A semiconductor device is provided, including a substrate, a seed layer on the substrate, an epitaxial layer on the seed layer, an electrode structure on the epitaxial layer and an electric field modulation structure. The electrode structure includes a gate structure, a source structure and a drain structure, wherein the source structure and the drain structure are positioned on opposite sides of the gate structure. The electric field modulation structure includes an electric connection structure and a conductive layer electrically connected to the electric connection structure. The conductive layer is positioned between the gate structure and the drain structure. The electric connection structure is electrically connected to the source structure and the drain structure.

A transistor arrangement includes: a layer stack with first and second semiconductor layers of complementary first and second doping types; a first source region of a first transistor device adjoining the first semiconductor layers; a first drain region of the first transistor device adjoining the second semiconductor layers and spaced apart from the first source region; gate regions of the first transistor device, each gate region adjoining at least one second semiconductor layer, being arranged between the first source region and the first drain region, and being spaced apart from the first source region and the first drain region; a third semiconductor layer adjoining the layer stack and each of the first source region, first drain region, and each gate region; and active regions of a second transistor device integrated in the third semiconductor layer in a second region spaced apart from a first region of the third semiconductor layer.

A semiconductor device with a breakdown preventing layer is provided. The breakdown preventing layer can be located in a high-voltage surface region of the device. The breakdown preventing layer can include an insulating film or a low conductive film with conducting elements embedded therein. The conducting elements can be arranged along a lateral length of the insulating film or the low conductive film. The conducting elements can vary in at least one of composition, doping, conductivity, size, thickness, shape, and distance from the device channel along a lateral length of the insulating film or the low conductive film, or in a direction that is perpendicular to the lateral length.

A semiconductor device that allows easy hole extraction is provided. The semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor substrate having drift and base regions; a transistor portion formed in the semiconductor substrate; and a diode portion formed adjacent to the transistor portion and in the semiconductor substrate. In the transistor portion and the diode portion: a plurality of trench portions each arrayed along a predetermined array direction; and a plurality of mesa portions formed between respective trench portions are formed, among the plurality of mesa portions, at least one boundary mesa portion at a boundary between the transistor portion and the diode portion includes a contact region at an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate and having a concentration higher than that of the base region, and an area of the contact region at the boundary mesa portion is greater than an area of the contact region at another mesa portion.

An insulation film includes a first opening portion in at least one of a cell region and a termination region, and a second opening portion in an interface region. The second opening portion has an opening ratio lower than an opening ratio of the first opening portion. The semiconductor device includes a first impurity layer of a second conductivity type, and a second impurity layer of the second conductivity type. The first impurity layer is disposed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate below the first opening portion. The second impurity layer has impurity concentration lower than impurity concentration of the first impurity layer, and is disposed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate below the second opening portion.

To provide a highly reliable semiconductor device having both an improved breakdown voltage and a reduced withstand voltage leakage current. An intermediate resistive field plate is comprised of a first intermediate resistive field plate coupled, at one end thereof, to an inner-circumferential-side resistive field plate and, at the other end, to an outer-circumferential-side resistive field plate and a plurality of second intermediate resistive field plates. The first intermediate resistive field plate has a planar pattern that is equipped with a plurality of first portions separated from each other in a first direction connecting the inner-circumferential resistive field plate to the outer-circumferential-side resistive field plate and linearly extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and repeats reciprocation along the second direction. The second intermediate resistive field plates are each connected with a first end portion on one side of the first portions and extend with a curvature.

A semiconductor structure is disclosed. The semiconductor structure includes: a substrate; a gate structure formed over the substrate; a source region and a drain region formed in the substrate on either side of the gate structure, the source region and the drain region both having a first type of conductivity; and a field plate formed over the substrate between the gate structure and the drain region; wherein the field plate is coupled to the source region or a bulk electrode of the substrate. An associated method for fabricating the semiconductor structure is also disclosed.

A termination structure for a nitride-based Schottky diode includes a guard ring formed by an epitaxially grown P-type nitride-based compound semiconductor layer and dielectric field plates formed on the guard ring. The termination structure is formed at the edge of the anode electrode of the Schottky diode and has the effect of reducing electric field crowding at the anode electrode edge, especially when the Schottky diode is reverse biased. In one embodiment, the P-type epitaxial layer includes a step recess to further enhance the field spreading effect of the termination structure.

A semiconductor device includes a first main electrode terminal and second main electrode terminal disposed on the principal surface of a semiconductor substrate so as to be spaced from one another, an insulating film formed on the principal surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a thin film resistance layer. One end side of the thin film resistance layer is connected to the first main electrode terminal and the other end side of the thin film resistance layer is connected to the second main electrode terminal, the thin film resistance layer being spirally formed on the insulating film in such a way as to surround the first main electrode terminal. The thin film resistance layer extends while oscillating in a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate.

An nchMOSFET of a level-raising circuit is arranged in a high voltage junction termination region (HVJT), to be integrated with a parasitic diode formed by an n.sup.−-type diffusion region and a second p-type separation region. On a high potential side of the HVJT, a first field plate (FP) also acting as a drain electrode of the nchMOSFET and a second FP also acting as a cathode electrode of a parasitic diode are arranged away from each other. On a low potential side the HVJT, a third electrode also acting as a source electrode of the nchMOSFET is arranged in a planar layout surrounding the periphery of a high potential side region. On an interlayer insulating film, an interval between a first portion of the third FP and a fourth portion of the first FP is larger than an interval between the second and the third FPs.