Provided is a semiconductor apparatus, wherein a doping concentration distribution in the buffer region has a deepest slope where a doping concentration monotonically decreases to a position where it comes in contact with the drift region in a direction from the lower surface of the semiconductor substrate toward an upper surface, a hydrogen chemical concentration distribution in the buffer region includes in a first depth range provided with the slope: a first decrease portion where a hydrogen chemical concentration decreases toward the upper surface side; a second decrease portion located closer to the upper surface side than the first decrease portion is and where the chemical concentration decreases; and an intermediate portion arranged between the first and second decrease portions, and the intermediate portion has: a flat portion where the distribution is uniform; a peak in a slope of the chemical concentration; or a kink portion of the chemical concentration.

In a semiconductor device, a semiconductor substrate has an IGBT region and a FWD, and includes a first conductivity type drift layer, a second conductivity type base layer disposed on the drift layer, a second conductivity type collector layer disposed opposite to the base layer with respect to the drift layer in the IGBT region, and a first conductivity type cathode layer disposed opposite to the base layer with respect to the drift layer in the FWD region. The collector layer includes an extension portion that covers only a part of the cathode layer on a side adjacent to the drift layer. Alternatively, the collector layer includes an extension portion that entirely covers a region of the cathode layer adjacent to the drift layer, and has an area density of 3.5×10.sup.12 cm.sup.−2 or less.

Provided is a semiconductor device including: a buffer region having a doping concentration higher than a bulk donor concentration; a first low-concentration hydrogen peak in the buffer region; a second low-concentration hydrogen peak in the buffer region closer to a lower surface than the first low-concentration hydrogen peak; a high-concentration hydrogen peak in the buffer region closer to the lower surface than the second low-concentration hydrogen peak, the high-concentration hydrogen peak having a hydrogen chemical concentration higher than that of the second low-concentration hydrogen peak; and a flat region including a region between the two low-concentration hydrogen peaks and a region including the second low-concentration hydrogen peak, and having a doping concentration higher than a bulk donor concentration, an average value of the doping concentration being equal to or smaller than a local minimum value of a doping concentration between the second low-concentration hydrogen peak and the high-concentration hydrogen peak.

Provided is a semiconductor device including: a semiconductor substrate having a drift region of a first conductivity type; and a buffer region of the first conductivity type provided between the drift region and a lower surface of the semiconductor substrate and having a higher doping concentration than the drift region. The buffer region has two or more helium chemical concentration peaks arranged at different positions in a depth direction of the semiconductor substrate.

A semiconductor device includes a switch element having a surface and first and second regions and including a first semiconductor material having a band-gap. The first region of the switch element is coupled to a source contact. A floating electrode has first and second ends. The first end of the floating electrode is coupled to the second region of the switch element. A voltage-support structure includes a second semiconductor material having a band-gap that is larger than the band-gap of the first semiconductor material. The voltage-support structure is in contact with the second end of the floating electrode. A drain contact is coupled to the voltage-support structure.

In an embodiment, a semiconductor device is provided that includes a main transistor having a load path, a sense transistor configured to sense a main current flowing in the load path of the main transistor, and at least one bypass diode structure configured to protect the sense transistor. The at least one bypass diode structure is electrically coupled in parallel with the sense transistor.

There is provided a semiconductor device including: a semiconductor layer including a main surface; a plurality of trenches including a plurality of first trench portions and a plurality of second trench portions, respectively; an insulating layer formed in an inner wall of each of the second trench portions; a first electrode buried in each of the second trench portions with the insulating layer interposed between the first electrode and each of the second trench portions; a plurality of insulators buried in the first trench portions so as to cover the first electrode; a contact hole formed at a region between the plurality of first trench portions in the semiconductor layer so as to expose the plurality of insulators; and a second electrode buried in the contact hole.

A method of processing a power semiconductor device includes: providing a semiconductor body with a drift region of a first conductivity type; forming a plurality of trenches extending into the semiconductor body along a vertical direction and arranged adjacent to each other along a first lateral direction; providing a mask arrangement at the semiconductor body, the mask arrangement having a lateral structure according to which some of the trenches are exposed and at least one of the trenches is covered by the mask arrangement along the first lateral direction; forming, below bottoms of the exposed trenches, a plurality of doping regions of a second conductivity type complementary to the first conductivity type; removing the mask arrangement; and extending the plurality of doping regions in parallel to the first lateral direction such that the plurality of doping regions overlap and form a barrier region of the second conductivity type adjacent to the bottoms of the exposed trenches.

A power semiconductor device is disclosed. The device includes a semiconductor body coupled to a first load terminal structure and a second load terminal structure, a first cell and a second cell. A first mesa is included in the first cell, the first mesa including: a first port region and a first channel region. A second mesa included in the second cell, the second mesa including a second port region. A third cell is electrically connected to the second load terminal structure and electrically connected to a drift region. The third cell includes a third mesa comprising: a third port region, a third channel region, and a third control electrode.

Exemplary power semiconductor devices with features providing increased breakdown voltage and other benefits are disclosed.