The semiconductor device of the present invention includes a first conductivity type semiconductor layer made of a wide bandgap semiconductor and a Schottky electrode formed to come into contact with a surface of the semiconductor layer, and has a threshold voltage V.sub.th of 0.3 V to 0.7 V and a leakage current J.sub.r of 110.sup.9 A/cm.sup.2 to 110.sup.4 A/cm.sup.2 in a rated voltage V.sub.R.

An improvement is achieved in the performance of a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a first trench gate electrode and second and third trench gate electrodes located on both sides of the first trench gate electrode interposed therebetween. In each of a semiconductor layer located between the first and second trench gate electrodes and the semiconductor layer located between the first and third trench gate electrodes, a plurality of p.sup.+-type semiconductor regions are formed. The p.sup.+-type semiconductor regions are arranged along the extending direction of the first trench gate electrode in plan view to be spaced apart from each other.

The surface of an interlayer insulating film formed over an emitter coupling portion and the surface of an emitter electrode formed over the interlayer insulating film are caused to have a gentle shape, in particular, at the end of the emitter coupling portion, by forming the emitter coupling portion over a main surface of a semiconductor substrate and integrally with trench gate electrodes in order to form a spacer over the sidewall of the emitter coupling portion. Thereby, stress is dispersed, not concentrated in an acute angle portion of the emitter coupling portion when an emitter wire is coupled to the emitter electrode (emitter pad), and hence occurrence of a crack can be suppressed. Further, by forming the spacer, the concavities and convexities to be formed in the surface of the emitter electrode can be reduced, whereby the adhesiveness between the emitter electrode and the emitter wire can be improved.

A semiconductor device with a current terminal region located in a device active area of a substrate of the device. A guard region is located in a termination area of the device. A plurality of floating field plates are located in the termination area and are ohmically coupled to the guard region. The floating field plates and guard region act in some embodiments to smooth the electrical field distribution along the termination area.

In a semiconductor integrated circuit device, a plurality of electrode pads for external connection are arranged in a zigzag pattern. Some electrode pads of the electrode pads of the plurality of I/O cells which are closer to a side of the semiconductor chip, each have an end portion closer to the side of the semiconductor chip, the end portion being set at the same position as that of an end portion of the corresponding I/O cell. A power source-side protective circuit and a ground-side protective circuit against discharge of static electricity are provided with the power source-side protective circuit being closer to the scribe region. A distance between a center position of one of the electrode pads and the ground-side protective circuit of the corresponding I/O cell and a distance between a center position of the other one electrode pad and the ground-side protective circuit of the corresponding I/O cell are both short and are substantially equal between each I/O cell.

A system and method for providing and manufacturing an inductor is provided. In an embodiment similar masks are reutilized to form differently sized inductors. For example, a two turn inductor and a three turn inductor may share masks for interconnects and coils, while only masks necessary for connections between the interconnects and coils may need to be newly developed.

A semiconductor device according to an embodiment includes a first metal layer, a second metal layer, an n-type first SiC region provided between the first metal layer and the second metal layer and having an n-type impurity concentration of 110.sup.18 cm.sup.3 or less, and a conductive layer provided between the first SiC region and the first metal layer and containing titanium (Ti), oxygen (O), and at least one element selected from the group consisting of vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), and tantalum (Ta).

Hydrogen atoms and crystal defects are introduced into an n semiconductor substrate by proton implantation. The crystal defects are generated in the n semiconductor substrate by electron beam irradiation before or after the proton implantation. Then, a heat treatment for generating donors is performed. The amount of crystal defects is appropriately controlled during the heat treatment for generating donors to increase a donor generation rate. In addition, when the heat treatment for generating donors ends, the crystal defects formed by the electron beam irradiation and the proton implantation are recovered and controlled to an appropriate amount of crystal defects. Therefore, for example, it is possible to improve a breakdown voltage and reduce a leakage current.

A semiconductor device according to an embodiment includes a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type, a third semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type, a fourth semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type, a first electrode connected to the second semiconductor layer and the fourth semiconductor layer, a second electrode facing the second semiconductor layer with an insulating film interposed, a fifth semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type, a sixth semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type, a seventh semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type, a third electrode connected to the fifth semiconductor layer and the seventh semiconductor layer, and a fourth electrode facing the fifth semiconductor layer with an insulating film interposed.

A vertical power switching device, such as a vertical superjunction metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor (MOSFET), in which termination structures in the corners of the integrated circuit are stretched to efficiently shape the lateral electric field. Termination structures in the device include such features as doped regions, field plates, insulator films, and high-voltage conductive regions and elements at the applied substrate voltage. Edges of these termination structures are shaped and placed according to a 2.sup.nd-order smooth, non-circular analytic function so as to extend deeper into the die corner from the core region of the device than a constant-distance path. Also disclosed are electrically floating guard rings in the termination region, to inhibit triggering of parasitic p-n-p-n structures.