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.

We herein describe a silicon-carbide (SiC) based power semiconductor device comprising: a drain region of a first conductivity type; a drift region of the first conductivity type disposed on the drain region, the drift region having a lower doping concentration compared to the doping concentration of the drain region; a body region of a second conductivity type, opposite to the first conductivity type, disposed over the drift region; a contact region of the first conductivity type, disposed within the body region; a source Ohmic contact being disposed on the source region; and one or more trench gate regions being in contact with the source region, the body region and the drift region. Each of the one or more trench gate regions are configured to form a channel region in the body region between the source region and the drift region. At least one trench gate region comprises: two vertical sidewalls and a bottom surface between the two vertical sidewalls; and an insulation layer along the vertical side walls and the bottom surface. The insulation layer comprises different thicknesses such that the insulation layer is thinner at a portion of one of the vertical sidewalls including the channel region than at the other vertical side wall and the trench bottom.

An SiC semiconductor device includes an SiC semiconductor layer including an SiC monocrystal that is constituted of a hexagonal crystal and having a first main surface as a device surface facing a c-plane of the SiC monocrystal and has an off angle inclined with respect to the c-plane, a second main surface at a side opposite to the first main surface, and a side surface facing an a-plane of the SiC monocrystal and has an angle less than the off angle with respect to a normal to the first main surface when the normal is 0°.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer having a first surface and a second surface, an element structure formed on the first surface side of the semiconductor layer and including a first conductivity type first region and a second conductivity type second region in contact with the first region, a gate electrode opposing the second region with a gate insulating film therebetween, a first conductivity type third region formed in the semiconductor layer to be in contact with the second region, and a first electrode formed on the semiconductor layer and electrically connected to the first region and the second region, in which the element structure includes a first and a second element structure, the first element structure is separated from the second region in a direction along the first surface of the semiconductor layer, and includes a second conductivity type first column layer extending in a thickness direction.

A method for producing a semiconductor device includes forming transistor cells in a semiconductor body, each cell including a drift region separated from a source region by a body region, a gate electrode dielectrically insulated from the body region, and a compensation region of a doping type complementary to the doping type of the drift region and extending from a respective body region into the drift region in a vertical direction. Forming the drift and compensation regions includes performing a first implantation step, thereby implanting first and second type dopant atoms into the semiconductor body, wherein an implantation dose of at least one of the first type dopant atoms and the second type dopant atoms for each of at least two sections of the semiconductor body differs from the implantation dose of the corresponding type of dopant atoms of at least one other section of the at least two sections.

A main semiconductor device element is SiC-MOSFETs with a trench gate structure, the main semiconductor device element having main MOS regions responsible for driving the MOSFETs and main SBD regions that are regions responsible for SBD operation. The main MOS regions and the main SBD regions are adjacent to one another and each pair of a main MOS region and a main SBD region adjacent thereto share one trench. In the main SBD regions, first and second p-type regions, and Schottky electrodes at the front surface of the semiconductor substrate and forming Schottky junctions with an n.sup.−-type drift region are provided. The first p-type regions are provided along sidewalls of the trenches, in contact with the first p.sup.+-type regions at the bottoms of the trenches. The second p-type regions are provided between the first p-type regions and the Schottky electrodes, and are electrically connected to these regions.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, a first semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type, a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type, first semiconductor regions of the first conductivity type, second semiconductor regions of the second conductivity type, gate insulating films, gate electrodes, an insulating film, first electrodes, a second electrode, and trenches. The first semiconductor regions and the second semiconductor regions are periodically disposed apart from one another in a first direction in which the trenches extend in a stripe pattern.

An electric assembly includes an insulated gate bipolar transistor device, a wide-bandgap transistor device electrically connected in parallel with the bipolar transistor device and a control circuit. The control circuit is electrically coupled to a gate terminal of the bipolar transistor device and to a control terminal of the wide-bandgap transistor device. The control circuit is configured to turn on the bipolar transistor device and to turn on the wide-bandgap transistor device at a predefined turn-on delay with respect to a turn-on of the bipolar transistor device.

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer made of SiC. A transistor element having an impurity region is formed in a front surface portion of the semiconductor layer. A first contact wiring is formed on a back surface portion of the semiconductor layer, and defines one electrode electrically connected to the transistor element. The first contact wiring has a first wiring layer forming an ohmic contact with the semiconductor layer without a silicide contact and a second wiring layer formed on the first wiring layer and having a resistivity lower than that of the first wiring layer.

There is disclosed a method for manufacturing a MOSFET with lateral channel in SiC, said MOSFET comprising simultaneously formed n type regions comprising an access region and a JFET region defining the length of the MOS channel, and wherein the access region and the JFET region are formed by ion implantation by using one masking step. The design is self-aligning so that the length of the MOS channel is defined by simultaneous creating n-type regions on both sides of the channel using one masking step. Any misalignment in the mask is moved to other less critical positions in the device. The risk of punch-through is decreased compared to the prior art. The current distribution becomes more homogenous. The short-circuit capability increases. There is lower Drain-Source specific on-resistance due to a reduced MOS channel resistance. There is a lower JFET resistance due to the possibility to increase the JFET region doping concentration.