According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first and second electrode, a first, second, third and fourth semiconductor region, and a first intermediate metal film. The first region is provided above the first electrode and has a first impurity concentration. The second region is provided above the first region and has a second impurity concentration lower than the first impurity concentration. The third region is provided above the second region and has a third impurity concentration. The fourth region is provided above the second region and has a fourth impurity concentration lower than the third impurity concentration. The second electrode is provided above the third region and the fourth region and is in ohmic contact with the third region. The intermediate metal film is provided between the second electrode and the fourth region. The intermediate metal film forms Schottky junction with the fourth region.

A diode includes a semiconductor substrate having a surface; a first contact region disposed at the surface of the semiconductor substrate and having a first conductivity type; and a second contact region disposed at the surface, laterally spaced from the first contact region, and having a second conductivity type. The diode also includes a buried region disposed in the semiconductor substrate vertically adjacent to the first contact region, having the second conductivity type, and electrically connected with the second contact region; and an isolation region disposed at the surface between the first and second contact regions. The diode also includes a separation region disposed at the surface between the first contact region and the isolation region, the separation region formed from a portion of a first well region disposed in the semiconductor substrate that extends to the surface.

A p-type anode layer (2) is provided on an upper surface of an n-type drift layer (1). An n-type cathode layer (3) is provided on a lower surface of the n.sup.-type drift layer (1). An n-type buffer layer (4) is provided between the n.sup.-type drift layer (1) and the n-type cathode layer (3). A peak impurity concentration in the n-type buffer layer (4) is higher than that in the n.sup.-type drift layer (1) and lower than that in the n-type cathode layer (3). A gradient of carrier concentration at a connection between the n.sup.-type drift layer (1) and the n-type buffer layer (4) is 20 to 2000 cm.sup.4.

According to one embodiment, the insulating film is provided between the anode region and the cathode region in the surface of the second semiconductor region. The third semiconductor region is provided inside the second semiconductor region. The third semiconductor region covers a corner of the insulating film on the anode region side. The first electrode contacts the anode region and the third semiconductor region. The second electrode contacts the cathode region. The third electrode is provided on the insulating film and positioned on a p-n junction between the second semiconductor region and the third semiconductor region.

A semiconductor device for restraining snapback is provided. The semiconductor device includes IGBT and diode regions. In a view of n-type impurity concentration distribution along a direction from a front surface to a rear surface, a local minimum value of an n-type impurity concentration is located at a border between cathode and buffer regions. A local maximum value of n-type impurity concentration is located in the buffer region. At least one of the butler and cathode regions includes a crystal defect region having crystal detects in a higher concentration than a region therearound. A peak of a crystal defect concentration in a view of crystal defect concentration distribution along the direction from the front surface to the rear surface is located in a region on the rear surface side with respect to a specific position having the n-type impurity concentration which is a half of the local maximum value.

A reverse conducting IGBT is provided with a trench gate member that is provided in an IGBT region and has a lattice-pattern layout, and a trench member that is provided in a diode region and has a stripe-pattern layout. The diode region of the semiconductor substrate includes an anode region of a first conductive type, a drift region of a second conductive type and a barrier region of the second conductive type. The barrier region is electrically connected to a top surface electrode via a pillar member that extends from a top surface of the semiconductor substrate.

Provided is a semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor substrate provided with a drift region; a buffer region arranged between the drift region and the lower surface, wherein a doping concentration distribution has three or more concentration peaks; and a collector region arranged between the buffer region and the lower surface, wherein the three or more concentration peaks in the buffer region include: a first concentration peak closest to the lower surface; a second concentration peak closest, next to the first concentration peak, to the lower surface, arranged 5 m or more distant from the lower surface in the depth direction, and having a doping concentration lower than the first concentration peak, the doping concentration being less than 1.010.sup.15/cm.sup.3; and a high concentration peak arranged farther from the lower surface than the second concentration peak, and having a higher doping concentration than the second concentration peak.

A network device includes one or more circuit components. The one or more circuit components include a semiconductor substrate, a first device terminal and a second device terminal, a drift region, and a mobility modulator. Both device terminals are coupled to the semiconductor substrate, the second device terminal being spatially separated from the first device terminal. The drift region is disposed on the semiconductor substrate between the first device terminal and the second device terminal, the drift region being configured to allow a flow of charge-carriers between the first device terminal and the second device terminal. The mobility modulator is coupled to the drift region, the mobility modulator being configured to selectively apply a field across the drift region responsive to one or more modulation signals, so as to modulate a mobility of charge-carriers as a function of longitudinal position along the drift region.

A silicon carbide semiconductor device has an active region and a termination structure portion disposed outside of the active region. The silicon carbide semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate of a second conductivity type, a first semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type, a second semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, first semiconductor regions of the second conductivity type, second semiconductor regions of the first conductivity type, a gate insulating film, a gate electrode, a first electrode, and a second electrode. During bipolar operation, a smaller density among an electron density and a hole density of an end of the second semiconductor layer in the termination structure portion is at most 110.sup.15/cm.sup.3.

A semiconductor device has transistor portions and diode portions. The transistor portions have a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, a first semiconductor region of a second conductivity type, second semiconductor regions of the first conductivity type, gate insulating films, gate electrodes, a first semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type, a third semiconductor region of the second conductivity type, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The diode portions have the semiconductor substrate, the first semiconductor region, the first semiconductor layer, a fourth semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, the first electrode, and the second electrode. The first semiconductor layer has a predetermined region, a depth of the predetermined region from a second main surface of the semiconductor substrate is greater than a depth of a region of the first semiconductor layer excluding the predetermined region, from the second main surface of the semiconductor substrate.