A bidirectional thyristor device includes a semiconductor wafer with a number of layers forming pn junctions. A first main electrode and a first gate electrode are arranged on a first main side of the wafer. A second main electrode and a second gate electrode are arranged on a second main side of the wafer. First emitter shorts penetrate through a first semiconductor layer and second emitter shorts penetrate through a fifth semiconductor layer. In an orthogonal projection onto a plane parallel to the first main side, a first area occupied by the first semiconductor layer and the first emitter shorts overlaps in an overlapping area with a second area occupied by the fifth semiconductor layer and the second emitter shorts. The overlapping area, in which the first area overlaps with the second area, encompasses at least 50% of a total wafer area occupied by the semiconductor wafer.

An insulated gate turn-off (IGTO) device, formed as a die, has a layered structure including a p+ layer (e.g., a substrate), an n epi layer, a p-well, trenched insulated gate regions formed in the p-well, and n+ regions between the gate regions, so that vertical NPN and PNP transistors are formed. The device may be formed of a matrix of cells or may be interdigitated. To turn the device on, a positive voltage is applied to the gate, referenced to the cathode. The cells further contain a vertical p-channel MOSFET, for rapidly turning the device off. The p-channel MOSFET may be made a depletion mode device by implanting boron ions at an angle into the trenches to create a p-channel. This allows the IGTO device to be turned off with a zero gate voltage while in a latch-up condition, when the device is acting like a thyristor.

A semiconductor device that can detect temperature appropriately is provided. A semiconductor device provided with a semiconductor substrate in which one or more transistor portions and one or more diode portions are provided is provided, including: a temperature detecting portion provided above the top surface of the semiconductor substrate and having a longitudinal side in a predetermined longitudinal direction; a top surface electrode provided above the top surface of the semiconductor substrate; and one or more external lines that have a connecting part connected with the top surface electrode and electrically connect the top surface electrode to a circuit outside the semiconductor device. The temperature detecting portion extends across the one or more transistor portions and the one or more diode portions in the longitudinal direction, and the connecting part of at least one of the external lines is arranged around the temperature detecting portion when seen from above.

A bidirectional thyristor device includes a semiconductor wafer with a number of layers forming pn junctions. A first main electrode and a first gate electrode are arranged on a first main side of the wafer. A second main electrode and a second gate electrode are arranged on a second main side of the wafer. First emitter shorts penetrate through a first semiconductor layer and second emitter shorts penetrate through a fifth semiconductor layer. In an orthogonal projection onto a plane parallel to the first main side, a first area occupied by the first semiconductor layer and the first emitter shorts overlaps in an overlapping area with a second area occupied by the fifth semiconductor layer and the second emitter shorts. The overlapping area, in which the first area overlaps with the second area, encompasses at least 50% of a total wafer area occupied by the semiconductor wafer.

Protection against electrostatic discharges is to be improved for electronic devices, or is to be provided in the first place. The device for protection against electrostatic discharges having an integrated semiconductor protection device comprises an inner region (1) configured at least as a thyristor (SCR) and at least one outer region (2a, 2b) configured as a corner region, which is formed and configured at least as a PNP transistor. The inner region (1) and the at least one outer region (2a, 2b) are arranged adjacent to one another.

A semiconductor die with high-voltage tolerant electrical overstress circuit architecture is disclosed. One embodiment of the semiconductor die includes a signal pad, a ground pad, a core circuit electrically connected to the signal pad, and a stacked thyristor protection device. The stacked thyristor includes a first thyristor and a resistive thyristor electrically connected in a stack between the signal pad and the ground pad, which enhances the holding voltage of the circuit relatively to an implementation with only the thyristor. Further, the resistive thyristor includes a PNP bipolar transistor and a NPN bipolar transistor that are cross-coupled, and an electrical connection between a collector of the PNP bipolar transistor and a collector of the NPN bipolar transistor. This allows the resistive thyristor to exhibit both thyristor characteristics and resistive characteristics based on a level of current flow.

An insulated gate turn-off (IGTO) device, formed as a die, has a layered structure including a p+ layer (e.g., a substrate), an n epi layer, a p-well, trenched insulated gate regions formed in the p-well, and n+ regions between the gate regions, so that vertical NPN and PNP transistors are formed. The device may be formed of a matrix of cells or may be interdigitated. To turn the device on, a positive voltage is applied to the gate, referenced to the cathode. The cells further contain a vertical p-channel MOSFET, for rapidly turning the device off. The p-channel MOSFET may be made a depletion mode device by implanting boron ions at an angle into the trenches to create a p-channel. This allows the IGTO device to be turned off with a zero gate voltage while in a latch-up condition, when the device is acting like a thyristor.

A semiconductor device that can detect temperature appropriately is provided. A semiconductor device provided with a semiconductor substrate in which one or more transistor portions and one or more diode portions are provided is provided, including: a temperature detecting portion provided above the top surface of the semiconductor substrate and having a longitudinal side in a predetermined longitudinal direction; a top surface electrode provided above the top surface of the semiconductor substrate; and one or more external lines that have a connecting part connected with the top surface electrode and electrically connect the top surface electrode to a circuit outside the semiconductor device. The temperature detecting portion extends across the one or more transistor portions and the one or more diode portions in the longitudinal direction, and the connecting part of at least one of the external lines is arranged around the temperature detecting portion when seen from above.

A lateral insulated gate turn-off device includes an n-drift layer, a p-well formed in the n drift layer, a shallow n+ type region formed in the well, a shallow p+ type region formed in the well, a cathode electrode shorting the n+ type region to the p+ type region, a trenched first gate extending through the n+ type region and into the well, a p+ type anode region laterally spaced from the well, an anode electrode electrically contacting the p+ type anode region, and a trenched second gate extending from the p+ type anode region into the n-drift layer. For turning the device on, a positive voltage is applied to the first gate the reduce the base width of the npn transistor, and a negative voltage is applied to the second gate to effectively extend the p+ emitter of the pnp transistor further into the n-drift layer to improve performance.

An insulated gate turn-off thyristor has a layered structure including a p+ layer (e.g., a substrate), an n-epi layer, a p-well, vertical insulated gate regions formed in the p-well, and an n layer over the p-well and between the gate regions, so that vertical npn and pnp transistors are formed. After forming the p-well, boron ions are implanted into the exposed surface of the p-well to form a p+ region. The n-epi layer is then grown over the p-well and the p+ region, and the boron in the p+ region is diffused upward into the n-epi layer and downward to form an intermediate p+ region. The p-well's highly doped intermediate region enables improvement in the npn transistor efficiency as well as enabling more independent control over the characteristics of the n-type layer (emitter) and the overall dopant concentration and thickness of the p-type base to optimize the thyristor's performance.