A power semiconductor device includes a semiconductor body coupled to first and second load terminals. The body includes: at least a diode structure configured to conduct a load current between the terminals and including an anode port electrically connected to the first load terminal and a cathode port electrically connected to the second load terminal; and drift and field stop regions of the same conductivity type. The cathode port includes first port sections and second port sections with dopants of the opposite conductivity type. A transition between each of the second port sections and the field stop region forms a respective pn-junction that extends along a first lateral direction. A lateral separation distance between immediately adjacent ones of second port sections in a second group is smaller than in a first group.

An HVIC is a gate driver IC that drives a three-phase inverter and includes high-potential-side regions for three phases on a single semiconductor substrate. The high-potential-side region includes an n-type region and has a potential that is fixed at a power source voltage potential through a VB contact region in the n-type region. The high-potential-side region has a high-side driving circuit that drives an upper arm element of the inverter. An interphase region between adjacent high-potential-side regions has no GND contact region and no GND contact electrode arranged therein, and has only a p-type region at a ground potential constituting a low-potential-side region. The high-potential-side region of one phase has a p.sup.−-type opening between the high-side driving circuit of thereof and the high-side driving circuit or the GND contact region of an adjacent high-potential-side region that is of another phase and sandwiches the interphase region therebetween.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate; a well of a first conductivity-type and including an anti-punch-through (APT) layer of the first conductivity-type; source and drain features of a second conductivity-type over the APT layer; a strap feature of the first conductivity-type over the well; multiple vertically-stacked channel layers over the APT layer and connecting the source and drain features; a gate wrapping around each channel layer; source and drain contacts electrically coupled to the source and drain features; source and drain vias landed on the source and drain contacts; a strap contact electrically coupled to the strap feature; and a strap via landed on the strap contact. The source via and the strap via are configured to be coupled to different voltages during a non-active mode of the semiconductor device and to be coupled to a substantially same voltage during an active mode of the semiconductor device.

A semiconductor device including a peripheral circuit layer on a substrate; a lower stack and upper stack on the substrate; a stopper layer on the upper stack and including an insulating material; an upper mold layer on the stopper layer; a cell channel structure extending through the layers, a side surface of the cell channel structure contacting the stopper layer; first and second capping layers; a word line separation structure including a protrusion protruding toward the stopper layer; and a bit line contact plug connected to the cell channel structure, wherein an inner side surface of the stopper layer is offset from an inner side surface of the upper stack, and in contact with the word line separation structure.

A voltage withstanding structure disposed in an edge termination region is a spatial modulation junction termination extension (JTE) structure formed by a combination of a JTE structure and a field limiting ring (FLR) structure. All FLRs configuring the FLR structure are surrounded by an innermost one of p.sup.−−-type regions configuring the JTE structure. An innermost one of the FLRs is disposed overlapping a p.sup.+-type extension and the innermost one of the p.sup.−−-type regions, at a position overlapping a border between the p.sup.+-type extension and the innermost one of the p.sup.−−-type regions. The FLRs are formed concurrently with p.sup.++-type contact regions in an active region and have an impurity concentration substantially equal to an impurity concentration of the p.sup.++-type contact regions. An n.sup.+-type channel stopper region is formed concurrently with n.sup.+-type source regions in the active region and has an impurity concentration substantially equal to an impurity concentration the n.sup.+-type source regions.

A semiconductor device includes etch stop films formed on the first gate electrode, the first source region, the first drain region, and the shallow trench isolation regions, respectively. First interlayer insulating films are formed on the etch stop film, respectively. Deep trenches are formed in the substrate between adjacent ones of the first interlayer insulating films to overlap the shallow trench isolation regions. Sidewall insulating films are formed in the deep trenches, respectively. A gap-fill insulating film is formed on the sidewall insulating film. A second interlayer insulating film is formed on the gap-fill insulating film. A top surface of the second interlayer insulating film is substantially planar and a bottom surface of the second interlayer insulating film is undulating.

A vertical metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor, including a starting substrate of a first conductivity type, a second first-conductivity-type epitaxial layer provided on a first surface of the starting substrate via a first first-conductivity-type epitaxial layer, a first semiconductor region of the first conductivity type provided as a portion of the second first-conductivity-type epitaxial layer, a second-conductivity-type epitaxial layer forming a pn junction interface with the second first-conductivity-type epitaxial layer and supplying a minority carrier to the second first-conductivity-type epitaxial layer, a plurality of second semiconductor regions of the first conductivity type selectively provided in the second-conductivity-type epitaxial layer, a plurality of trenches penetrating through the second semiconductor regions and the second-conductivity-type epitaxial layer, and a plurality of gate electrodes provided in the trenches via gate insulating films. A lifetime of the minority carrier of the first semiconductor region is shorter than that of the rest of the second first-conductivity-type epitaxial layer.

A semiconductor structure includes a substrate; a nucleation layer located above the substrate; and a metal nitride thin film located between the nucleation layer and the substrate. A diffusion of atoms in a material of the substrate is suppressed by depositing the metal nitride thin film between the substrate and the nucleation layer, so that a thickness of the nucleation layer is significantly reduced, and a total thermal resistance of the semiconductor structure is reduced.

A variety of applications can include memory devices designed to provide enhanced gate-induced-drain-leakage (GIDL) current during memory erase operations. The enhanced operation can be provided by enhancing the electric field in the channel structures of the topmost select gate transistors to strings of memory cells upon application of a voltage to the gates of the topmost select gate transistors. This electric field can be provided by using a dissected plug as a contact to the channel structure of the topmost select gate transistor, where the dissected plug has one or more conductive regions contacting the channel structure and one or more non-conductive regions contacting the channel structure. The dissected plug can be part of a contact between the data line and the channel structure. Additional devices, systems, and methods are discussed.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a fin-shaped structure, a gate structure, a first doped region, a second doped region, and an intermediate region. The fin-shaped structure is disposed on and extends upwards from a top surface of the semiconductor substrate in a vertical direction. The gate structure is disposed straddling a part of the fin-shaped structure. At least a part of the first doped region is disposed in the fin-shaped structure. The second doped region is disposed in the fin-shaped structure and disposed above the first doped region in the vertical direction. The intermediate region is disposed in the fin-shaped structure. The second doped region is separated from the first doped region by the intermediate region, and a bottom surface of the gate structure is lower than or coplanar with a top surface of the first doped region in the vertical direction.