Disclosed is a semiconductor device, an electronic circuit, and a method. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor body; at least one transistor cell including a source region, a drift region, a body region separating the source region from the drift region, and a drain region in the semiconductor body, and a gate electrode dielectrically insulated from the body region by a gate dielectric; a source node connected to the source region and the body region; a contact node spaced apart from the body region and the drain region and electrically connected to the drain region; and a rectifier element formed between the contact node and the source node.

In a general aspect, a semiconductor device can include a semiconductor region of a first conductivity type and a well region of a second conductivity type. The well region can be disposed in the semiconductor region. An interface between the well region and the semiconductor region can define a diode junction at a depth below an upper surface of the semiconductor region. The semiconductor device can further include at least one dielectric region disposed in the semiconductor region. A dielectric region of the at least one dielectric region can have an upper surface that is disposed in the well region at a depth in the semiconductor region that is above the depth of the diode junction; and a lower surface that is disposed in the semiconductor region at a depth in the semiconductor region that is the same depth as the diode junction or below the depth of the diode junction.

A semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor structure. The first semiconductor structure includes a first semiconductor material having a band-gap. The first semiconductor structure has a first surface. An insulating layer has first and second opposing surfaces. The first surface of the insulating layer is on the first surface of the first semiconductor structure. A second semiconductor structure is on the second surface of the insulating layer and includes a second semiconductor material having a band-gap that is smaller than the band-gap of the first semiconductor material. A floating electrode couples the first semiconductor structure to the second semiconductor structure.

A power module (PM) includes: an insulating substrate; a semiconductor device disposed on the insulating substrate, the semiconductor device including electrodes on a front surface side and a back surface side thereof; and a graphite plate having an anisotropic thermal conductivity, the graphite plate of which one end is connected to the front surface side of the semiconductor device and the other end is connected to the insulating substrate, wherein heat of the front surface side of the semiconductor device is transferred to the insulating substrate through the graphite plate. There is provide an inexpensive power module capable of reducing a stress and capable of exhibiting cooling performance not inferior to that of the double-sided cooling structures.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate and a power transistor having a plurality of transistor cells. Each transistor cell includes: a gate trench structure formed in the semiconductor substrate and circumscribing the transistor cell; a needle-shaped field electrode trench structure formed in the semiconductor substrate and spaced inward from the gate trench structure; a source region of a first conductivity type formed in the semiconductor substrate adjacent the gate trench structure; a body region of a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type formed in the semiconductor substrate below the source region; and a drift zone of the first conductivity type formed in the semiconductor substrate below the body region. The semiconductor device further includes a plurality of MOS-gated diodes or Schottky diodes, each diode formed in a non-active area of the power transistor between adjacent ones of the transistor cells. Corresponding methods of manufacture are also described.

A semiconductor device is provided that includes a temperature sensing function that accurately senses a temperature. The semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate, and a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor includes: a sensing-body region of a second conductivity type that is disposed in the first semiconductor layer; a first region of a first conductivity type, and a second region of the first conductivity type that are arranged in the sensing-body region and are apart from each other; and a third region of the second conductivity type that is in the sensing-body region and is between the first region and the second region. A concentration of a first conductivity type impurity in the temperature-sensing conductive layer is higher than a concentration of a first conductivity type impurity in the drift region.

A power element includes a substrate structure, an insulation layer, a dielectric layer, a transistor, and a plurality of zener diodes. The transistor is located in a transistor formation region of the substrate structure. The plurality of zener diodes are located in a circuit element formation region of the substrate structure and connected in series with each other. Each of the zener diodes includes a zener diode doping structure and a zener diode metal structure. The zener diode doping structure is formed on the insulation layer and is covered by the dielectric layer. The zener diode doping structure includes a P-type doped region and an N-type doped region that are in contact with each other. The zener diode metal structure is formed on the dielectric layer and partially passes through the dielectric layer to be electrically connected to the P-type doped region and the N-type doped region.

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first element region. The first element region includes first, second, and third semiconductor regions, and first, and second conductive layers. The first semiconductor region includes first, second, and third partial regions. A second direction from the first partial region toward the first conductive layer crosses a first direction from the second partial region toward the first partial region. The third partial region is between the second partial region and the second conductive layer in the second direction. The second semiconductor region includes a first semiconductor portion. The first semiconductor portion is between the first partial region and the first conductive layer in the second direction. At least a portion of the third semiconductor region is between the first partial region and the first semiconductor portion in the second direction.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having an active region in which a main switching element structure is formed, a current sense region in which a sense switching element structure is formed, and a peripheral region located around the active region and the current sense region. The semiconductor substrate is a 4H-SiC substrate having an off angle in a <11-20>direction. The current sense region is disposed in a range where the active region is not present when viewed along the <1-100>direction.

In a general aspect, a semiconductor device can include a semiconductor substrate, a trench formed in the semiconductor substrate and a first dielectric layer lining the trench. The semiconductor device can further include a first semiconductor material disposed in a lower portion of the trench. The first dielectric layer being can be disposed between the semiconductor substrate and the first semiconductor material. The semiconductor device can also include a second dielectric layer disposed on the first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material disposed in an upper portion of the trench. The first dielectric layer can be disposed between the semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor material. The second dielectric layer can be disposed between the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material. The semiconductor device can also include at least one of a diode or a resistor defined in the second semiconductor material.