A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer, a first conductor disposed on the semiconductor layer, a second conductor disposed on the semiconductor layer so as to be separated from the first conductor, a relay portion that is formed on the semiconductor layer so as to straddle the first conductor and the second conductor and that is made of a semiconductor having a first conductivity type region and a second conductivity type region, a first contact by which the first conductivity type region and the second conductivity type region are electrically connected to the first conductor, and a second contact that electrically connects the first conductivity type region of the relay portion and the second conductor together and that is insulated from the second conductivity type region.

Power semiconductor devices include a semiconductor layer structure comprising an active area with a plurality of unit cell transistors and an inactive gate pad area, a gate resistor layer on an upper side of the semiconductor layer structure, an inner contact that is directly on the upper side of the gate resistor layer, and an outer contact that is directly on the upper side of the gate resistor layer. The outer contact encloses the inner contact within the inactive gate pad area of the semiconductor device.

A silicon carbide planar MOSFET includes a junction field-effect transistor (JFET) region that extends up to a top planar surface of the substrate. The JFET region includes a central area, which comprises a portion of the drift region that extends vertically to the top planar surface. First and second sidewall areas are disposed on opposite sides of the central area. The central area has a first lateral width and a first doping concentration. The first and second sidewall areas extend vertically to the top planar surface, with each having a second lateral width. The first and second sidewall areas each have a second doping concentration that is greater than the first doping concentration such that, at a zero bias condition, first and second depletion regions respectively extend only within the first and second sidewall areas of the JFET region.

A semiconductor device has a substrate made of a first semiconductor material. The first semiconductor material is silicon carbide. A first semiconductor layer made of the first semiconductor material is disposed over the substrate. A second semiconductor layer made of a second semiconductor material dissimilar from the first semiconductor material is disposed over the first semiconductor layer. The second semiconductor material is silicon. A third semiconductor layer made of the second semiconductor material can be disposed between the first semiconductor layer and second semiconductor layer. A semiconductor device is formed in the second semiconductor layer. The semiconductor device can be a power MOSFET or diode. The second semiconductor layer with the electrical component provides a first portion of a breakdown voltage for the semiconductor device and the first semiconductor layer and substrate provide a second portion of the breakdown voltage for the semiconductor device.

The present invention suppresses an increase in manufacturing cost and reduces switching noise. A field-effect transistor having a gate electrode embedded in a trench in an upper surface of a semiconductor substrate, a source region formed in the semiconductor substrate, and a drain region formed on a lower surface of the semiconductor substrate is provided with a gate wiring formed on the semiconductor substrate and being electrically connected to the gate electrode, a gate pad formed on the semiconductor substrate, a first resistor connected between the gate pad and the gate wiring and being configured to function when the field-effect transistor is turned ON, a second resistor connected between the gate pad and the gate wiring and being configured to function when the field-effect transistor is turned OFF, and a rectifier diode included in the first resistor or the second resistor between the gate pad and the gate wiring.

The present disclosure relates to a switching device including a RC snubber network. The present disclosure further relates to a RC snubber network for a switching device. A switching device is provided that includes a trench transistor and an RC snubber network connected in between a first terminal and a second terminal of the trench transistor. The RC snubber network includes at least one current concentrating segment that is configured to locally force a major part of the snubber current passing through the trench capacitors to flow through a reduced number of trench capacitors to thereby increase the Ohmic losses associated with the snubber current.

This disclosure relates to a semiconductor device, and associated method of manufacture. The semiconductor device includes, a MOSFET integrated with a p-n junction, the p-n junction arranged as a clamping diode across a source contact and a drain contact of the MOSFET. The MOSFET defines a first breakdown voltage, and the clamping diode defines a second breakdown voltage, and the first breakdown voltage is greater than the second breakdown voltage. A series resistance of the clamping diode includes a drift resistance and a clamping resistance, and the drift resistance is formed together with the clamping diode and the clamping resistance is formed independently from the clamping diode and configured to secure a uniform avalanche current.

An electronic device includes: a control terminal, which extends on a first face of a substrate; a first conduction terminal, which extends in the substrate at the first face of the substrate; a first insulating layer interposed between the control terminal and the first conduction terminal; a conductive path, which can be biased at a biasing voltage; and a protection element, coupled to the control terminal and to the conductive path, which forms an electrical connection between the control terminal and the conductive path and is designed to melt, and thus interrupt electrical connection, in the presence of a leakage current higher than a critical threshold between the control terminal and the first conduction terminal through the first insulating layer.

In one general aspect, an apparatus can include a first trench disposed in a semiconductor region and including a gate electrode and a second trench disposed in the semiconductor region. The apparatus can include a mesa region disposed between the first trench and the second trench. The apparatus can include a source region segment of a first conductivity type disposed in a first side of the mesa region where the source region segment is included in a plurality of source region segments and where the plurality of source region segments are aligned along the longitudinal axis. The apparatus can include a body region segment of a second conductivity type disposed in a second side of the mesa region opposite the first side of the mesa region and having a portion disposed above the source region segment where the body region segment is included in a plurality of body region segments.

A method for increasing a forward biased safe operating area of a device includes forming a gate; and forming a segmented source close to the gate, wherein the segmented source includes first segments associated with a first threshold voltage and second segments associated with a second threshold voltage different from the first threshold voltage, wherein at least one device characteristic associated with the first segments is different from the same device characteristic associated with the second segments.