the field oxide provides a spacer between the electronic components and the second doped semiconductor layer. The second doped semiconductor layer serves as an electric shield and prevents the second doped semiconductor layer from modulating the lowly doped region under the shield. In embodiments of the present invention the areas under the field oxide have a lower doping than the areas where no field oxide is grown. In embodiments of the present invention these low doped areas are used as electronic component (e.g. piezo resistor). It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the electrical insulation between the well and the second doped semiconductor layer is provided by the field oxide. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the passivation layer comprises Si 3 N 4  or diamond like carbon or diamond or SiC. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the second doped semiconductor layer is at least partially covered with a metal alloy. 
     This second doped semiconductor layer may for example be a polysilicon layer (e.g. to obtain a polysilicon shield). The metal alloy may be a silicide. To avoid CTE mismatch it is better not to have silicide above the electronic component (e.g. sensing element). Therefore, the silicide is sometimes only partially covering the second doped semiconductor layer. The advantage of the silicide is that it may result in an improved contact (lower resistivity) between the second and the first doped semiconductor layer. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the at least one electronic component is a piezo resistor. These semiconductor devices may be configured such that they can be used as a pressure sensor. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the conductive paths comprise a highly doped path of the second conductivity type in the well of the second conductivity type. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the conductive path comprises a patterned polysilicon layer between the electronic component and the at least one via. 
     It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the conductivity is increased by patterning the polysilicon layer. In embodiments of the present invention patterning results in an increased surface of the polysilicon structures perpendicular to the direction of the current. In embodiments of the present invention wherein the polysilicon structure is covered with silicide this results in an increased amount of silicide in the direction of the current and therefore the line conductivity can be at least two times higher than for a flat polysilicon structure. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the conductive path comprises structured polycrystalline semiconductor material partially turned into a metal alloy. Thereby metal is diffused in the polycrystalline material such that the remaining part is covered with a metal alloy. 
     It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the conductivity of the conductive path is increased even more by providing the metal alloy over it. This metal alloy may for example be a silicide. 
     In certain embodiments of the present invention the conductive path comprises at least one metal filled slit parallel to a direction of a current when the current is flowing in the conductive path. In some embodiments of the present invention the interconnect comprises a metal filled slit in contact with the metal alloy. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the interconnect is electrically connected with the first doped semiconductor layer through a highly doped contact. 
     In embodiments of the present invention where the first doped semiconductor layer is a deep well of the first conductivity type, the highly doped contact may also be of the first conductivity type. 
     In a second aspect embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. 
     The method comprises: 
     providing a first doped semiconductor layer, 
     providing a second doped semiconductor layer, 
     wherein the first and second doped semiconductor layer are provided such that at least one electronic component is formed in the first and/or second semiconductor layer and wherein the first doped semiconductor layer is a monosilicon layer and wherein the second doped semiconductor layer is a polysilicon layer. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the method may comprise providing an interconnect which comprises a metal alloy which has a first part in contact with the first doped semiconductor layer and a second part in contact with the second doped semiconductor layer such that a part of the metal alloy between the first part and the second part crosses over a sidewall of the second doped semiconductor layer. In embodiments of the present invention the metal alloy extends from the first part to the second part and provides the electrical interconnection between the first doped semiconductor layer and the second doped semiconductor layer. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the method may comprise providing a conductive path which comprises structured polycrystalline semiconductor material, 
     The method moreover comprises depositing an oxide layer over the second doped semiconductor layer and over the first doped semiconductor layer and providing a stoichiometric passivation layer over the first and second doped semiconductor layer and over the oxide layer. 
     It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the contact between the first doped semiconductor layer (e.g. the deep well) and the second doped semiconductor layer (e.g. the polysilicon shield) comprises a metal alloy (e.g. silicide). It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the conductive path comprises structured polycrystalline semiconductor material (e.g. structured polysilicon connections) as this allows to apply the passivation layer at high temperature to obtain a stoichiometric passivation layer. By increasing the temperature a crystalline passivation layer can be grown without dislocations or voids. Crystalline structures have the advantage that they etch slower and therefore are more robust against harsh environments than amorphous material with the same combination of atoms. In embodiments of the present invention the passivation layer is applied using low pressure chemical vapor deposition. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the first doped semiconductor layer is a deep well of a first conductivity type or a substrate of the first conductivity type. An electronic component may be present in a well in the deep well or in the substrate. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the second doped semiconductor layer is provided without sidewall protection at its edges. The second doped semiconductor layer may for example be a polysilicon shield. This shield may be provided over the electronic component without sidewall protection at its edges. A silicide is then formed between the edges of the polysilicon shield and the substrate in areas where no field oxide is present at the edge of the polysilicon. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the at least one conductive path is provided starting from the at least one electronic component, and the at least one via is provided through the passivation layer such that the via is connected with the conductive path and with a bondpad on the via. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the provided conductive path comprises a polycrystalline semiconductor material covered with a metal alloy. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the conductive path is a doped conductive path of the second type and forms a diode with the deep well of the first type. In that case capacitance and leakage currents are proportional to the surface of the conductive path. A compromise can be made between leakage currents and capacitance by defining the conductive path on top of the field oxide. 
     Particular and preferred aspects of the invention are set out in the accompanying independent and dependent claims. Features from the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims and with features of other dependent claims as appropriate and not merely as explicitly set out in the claims. 
     These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a standard connection between polysilicon and mono-silicon realized in a CMOS process. 
         FIG. 2  shows a prior art silicide contact between polysilicon and monosilicon. 
         FIG. 3  shows a schematic drawing of a semiconductor device comprising an interconnect and a conductive path in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows possible implementations of a conductive path in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  shows layout features of a semiconductor device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  schematically shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention illustrating an implementation of the mono-polysilicon contacts. 
         FIG. 7  shows metal filled slit interconnects as low ohmic interconnection lines, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 8 a  and 8 b    show a conductive path comprising a polysilicon structure on top of a field oxide in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 9 a  and 9 b    show a conductive path comprising tungsten filled slits on top of a field oxide in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  shows a prior art thermocouple made for an IR sensor. 
         FIG. 11  shows a thermocouple for an IR sensor in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 12 to 13  show method steps of a method in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope. 
     In the different drawings, the same reference signs refer to the same or analogous elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention. 
     The terms first, second and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other sequences than described or illustrated herein. 
     Moreover, the terms top, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other orientations than described or illustrated herein. 
     It is to be noticed that the term “comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B. 
     Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments. 
     Similarly it should be appreciated that in the description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention. 
     Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination. 
     In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description. 
     In a first aspect embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor device  100  which comprises a first doped semiconductor layer  112 , a second doped semiconductor layer  122 , an oxide layer  127  covering the first doped semiconductor layer  112  and the second doped semiconductor layer  122 , and comprising an interconnect. Semiconductor devices according to embodiments of the present invention may also comprise a conductive path. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the first doped semiconductor layer  112  may be electrically connected with the second doped semiconductor layer  122  by means of the interconnect which comprises a metal alloy  124 . The metal alloy has a first part in contact with the first doped semiconductor layer and a second part in contact with the second doped semiconductor layer. A part of the interconnect between the first part and the second part crosses over a sidewall  133  of the second doped semiconductor layer  122 . The metal alloy (e.g. silicide) thereby electrically interconnects the first doped semiconductor layer and the second doped semiconductor layer. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the conductive path may comprise polycrystalline material. This may be structured polycrystalline material with slits in the direction of the current (e.g. structured polysilicon connections). 
     In embodiments of the present invention at least one electronic component  115  is formed in the first and/or second semiconductor layer  112 ,  122 . 
     The semiconductor device moreover comprises a stoichiometric passivation layer  128  which covers the first and second doped semiconductor layer  112 ,  122  and the oxide layer  127 . 
     In embodiments of the present invention the second doped semiconductor layer  122  is partially covering the first doped semiconductor layer  112 . 
     In embodiments of the present invention the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer may be silicon layers. The first or second semiconductor layer can for example be a poly- or a mono-silicon layer. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the semiconductor device  100  comprises a well  114  of a second conductivity type (e.g. p-type) in a deep well or substrate  112  of a first conductivity type (e.g. n-type) opposite to the second conductivity type. The deep well or the substrate of the first conductivity type are thereby realized in the first doped semiconductor layer. Reference is made to a deep well  112  to make the distinction between the well  114  and the deep well  112  which is deeper than the well  114 . 
     In this example at least one electronic component  115  in the well  114 , and the second doped semiconductor layer  122  (this may for example be a polysilicon shield  122 ) is present between the passivation layer  128  and the electronic component  115 . 
     In this example the oxide layer  127  is present over the second semiconductor layer  122 , over the well  114 , over the deep well  112  of the first conductivity type or substrate of the first conductivity type. The deep well  112  of the first conductivity type or the substrate of the first conductivity type are thereby realized in the first doped semiconductor layer  112 . The deep well  112  may for example be a doped mono-silicon layer. 
     For CMOS circuits an n-type deep well  112  is created in a p-substrate  110  to have electrical isolation between different deep n-wells  112  which avoids cross-talk between sub-circuits. One can leave out deep n-wells  112 , but then one must use n-type substrates  110  instead of p-type substrates and then the bulk of the device has to be connected to the highest voltage. Normally the bulk of CMOS is p-type and electrically connected to ground. Discrete pressure sensors without CMOS circuitry normally are made of n-type substrates. 
     The interconnect which comprises the metal alloy  124  and which is interconnecting the first and second doped semiconductor layers (e.g. mono- and polysilicon) is covered with the passivation layer  128  which provides reliability in harsh media. The passivation layer is a stoichiometric passivation layer comprising materials such as Si 3 N 4 , DLC, diamond or SiC to achieve maximum chemical and mechanical robustness. The stoichiometric passivation layer is formed at temperatures higher than 600 or even 800° C. and therefore is not compatible with metals such as platinum, aluminium and copper which are normally used for standard CMOS processing. At such temperatures aluminium melts and copper diffuses to the silicon and destroys the semiconductor properties of the silicon. Furthermore, in case of a copper metal conductor  18  the construction shown in  FIG. 1  would crack due to the high thermal expansion and high stiffness of the copper. 
     In embodiments of the present invention, on the other hand, a stoichiometric passivation layer can be applied because the interconnect between the poly- and the mono-silicon comprises a metal alloy  124  (e.g. silicide) and the conductive path comprises structured polycrystalline semiconductor material. The interconnect and the conductive path are both made of materials which are resistant against high temperatures. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the second doped semiconductor layer may be a polysilicon layer and the first doped semiconductor layer may be a monosilicon layer. It is advantageous that the ohmic contact between the polysilicon and the monosilicon is not achieved by simply growing the polysilicon on top of monosilicon with standard techniques such as LPCVD used for CMOS processing as this would result in oxidation of the monosilicon during the loading of the wafers with exposed monosilicon into the deposition tool. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the first conductivity type is n-type and the second conductivity type is p-type. In embodiments of the present invention the at least one electronic component is a piezo-resistor. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the polysilicon shield  122  above the electronic component  115  comprises a dopant of the first conductivity type. 
       FIG. 3  shows an exemplary implementation of a conductive path  121  connected between the at least one electronic component  115  and at least one via  131  through the passivation layer  128  which is connected with a bondpad  130 . 
     In this example area  510  shows the layout of a well  114  of the second conductivity type on a deep well  112  of the first conductivity type. 
     Area  520  shows the areas where a field oxide  120  is grown. It covers two rectangles each indicating an electronic component  115  (e.g. piezo resistors) at the bottom left of the area. 
     Area  530  shows where polysilicon  122  is present as shield and where polysilicon  121  is present to enhance the conductivity in the paths defined by field oxide  120 . The shield  122  and its contact to the substrate (region D 1 ) are of the first conductivity type (e.g. n-doped) whereas the bondpads and the conductive paths (regions D 2 ) are of the second conductivity type (e.g. p-doped). 
     Area  540  shows the conductive paths  121  for the electronic components  115  (e.g. piezoresistors). In this example no silicide is present on the shield above the piezo resistors. 
     Area  550  shows the contact holes  131  in the passivation layer  128  above the polysilicon in the bondpad area on the top right where the dark square indicates the bondpad metal. 
     Cross section A shows from left to right a conductive path  121  with polysilicon lines (structured polysilicon connections) covered with silicide  124 , an electronic component  115  (e.g. piezo-resistor) defined by a diffusion of the second conductivity type and isolated from the polysilicon shield  122  with the field oxide  120 , a conductive path  121  comprising polysilicon lines covered with silicide between the electronic component  115  and the bondpad  130  where the depth of the vias through the passivation layer are minimised by the presence of the field oxide and the polysilicon. 
     Cross section B shows from left to right an electronic component defined by a diffusion of the second conductivity type  114  and isolated from a polysilicon shield  122  with the field oxide  120  and the connection to the bulk  112  with doping of the first conductivity type and a silicide  124  of the interconnect between the first doped semiconductor layer  112  and the second doped semiconductor layer  122 . The polysilicon shield  122  does not have a silicide above the electronic components to assure optimal matching of expansion coefficients. 
       FIG. 4  shows a possible implementation of a conductive path  121  in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. In this example lanes are defined by absence of field oxide  120  and an implant and silicide  124  are provided on the mono-silicon  116  between the areas of field oxide  120 . This is shown at the left of the top view in  FIG. 4 . The cross section shows that here the conductivity of the source/drain diffusion is enhanced by the silicide process which will result in a flat surface. The sheet resistivity of such a surface is about 3 ohm/square, 100 times higher than the sheet resistance of a 1 μm thick aluminium layer. 
     In a preferred embodiment the conductive path  121  comprises thin lines of polysilicon  122  (polysilicon structures) that are aligned with the direction of the current. The 2 nd  cross section shows that in this way a lot of silicon surface is created perpendicular to the direction of the current. As a result more silicide  124  is available in the direction of the current and therefore the line conductivity can be at least two times higher than for the option at the right. 
     At the bottom of  FIG. 4  a conductive path is shown which comprises at the far right a conductive line that consists of a polysilicon line  122   b  on top of the field oxide  120  that is doped and covered with silicide  124 . This configuration has the advantage that electrical insulation to the substrate is provided by the field oxide and not by a pn junction. This will considerably reduce leakage currents of the device. Also, here polysilicon lines could be used, but then no conduction is present between the lines of polysilicon. 
     Right from the middle a less interesting option is indicated where non-patterned polysilicon  122   a  provides conduction in an area where the field oxide  120  is removed. With the same diffusion and silicide  124 , polysilicon will always have a higher sheet resistance than mono-silicon. 
       FIG. 5  shows layout features of a semiconductor device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     In this figure the second doped semiconductor layer  122  partially overlaps the first doped semiconductor layer  112 . A first part of the interconnect  129  is in contact with the first doped semiconductor layer  112 . A second part of the interconnect is in contact with the second doped semiconductor layer  122 . A part of the interconnect between the first side and the second side crosses a sidewall  133  of the second doped semiconductor layer. The interconnect may have a plurality (e.g. alternating) of contacts with the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer. A sidewall passivation  132  may be present on the sidewall  133 . 
     The top left schematic drawing  310  shows an intermediate process stack wherein the polysilicon shield  122  and a contact well  116  are shown. In this stack no silicide is present on the polysilicon shield  122  above the electronic components. In embodiments of the present invention the polysilicon shield may be doped to assure enough conductivity for shielding the electronic components. Not adding the silicide to the polysilicon shield may be advantageous because silicide might introduce a CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) mismatch between the polysilicon shield and the areas of the electronic components beneath. In embodiments of the present invention silicide is present on the contact area (e.g. on the poly-silicon where contact is made to the metal slit) for a proper electrical contact to the substrate. 
     The schematic drawing  320  shows the interconnects  129  which are comprising metal filled slits  123  that provide the substrate contact for the polysilicon shield. The schematic drawing also shows the conductive paths  121  for the electronic components  115  (e.g. piezoresistors). In this example the conductive paths  121  are comprising metal filled slits  123 . 
     The length of the slit is so long that a metal which fills the slit is in contact with the second doped semiconductor layer  122  and with the first doped semiconductor layer  112  and this even if a side wall passivation is present at the edge of the polysilicon. 
     The metal in the metal filled slit can for example comprise Tungsten. This allows to apply a passivation layer without damaging the interconnection in contrast to for example copper or aluminum interconnects. 
     The metal filled slits disclosed in these paragraphs may be combined with interconnects and conductive paths according to embodiments of the present invention. Essential for the present invention is that the interconnect also comprises a metal alloy. In embodiments with a conductive path the conductive path may comprise a structured polysilicon connection. 
     The schematic drawing  330  shows the bondpad area on the top right where the dark square indicates the bondpad metal  130  on top of a stoichiometric passivation layer  128 . Holes etched in this passivation layer (not shown) provide the electrical connection from the noble top metal to the metal filled slits under this passivation layer. 
     Cross section A shows from left to right a conductive path  121  with metal filled slits  123  on a substrate contact  116  of the second conductivity type (e.g. p-type source/drain diffusion), an electronic component  115  (e.g. piezo-resistor) defined by a well diffusion  114  of the second conductivity type and isolated from the polysilicon shield  122  with the field oxide  120  (the polysilicon shield  122 , the field oxide  120  and the electronic component are together forming a shielded electronic component). Further to the right a conductive path  121  (comprising the silicide  124 ) between the electronic component  115  and the bondpad  130  is shown. For the bondpad a noble top metal  130  is deposited on top of the stoichiometric passivation  128  and connected to the metal filled slits  123  through vias  131  in that passivation. Preferably the vias are made under the bondpad away from the electronic component. 
     Cross section B shows the cross section of an interconnect comprising a metal filled slit  123  that is placed perpendicularly across an array of polysilicon structures  122  and providing an electrical contact between the mono-  112  and polysilicon  122  although the polysilicon side walls are isolated by a polysilicon sidewall passivation  132 . The polysilicon structures  122  as well as the deep well  112  comprise dopants of the first conductivity type. The metal filled slit  123  connects deep well contacts  125 , which are doped with a dopant of the first conductivity type (e.g. n++ contacts), with the polysilicon shield  122 . 
     The field oxide  120  may for example have a thickness of 450+/−200 nm. The polysilicon  122  may for example have a thickness of 400 nm+/−150 nm and the HDP oxide  127  may for example have a thickness of 800 nm+/−400 nm. 
     It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that electronic components (e.g. a piezoresistor) can be created which are connected to the substrate and interconnect under a stoichiometric passivation layer. Thus, a semiconductor device can be created which is protected against a harsh environment. It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the interconnect has a resistance which is not significantly higher than that of a conventional interconnect. The semiconductor device may for example be a sensor. An increase in the resistance of the interconnect will result in a reduction of the sensitivity of the sensor. 
     In embodiments of the present invention highly conductive paths  121  connect the at least one electronic component  115  with at least one bondpad  130  on top of the passivation. This connection between a conductive path  121  and a bondpad may be achieved by means of a via through the passivation layer  128 . In embodiments of the present invention the bondpads are made of noble metal. 
     It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that such a stack can be realized using a process flow which comprises standard CMOS processing steps. Therefore, most of this flow can be executed in any CMOS wafer-fab up to deposition of the passivation layer when a stoichiometric passivation layer is applied. 
     Standard CMOS provides (low) doped areas  115  under a field oxide  120  and (higher) doped areas  116  where no field oxide is grown. The surface of these latter areas can be turned into a metal alloy (e.g. silicide)  124 . In embodiments of the present invention the (low) doped areas  115  under the field oxide  120  are used as electrical component  115  (e.g. piezo resistor). 
     In embodiments of the present invention the second conductivity type is p-type. The p-well areas  115  or piezo-resistors can be electrically isolated from each other by using an n-type wafer. However, CMOS is normally realized in p-type silicon. Therefore prior to the p-wells a so called deep n-well diffusion may be defined to provide the electrical isolation between the piezo-resistors  115 . One could define this diffusion for the entire wafer without using photolithography of the implantation. In embodiments of the preset invention the well  114  is a highly doped silicon well with silicide and is used as conductive path  121  between the at least one electronic component  115  and the vias  131 . In CMOS this diffusion  116  is in general referred to as the source/drain areas. 
     It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the polysilicon shields  122  can be made using the same process as the gates of CMOS transistors. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the field oxide  120  provides a spacer between the electronic component  115  and the and the polysilicon shield. This spacer prevents the shields from modulating the lowly doped region under the shield. 
     In embodiments of the present invention contacts holes  131  are etched in the passivation layer  128  so that bondpads  130  on top of the passivation layer  128  connect to the conductive path  121  under the passivation layer  128 . Preferably the bondpads  130  are realized with a noble metal so that only the passivation layer  128  and the noble metal bondpads are exposed to the media above the sensor. 
     Applying the passivation layer and the noble metal may be done using dedicated equipment in a dedicated clean room to avoid contamination with CMOS. 
       FIG. 6  schematically shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention illustrating an implementation of the mono  112 —polysilicon  122  contacts which can be used in combination with interconnects which comprise silicide in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. In  FIG. 6  the interconnect comprises a metal filled slit  123 . The dimensions of the slit are such that the polysilicon shield  122  and the substrate  112  contact are interconnected using a metal plug. 
     The width of the slit is for example between 0.8 and 1.2 or even between 0.5 and 3 times the critical dimension (the critical dimension is the diameter of a CMOS contact plug). In embodiments of the present invention the width of the slit is about twice the thickness of the sputtered metal. The metal is not only deposited on the bottom of the slit, but also on the side walls. When the slit is too deep the deposition at the sides of the slit will close off the slit at the top before the bottom of the slit is filled. When the slit is too wide the slit will not be filled when the thickness of the metal is less than the depth of the slit. So, the width of the slit is optimized for a certain technology as function of depth of the slit and thickness of the sputtered layer. In embodiments of the present invention the depth of the slit may be larger than the width. The depth and the width are preferable selected such that the slit is filled with metal without a void at the bottom or a dip at the top. 
     The length of the slit may for example be between 1.5 and 3 or even between 3 and 10 times the critical dimension. The length of the slit may for example be at least 3 times, or even 10 times, or even 100 times, or even 5000 times longer than the width of the slit. The length of the metal filled slit is thereby measured from one outer end of the metal to the opposite outer end of the metal measured in the dimension which crosses the first and the second semiconductor layer. 
     The top of  FIG. 6  shows how such slits  123  filled with metal can be used as contact between mono  112 —and polysilicon  122 . In this example the slits are defined perpendicular to the edges of the polysilicon. The bottom of  FIG. 4  shows the details of some of the possibilities of such a slit  123 . The well doping in  FIG. 4  is of the first conductivity type (n-doped) and in the contact areas  125  the conductivity is enhanced by a source/drain implant of the first conductivity type which is also used to implant the polysilicon layer. A silicide  124  is formed simultaneously on the polysilicon  122  and the mono-silicon  125  after the diffusion of the implant. The figure shows that one slit filled with tungsten can connect mono- to polysilicon even when side wall passivation structures  118  or residues  134  are still present. This is possible because of the length of the slit. 
     In  FIG. 6  the interconnect  129 , between the mono- and poly-silicon is realized after structuring of the polysilicon  122  in a comb shape. Metal filled slits  123  are present orthogonal to the teeth of the comb and provide the contact between the polysilicon shield and the mono-silicon. Afterwards the interconnect and the polysilicon are covered with a passivation layer. This is preferably a stoichiometric passivation layer.  FIG. 6  also shows a first HDP oxide  127   a  in which the metal filled slits are formed and a second HDP oxide  127   b  on top of the first HPD oxide and on top of the metal filled slits. 
     In embodiments of the present invention metal filled slits may be provided as low ohmic interconnection lines between the electronic components and the bondpads even without making a mono-polysilicon contact. 
       FIG. 7  shows metal (e.g. tungsten) filled slit interconnects  129  as low ohmic interconnection lines, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. These interconnects  129  are shown in the middle of the left picture. On the left side of the left picture a conductive path comprising metal filled slits  123   a  is shown which is defined in a path where no field oxide is grown. The width of such a path can for example range from 1 to 40 μm and it can be as long as the length of the die or even more. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the surface of the mono-silicon is doped with a source/drain implant to obtain a highly doped path  116  and covered with a silicide  124 . An array of metal filled slits  123   a  is placed on top of the silicide  124  and these slits are realized over the entire length of the path aligned in the direction of the current. These metal filled slits are part of the conductive path  121  between the at least one electronic component and at least one bondpad  130 . The conductive path  121  is electrically isolated from the rest of the chip by the source/drain diffusion  116  of the silicon. Therefore, this diffusion must have a doping that is opposite of the doping of the silicon around this diffusion. For a n-type mono-silicon deep well  112  the source drain doping must be p-type. The voltage of the substrate must be kept at a voltage that keeps the pn junction between the conduction path  121  and the bulk  112  in reverse bias so that isolation is obtained. One can also consider defining a p-type well over the length of the path which will increase the breakdown voltage between this line and the substrate, but also increase the capacitance between this conduction line and the bulk. Another effect is that small leakage currents will be present between these conductive paths  121  and the bulk in the order of 10 to 100 pA at room temperature. Such currents will not essentially affect the behavior of a Wheatstone bridge with a resistance up to 100 KOhm. (note that such leakage currents are always present for piezoresistors or other electrical components that make use of the well implant of the 2 nd  type) 
     A similar conductive path  121  is shown at the right of the left picture where the metal filled slits are placed on the polysilicon layer  122  on a field oxide  120 . The conductive path comprises metal filled slits  123   b . A disadvantage of this conduction path is that the slits are less deep than the slits on the mono-silicon and therefore the resistance of such lines will be higher. However, the isolation of this line towards the bulk  112  is provided by the field oxide  120  and not by a pn junction. Therefore, the leakage current of such a conduction line towards the bulk can be totally neglected. The breakdown voltage is not improved as at the end of such a line always a contact to an electronic component  115  is made and this electronic component  115  in the well  114  always has a break down voltage. 
     The right picture of  FIG. 7  shows the four different options that one has by defining metal filled slits as conductive paths in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The left part  400  shows the metal filled slits placed on mono-silicon  116 . This will result in the lowest resistivity of the path but will also increase somewhat the leakage current to the bulk. The part  410  shows a similar conductive path with polysilicon  122  between the metal filled slits  123  and the mono-silicon  116  resulting in a low ohmic connection between the mono-  116  and polysilicon  122  at the left edge of the polysilicon  122 . This line will have higher resistance than the array of metal filled slits on the mono-silicon  116 , but it will show less leakage currents as a native oxide is present between the polysilicon  122  and the mono-silicon  116 . The cross section  420  shows that the height of the metal filled slits  123  is minimal when polysilicon  122  is present between these slits and the field oxide  120 . This will result in the least conductive path. The cross section  430  shows perfectly isolated conductive paths  121  on top of a field oxide  120 . These paths will have less good conductivity than the paths in cross section  300  at the left, but without leakage currents and depletion capacitance. Therefore, this solution would be preferred for high temperature applications where leakage currents must be minimized. 
     The table below shows a comparison of resistances of conductive paths in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The resistance of an array of polysilicon lines covered with a silicide with a width of 10 μm and a length of 1 mm will be about 150 ohm whereas a single line of tungsten with a length of 1 mm will result in a similar resistance of 132 ohm. However, an array of tungsten filled slits with a width of 10 μm and a length of 1 mm will be only 11 ohm, about 8 times less than a conventional platinum interconnect with a thickness of 0.2 μm and a width of 10 μm. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
                 R tungsten line (W: 0.4 μm, L: 10 μm) 
                 1.32 
                 Ohm 
               
               
                   
                 R sheet  tungsten parallel lines a) 
                 0.11 
                 Ohm/sq 
               
               
                   
                 R sheet  silicided polySi lines b) 
                 1.50 
                 Ohm/sq 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 a) 0.4 um wide, 1 um high tungsten lines at 0.8 um pitch 
               
               
                   
                 b) 0.4 um wide 0.4 um high poly lines at 0.8 um pitch 
               
            
           
         
       
     
       FIG. 8 a    shows a conductive path  121  comprising a polysilicon structure  126  on top of a field oxide  120  in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The polysilicon structure  126  is in contact with a p+ diffusion  116 . A silicide  124  is covering the polysilicon structure  126  and the p+ diffusion  116 . The polysilicon structure  126  is a p-doped polysilicon. Compared to the conductive path illustrated in  FIG. 3  a lower leakage current and depletion capacitance can be obtained at the cost of an increased resistivity. 
       FIG. 8 b    shows the same configuration as  FIG. 8 a   , but now with the connection  140  between the polysilicon shield  122  to a diffusion  125  of the 2 nd  conductivity type in the bulk where  119  represents the sensing element and  150  the conductive path. 
       FIG. 9 a    shows a conductive path comprising tungsten filled slits  123  on top of a field oxide  120  in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The conductive path comprises a p-doped polysilicon structure  126  on top of the field oxide  120 , a silicide  124  on top of the polysilicon structure and the tungsten filled slits  123  on top of the silicide. Compared to the conductive paths illustrated in  FIG. 5  a lower leakage current and depletion capacitance can be obtained at the cost of an increased resistivity. It is, moreover, advantageous that the structure of  FIG. 9 a    can be obtained using a more robust process. 
       FIG. 9 b    shows the same configuration as  FIG. 9 a   , but now with the connection  140  between the polysilicon shield  122  to a diffusion  125  of the 2 nd  conductivity type in the bulk where  119  represents the sensing element and  150  the conductive path. 
     In the previous example the electronic component was a piezo resistor. The invention is, however, not limited thereto and can be applied for different other electronic components. The invention may for example also be applied in the field of IR sensors to connect p-type polysilicon to n-type polysilicon on a thin membrane to make thermocouples. 
     An example of such a prior art thermocouple device is illustrated in  FIG. 10 . It shows a silicon wafer  840  with an edged membrane. A field oxide  850  covers the silicon wafer. A first doped polysilicon layer  112  is covered with an oxide  830  grown on the first doped polysilicon layer  112  and a second doped polysilicon layer  122  is covering the first doped polysilicon layer  112 . Metal contacts  810  are connected using wolfram plugs  820  with the first and second doped polysilicon layers. Aluminium bridges  860  between the metal contacts provide the contact between the first and second polysilicon layers. These aluminium bridges cause stress, reflections and thermal leaks. 
     This is solved in the semiconductor device of  FIG. 11  which shows a schematic drawing of a thermocouple device in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. In this example a first HPD oxide  127   a  is covering the first and second doped semiconductor layers (polysilicon). Silicide interconnects  124  are interconnecting the first and second doped semiconductor layers  112  and  122 . In this example also metal filled slits  123  are interconnecting the first and second doped semiconductor layers  112  and  122  thereby increasing the conductivity. In this example a second HPD oxide  127   b  is covering the first HDP oxide. It is thereby an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the absence of metal on the membrane prevents surface stress (cracks). 
     In a second aspect embodiments of the present invention relate to method  200  for manufacturing a semiconductor device. An example of such a method is illustrated in  FIG. 12 . An exemplary device obtained using such a method is illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The method comprises providing  210  a first doped semiconductor layer  112  and providing  220  a second doped semiconductor layer  122 . At least one electronic component is formed in the first and/or second semiconductor layer. 
     In embodiments of the present invention the method may comprise providing  230  an interconnect, which comprises a metal alloy, which has a first part in contact with the first doped semiconductor layer and a second part in contact with the second doped semiconductor layer such that a part of the interconnect between the first part and the second part crosses over a sidewall ( 133 ) of the second doped semiconductor layer ( 122 ) 
     In embodiments of the present invention the method may comprise providing  240  a conductive path which comprises structured polycrystalline semiconductor material (e.g. structured polysilicon connections). 
     The method moreover comprises depositing  250  an oxide layer  127  over the second doped semiconductor layer  122  and over the first doped semiconductor layer  112 . 
     The method moreover comprises providing  260  a stoichiometric passivation layer  128  over the first and second doped semiconductor layers  112 ,  122  and over the oxide layer  127 . 
     In embodiments of the present invention providing the first semiconductor layer may comprise providing a substrate  110  which comprises a well  114  of a second conductivity type in a deep well  112  (the first doped semiconductor layer) of a first conductivity type opposite to the second conductivity type wherein at least one electronic component is provided in the well  114 . 
     Providing the second semiconductor layer  122  may comprise applying  220  a polysilicon shield  122  over the electronic component  115 . Providing the first semiconductor layer may comprise providing a mono-silicon layer. 
     In embodiments of the present invention this step may be followed by a step wherein source drain implants and a metal alloy (e.g. silicide) are formed simultaneously on the polysilicon and mono-silicon. 
     The oxide layer  127  may for example be a high-density plasma (HDP) chemical vapor deposited oxide. 
     It is an advantage of embodiments of the present invention that the steps can be applied using standard CMOS processing followed by some special post processing steps to accomplish reliability in harsh media. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention deep well diffusion of the first conductivity type may provide the electrical insulation of the electronic components, the diffusion of the second conductivity type may define the electronic components. The field oxide may isolate the polysilicon shields (first doped semiconductor layer) from the electronic components and source drain implants can be used to create substrate contacts and to connect the electronic components with each other. A standard silicide process may provide contact areas and areas with high conductivity. 
     In an exemplary embodiment A HDP oxide provides the first metal isolation. 
     In step  260  the passivation layer is provided. This is achieved by high temperature deposition  260  of a passivation layer to assure a stoichiometric structure with a minimum of dislocations and voids. This layer is indispensable to provide reliability in harsh media. In principle the LPCVD nitride deposition tool can be used that also defines the nitride used for masking the growing of the field oxide. 
     This step may be followed by non-CMOS steps of patterning the passivation layer to provide vias for the bondpads to the interconnect and the definition of bondpads covering these vias. Preferably these bondpads are made of a noble metal to resist harsh environments. 
     It is an advantage that no dedicated process control modules must be developed to monitor the quality of the mono-polysilicon contact during mass production. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates exemplary methods steps of a method for providing interconnections between the first and second doped semiconductor layer. The first box represents standard CMOS steps on wafer of the second conductivity type. A deep diffusion of the first conductivity type provides the electrical insulation of the electronic components  115 , a diffusion of the second conductivity type defines the electronic components. The field oxide  120  isolates the polysilicon shields  122  (realized in the second doped semiconductor layer) from the electronic components  115  and source drain implants  116  are used to create substrate contacts and to connect the electronic components  115  with each other. An example of a device manufactured using this method is illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
     In embodiments of the present invention silicide contacts are provided between the mono- and the polysilicon. This is achieved as indicated in the 2 nd  box. The 2 nd  box indicates that, in this example, the CMOS process needs to be modified in such a way that no sidewall protection is present before the silicide process is started. One could consider omitting the gate oxide processing to minimize the oxide thickness between the mono- and polysilicon. 
     The third box represents standard CMOS steps for forming a silicide  124  and HDP oxide. For the silicide process a silicide is created between the mono- and polysilicon at the edges of the polysilicon defined in areas without field oxide. The HDP oxide rounds the edges of the polysilicon and planarizes the surface. The use of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) allows making perfectly flat surfaces but is not a necessary step. 
     The fourth box represents the high temperature deposition of the passivation layer  128  to assure a stoichiometric structure with a minimum of dislocations and voids. This layer is preferable to provide reliability in harsh media. In principle the LPCVD nitride deposition tool can be used that also defines the nitride used for masking the growing of the field oxide. 
     The last box represents the (non-CMOS) steps of patterning the passivation layer  128  to provide vias  131  for the bondpads  130  to the interconnect and the definition of bondpads  130  covering these vias  131 . Preferably these bondpads  130  are made of a noble metal to resist harsh environments. An example of a stack implemented using this method is illustrated in  FIG. 3 .