A method of processing a power diode includes: creating an anode region and a drift region in a semiconductor body; and forming, by a single ion implantation processing step, each of an anode contact zone and an anode damage zone in the anode region. Power diodes manufactured by the method are also described.

The thermal impedance of p-i-n diodes integrated on semiconductor-on-insulator substrates can be reduced with thermally conducting vias that shunt heat across thermal barriers such as, e.g., the thick top oxide cladding often encapsulating the p-i-n diode. In various embodiments, one or more thermally conducting vias extend from a top surface of the intrinsic diode layer to a metal structure connected to the doped top layer of the diode, and/or from that metal structure down to at least the semiconductor device layer of the substrate.

A method of manufacturing a device in a semiconductor body includes forming a first field stop zone portion of a first conductivity type and a drift zone of the first conductivity type on the first field stop zone portion. An average doping concentration of the drift zone is smaller than 80% of that of the first field stop zone portion. The semiconductor body is processed at a first surface and thinned by removing material from a second surface. A second field stop zone portion of the first conductivity type is formed by implanting protons at one or more energies through the second surface. A deepest end-of-range peak of the protons is set in the first field stop zone portion at a vertical distance to a transition between the drift zone and first field stop zone portion in a range from 3 μm to 60 μm. The semiconductor body is annealed.

An object of the present invention is to provide stable withstand voltage characteristics, reduce turn-off losses along with a reduction in leakage current when the device is off, improve controllability of turn-off operations, and improve blocking capability at turn-off. An N buffer layer includes a first buffer layer joined to an active layer and having one peak in impurity concentration, and a second buffer layer joined to the first buffer layer and an N.sup.− drift layer, having at least one peak point in impurity concentration, and having a lower maximum impurity concentration than the first buffer layer. The impurity concentration at the peak point of the first buffer layer is higher than the impurity concentration of the N.sup.− drift layer, and the impurity concentration of the second buffer layer is higher than the impurity concentration of the N.sup.− drift layer in the entire area of the second buffer layer.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device from a semiconductor wafer in which a plurality of semiconductor chips are formed. The method includes a first process of forming an active region on a first main surface side of the semiconductor wafer and a second process of forming a first process control monitor (PCM) on a second main surface side of the semiconductor wafer. The method further includes before the second process, a third process of forming a second PCM on the first main surface side of the semiconductor wafer. The first PCM and the second PCM are formed at an area located at the same position in a plan view of the semiconductor wafer.

A diode is formed by a polycrystalline silicon bar which includes a first doped region with a first conductivity type, a second doped region with a second conductivity type and an intrinsic region between the first and second doped regions. A conductive layer extends parallel to the polycrystalline silicon bar and separated from the polycrystalline silicon bar by a dielectric layer. The conductive layer is configured to be biased by a bias voltage.

A device includes a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface. A first doping well having a first part and a second part is located in the substrate. An undoped moat is in the substrate between the first doping well and a second doping well. A diode includes an anode with an increased first doping concentration region in the first doping well and a cathode with an increased second doping concentration region in the second doping well. An isolation region is in the first doping well having a first portion proximate the top surface and a second portion distal to the top surface. A gap made of an undoped region is in the first doping well between the first part and the second part. The gap is located between the distal portion of the isolation region and the bottom surface of the substrate.

A germanium based avalanche photo-diode device and method of manufacture thereof. The device including: a silicon substrate; a lower doped silicon region, positioned above the substrate; a silicon multiplication region, positioned above the lower doped silicon region; an intermediate doped silicon region, positioned above the silicon multiplication region; an un-doped germanium absorption region, position above the intermediate doped silicon region; an upper doped germanium region, positioned above the un-doped germanium absorption region; and an input silicon waveguide; wherein: the un-doped germanium absorption region and the upper doped germanium region form a germanium waveguide which is coupled to the input waveguide, and the device also includes a first electrode and a second electrode, and the first electrode extends laterally to contact the lower doped silicon region and the second electrode extends laterally to contact the upper doped germanium region.

A number of monolithic diode limiter semiconductor structures are described. The diode limiters can include a hybrid arrangement of diodes with different intrinsic regions, all formed over the same semiconductor substrate. In one example, two PIN diodes in a diode limiter semiconductor structure have different intrinsic region thicknesses. The first PIN diode has a thinner intrinsic region, and the second PIN diode has a thicker intrinsic region. This configuration allows for both the thin intrinsic region PIN diode and the thick intrinsic region PIN diode to be individually optimized. The thin intrinsic region PIN diode can be optimized for low level turn on and flat leakage, and the thick intrinsic region PIN diode can be optimized for low capacitance, good isolation, and high incident power levels. This configuration is not limited to two stage solutions, as additional stages can be used for higher incident power handling.

A semiconductor device may include a Silicon on Insulator (SOI) substrate, and a diode formed on the SOI substrate, the diode including a cathode region and an anode region. The semiconductor device may include at least one breakdown voltage trench disposed at an edge of the cathode region, and between the cathode region and the anode region.