A silicon carbide semiconductor device includes a substrate, a drift layer, a base layer, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The substrate includes a cell region at which a semiconductor element is disposed and a temperature detection region at which a diode element is disposed. The first electrode is disposed at a side facing the substrate with the drift layer sandwiched between the substrate and the first electrode. The second electrode is disposed at a side facing the drift layer with the substrate sandwiched between the drift layer and the second electrode. The semiconductor element includes a first impurity region and a second impurity region disposed at a surface layer portion of the base layer. The diode element includes a first constituent layer at a surface layer portion of the base layer and a second constituent layer connected to the first constituent layer.

Provided is a semiconductor device whose performance is improved. A p type body region is formed in an n type semiconductor layer containing silicon carbide, and a gate electrode is formed on the body region with a gate insulating film interposed therebetween. An n type source region is formed in the body region on a side surface side of the gate electrode, and the body region and a source region are electrically connected to a source electrode. A p type field relaxation layer FRL is formed in the semiconductor layer on the side surface side of the gate electrode, and the source electrode is electrically connected to the field relaxation layer FRL. The field relaxation layer FRL constitutes a part of the JFET 2Q which is a rectifying element, and a depth of the field relaxation layer FRL is shallower than a depth of the body region.

A semiconductor device having, in a plan view thereof, an active region and a termination region that surrounds a periphery of the active region. The device includes a semiconductor substrate containing a wide bandgap semiconductor, a first-conductivity-type region provided in the semiconductor substrate, spanning from the active region to the termination region, a plurality of second-conductivity-type regions provided between the first-conductivity-type region and the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate in the active region, a first electrode provided on a first main surface of the semiconductor substrate and electrically connected to the second-conductivity-type regions, a second electrode provided on the second main surface of the semiconductor substrate and electrically connected to the first-conductivity-type region, and a lifetime killer region provided in the first-conductivity-type region and spanning from the active region to the termination region. In the active region, pn junctions between the first-conductivity-type region and the second-conductivity-type regions form a vertical semiconductor device element.

An anti-fuse having two electrical connections is constructed by adding at least one zener diode and resistor to a power MOSFET. When the voltage across the two electrical connections exceeds the zener diode voltage and the maximum gate voltage of the MOSFET, the MOSFET burns out. This shorts out the device which can be used to bypass an LED or other load when that load burns out and forms an open circuit.

We describe herein a high voltage semiconductor device comprising a power semiconductor device portion (100) and a temperature sensing device portion (185). The temperature sensing device portion comprises: an anode region (140), a cathode region (150), a body region (160) in which the anode region and the cathode region are formed. The temperature sensing device portion also comprises a semiconductor isolation region (165) in which the body region is formed, the semiconductor isolation region having an opposite conductivity type to the body region, the semiconductor isolation region being formed between the power semiconductor device portion and the temperature sensing device portion.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, an insulating film disposed above the semiconductor substrate, a temperature detecting element disposed on the insulating film, and an anode side region and a cathode side region respectively located on an anode side and a cathode side of the temperature detecting element. The anode side region or the cathode side region includes one or more capacitance elements, and a sum of capacitance values of the capacitance elements is larger than a capacitance value of the temperature detecting element.

In an example, a semiconductor device includes an insulated gate transistor cell, a first region (e.g., a drain region and/or a drift region), a cathode region, a second region (e.g., an anode region and/or a separation region), and a source electrode. The insulated gate transistor cell includes a source region and a gate electrode. The source region and the cathode region are in a silicon carbide body. The gate electrode and the cathode region are electrically connected. The cathode region, the source region, and the first region have a first conductivity type. The second region has a second conductivity type and is between the cathode region and the first region. The source electrode and the source region are electrically connected. The source electrode and the second region are in contact with each other. A rectifying junction is electrically coupled between the source electrode and the cathode region.

An integrated circuit includes a MOSFET device and a monolithic diode device, wherein the monolithic diode device is electrically connected in parallel with a body diode of the MOSFET device. The monolithic diode device is configured so that a forward voltage drop Vf.sub.D2 of the monolithic diode device is less than a forward voltage drop Vf.sub.D1 of the body diode of the MOSFET device. The forward voltage drop Vf.sub.D2 is process tunable by controlling a gate oxide thickness, a channel length and body doping concentration level. The tunability of the forward voltage drop Vf.sub.D2 advantageously permits design of the integrated circuit to suit a wide range of applications according to requirements of switching speed and efficiency.

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 power semiconductor device includes an active region with power cells, each configured to conduct a load current portion between first and second load terminals. Each power cell includes: trenches and mesas laterally confined by the trenches and in a vertical direction adjoining a drift region. The mesas include an active mesa having a source region of a first conductivity type and a body region of a second conductivity type separating the source region from the drift region. Both the source and body region are electrically connected to the first load terminal. At least one trench adjacent to the active mesa is configured to induce a conductive channel in the active mesa. A punch through structure s electrically separated from the active mesa by at least one separation stack.