A high-performance trench capacitor integrated in a passive integration technology

Abstract

The requirements for the electrical characteristics of passive on-chip devices become more and more important. The electrical performance of RF circuits is predominantly restricted by the passives. New technologies and new device concepts are necessary to meet the demands. In this work, a trench capacitor developed for RF applications is presented for the first time. This so-called SilCap (silicon capacitor) device features very high capacitance density, extreme low-voltage dependence, excellent temperature stability, good RF performance and a high breakthrough voltage. First, the device function and the technological concept are introduced. The concept is realized without implementing cost-intensive high-k materials. This trench capacitor is integrated in the front end of line of a passive integration technology. The achieved specific capacitance density is compared to a standard planar capacitor. Performance of the SilCap in terms of quality factor and breakthrough voltage is shown. Finally, reliability data of this trench capacitor are presented with special focus on extrinsic and dielectric lifetime.

New Stacked Metal–Insulator–Metal Capacitor with High Capacitance Density for Future InP-Based ICs

“…However, in terms of the application of InP-based ICs, the thickness of SiN dielectric must be above 170 nm in order to ensure high yields or reliability of ICs. 12,13) Therefore, increasing S eff is a suitable way of increasing capacitance density for InP-based ICs, and a large enough S eff compared with S foot can be obtained with either a trenchtype MIM capacitor structure 14,15) or stacked structure, 16,17) whereas S eff is equal to S foot in a conventional single-layer MIM capacitor. For the trench structure, it is necessary to etch the InP substrate with halogen gases (i.e., HBr, HI), [18][19][20] but the structure is difficult to form with the smooth sidewalls that are needed to ensure high reliability of MIM capacitors.…”

High-Density 3-D Capacitors for Power Systems On-Chip: Evaluation of a Technology Based on Silicon Submicrometer Pore Arrays Formed by Electrochemical Etching

“…Another solution to reduce this lateral access resistance is to place the contact for the bottom electrode inside the pores area in dummy trenches. Infineon capacitor design includes this type of dummy trenches [34]. On Semiconductor has also proposed a wrap-around PIP (PolySi/Isolation/PolySi) capacitor where a trench filled with polysilicon contacts the doped bottom plate [35].…”

Simulation and modelling of a high-performance trench capacitor for RF applications

“…The three-dimensional simulations are carried out with HFSS TM , a commercial tool for solving Maxwell's equation including equation (6) in the high frequency range. In order to save computation time, the minimal cell shown in figure 6 is simulated fulfilling periodic boundary conditions.…”

“…Two main device types are discussed: one with a 6-15-5 nm oxide-nitrideoxide (ONO) dielectric stack called ONO20, featuring high capacitance density. The second one is called ONO85 with a 7-77-5 nm ONO stack, covering a high breakdown stability [6].…”