A silicon carbide power device has: a die having a functional layer of silicon carbide and an edge area and an active area, surrounded by the edge area; gate structures formed on a top surface of the functional layer in the active area; and a gate contact pad for biasing the gate structures. The device also has an integrated resistor having a doped region, of a first conductivity type, arranged at the front surface of the functional layer in the edge area; wherein the integrated resistor defines an insulated resistance in the functional layer, interposed between the gate structures and the gate contact pad.

A semiconductor device includes a first MOS structure portion that includes, as its elements, a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, a first semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type, a first second-semiconductor-layer of a second conductivity type, first semiconductor regions of the first conductivity type, and first gate insulating films, and a second MOS structure portion that includes, as its elements, the substrate, the first semiconductor layer, a second second-semiconductor-layer, second first-semiconductor-regions of the first conductivity type, and second gate insulating films. First and second portions include all of the elements of the first and second MOS structure portions other than the first and second first-semiconductor-regions and the first and second gate insulating films, respectively. A structure of one of the elements of the first portion is not identical to a structure of a corresponding element of the second portion.

A semiconductor is disclosed that may include: a first drift region; a base region arranged on the first semiconductor layer; a source region arranged on the base region; a main electrode electrically connected to the source region; and a gate electrode structure that penetrates the source region and base region and reaches the first drift region, wherein the gate electrode structure comprises: a gate electrode; and an insulating material that insulates the gate electrode from the first drift region and the base region; and a field plate structure reaching the first drift region deeper than the gate electrode structure, wherein the field plate structure comprises: a field plate; a resistive part that electrically connects the main electrode to the field plate; and an insulating material that insulates the field plate and the resistive part section from the first drift region and the base region.

Power MOS device, in which a power MOS transistor has a drain terminal that is coupled to a power supply node, a gate terminal that is coupled to a drive node and a source terminal that is coupled to a load node. A detection MOS transistor has a drain terminal that is coupled to a detection node, a gate terminal that is coupled to the drive node and a source terminal that is coupled to the load node. A detection resistor has a first terminal coupled to the power supply node and a second terminal coupled to the detection node.

A semiconductor device of an embodiment includes: a semiconductor layer having a first face and a second face, the semiconductor layer including a first trench and a second trench on a side of a first face; a first electrode on the side of the first face; a second electrode on the side of the second face; a first gate electrode in the first trench; a first field plate electrode electrically connected to the first electrode in the first trench, a second gate electrode in the second trench; and a second field plate electrode electrically connected to the first electrode in the second trench, a resistance between first electrode and second field plate is different from a resistance between first electrode and the first field plate electrode.

A silicon carbide MOS-gated semiconductor device comprises a silicon carbide substrate, a drift layer, a first doped region, a second doped region, a plurality of third doped regions, a gate insulating layer, a gate electrode, an interlayer dielectric layer, and a metal layer. The gate electrode comprises a gate bus region and an active region. The active region comprises a plurality of gate electrode openings. The two adjacent gate electrode openings have a minimum width (W.sub.g) which is satisfied the following formula:

W.sub.g>W.sub.jfet+2×L.sub.ch+2×L.sub.x

L.sub.ch represents a channel length of channel regions, W.sub.jfet represents a minimum width of JFET regions, and L.sub.x represents a minimum overlapping length between the gate electrode and the second doped region.

A semiconductor device includes: an inversion type semiconductor element that includes: a substrate having a first conductivity type or a second conductivity type; a first conductivity type layer formed on the substrate; a second conductivity type region that is formed on the first conductivity type layer; a JFET portion that is formed on the first conductivity type layer, is sandwiched by the second conductivity type region to be placed; a source region that is formed on the second conductivity region; a gate insulation film formed on a channel region that is a part of the second conductivity type region; a gate electrode formed on the gate insulation film; an interlayer insulation film covering the gate electrode and the gate insulation film, and including a contact hole; a source electrode electrically connected to the source region through the contact hole; and a drain electrode formed on a back side of the substrate.

A semiconductor device includes a region of semiconductor material of a first conductivity type and having a first major surface. A body region of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type is in the region of semiconductor material. The body region includes a stripe region; a first segment in the stripe region and having a first peak dopant concentration, a first depth into the region of semiconductor material, and a first length along the first major surface; and a second segment in the stripe region laterally adjacent to the first segment, adjacent to the first major surface, and having a second peak dopant concentration, a second depth into the region of semiconductor material, and a second length along the first major surface. A source region of the first conductivity type is in the first segment but not in at least part of the second segment. An insulated gate electrode adjoins the first segment and is configured to provide a first channel region in the first segment, adjoins the second segment and configured to provide a second channel region in the second segment, and adjoins the first source region. A conductive structure is connected to the first segment, the second segment, and the source region. During a linear mode of operation, current flows first in the second segment but not in the first segment to reduce the likelihood of thermal runaway.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor body having first and second opposing surfaces in a vertical direction, and transistor cells at least partly integrated in the semiconductor body. Each transistor cell includes first and second source regions, first and second body regions, a drift region separated from the respective source region by the corresponding body region, a first gate electrode, and a control electrode. The drift region is arranged between the first and the second body region in a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the vertical direction and extends from the first surface into the semiconductor body in the vertical direction. The first gate electrode is configured to provide a control signal for switching the transistor cell. The control electrode is configured to provide a control signal for controlling a JFET formed by the first body region, the drift region, and the second body region.

Power semiconductor devices comprise a silicon carbide based semiconductor layer structure including an active region defined therein and a gate bond pad that is on the semiconductor layer structure and vertically overlaps the active region.