A method of current detection includes providing a transistor arrangement which comprises a drift and drain region arranged in a semiconductor body and each connected to a drain node, a plurality of load transistor cells each having a source region integrated in a first region of the semiconductor body, a plurality of sense transistor cells each having a source region integrated in a second region of the semiconductor body, a first source node electrically connected to the source region of each of the plurality of the load transistor cells via a first source conductor, and a second source node electrically connected to the source region of each of the plurality of the sense transistor cells via a second source conductor; and detecting a first current flowing between the drain node and the first source node of the transistor arrangement, wherein detecting the first current includes measuring a second current flowing between the drain node and the second source node of the transistor arrangement.

Provided is a first vertical field effect transistor in which first source regions and first connection portions via which a first body region is connected to a first source electrode are disposed alternately and cyclically in a first direction in which first trenches extend. In a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, Lxm≤Lxr≤0.20 μm holds true where Lxm denotes a distance between adjacent first trenches and Lxr denotes the inner width of a first trench. The lengths of the first connection portions are in a convergence region in which the on-resistance of the vertical field effect transistor at the time when a voltage having a specification value is applied to first gate conductors to supply current having a specification value does not decrease noticeably even when the lengths of the first connection portions are made much shorter.

An integrated circuit includes an extended drain MOS transistor with parallel alternating active gap drift regions and field gap drift regions. The extended drain MOS transistor includes a gate having field plates over the field gap drift regions. The extended drain MOS transistor may be formed in a symmetric nested configuration. A process for forming an integrated circuit containing an extended drain MOS transistor provides parallel alternating active gap drift regions and field gap drift regions with a gate having field plates over the field gap drift regions.

A drift layer is formed over a semiconductor substrate which is an SiC substrate. The drift layer includes first to third n-type semiconductor layers and a p-type impurity region. Herein, an impurity concentration of the second n-type semiconductor layer is higher than an impurity concentration of the first n-type semiconductor layer and an impurity concentration of the third n-type semiconductor layer. Also, in plan view, the second semiconductor layer located between the p-type impurity regions adjacent to each other overlaps with at least a part of a gate electrode formed in a trench.

According to an embodiment, provided is a semiconductor device including: a first electrode; a second electrode; and a silicon carbide layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the silicon carbide layer including: a first silicon carbide region of an n-type; and a second silicon carbide region disposed between the first silicon carbide region and the first electrode, the second silicon carbide being in contact with the first electrode, and the second silicon carbide containing one oxygen atom bonding with four silicon atoms.

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure that provides snapback protections to one or more high voltage circuit components. The ESD protection structure can be integrated along a peripheral region of a high voltage circuit, such as a high side gate driver of a driver circuit. The ESD protection structure includes a bipolar transistor structure interfacing with a PN junction of a high voltage device, which is configured to discharge the ESD current during an ESD event. The bipolar transistor structure has a collector region overlapping the PN junction, a base region embedded with sufficient pinch resistance to launch the snapback protection, and an emitter region for discharging the ESD current.

A semiconductor device including a semiconductor element is provided. The semiconductor element includes a saturation current suppression layer formed above a drift layer and including electric field block layers arranged in a stripe manner and JFET portions arranged in a stripe manner. The electric field block layers and the JFET portions are alternately arranged. The semiconductor element includes trench gate structures. A longer direction of the trench gate structure intersects with a longer direction of the electric field block layer and a longer direction of JFET portion. The JFET portion includes a first layer having a first conductivity type impurity concentration larger than the drift layer and a second layer formed above the first layer and having a first conductivity type impurity concentration smaller than the first layer.

Provided is a first vertical field effect transistor in which first source regions and first connection portions via which a first body region is connected to a first source electrode are disposed alternately and cyclically in a first direction in which first trenches extend. In a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, Lxm≤Lxr≤0.20 μm holds true where Lxm denotes a distance between adjacent first trenches and Lxr denotes the inner width of a first trench. The lengths of the first connection portions are in a convergence region in which the on-resistance of the vertical field effect transistor at the time when a voltage having a specification value is applied to first gate conductors to supply current having a specification value does not decrease noticeably even when the lengths of the first connection portions are made much shorter.

A semiconductor device includes an active gate metal structure disposed over a substrate, the active gate metal structure having a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite to each other. The semiconductor device includes a first source/drain region disposed adjacent the first sidewall of the active gate metal structure with a first lateral distance. The semiconductor device includes a second source/drain region disposed adjacent the second sidewall of the active gate metal structure with a second lateral distance, wherein the second lateral distance is substantially greater than the first lateral distance. The semiconductor device includes a resist protective oxide (RPO) comprising a first portion extending over a portion of a major surface of the substrate that is laterally located between the second sidewall and the second source/drain region, wherein the RPO has no portion extending over a top surface of the active gate metal structure.

Provided are a semiconductor device, a method of manufacturing the same, and a method of forming a uniform doping concentration of each semiconductor device when manufacturing a plurality of semiconductor devices. When a concentration balance is disrupted due to an increase in doping region size, doping concentration is still controllable by using ion blocking patterns to provide a semiconductor device with uniform doping concentration and a higher breakdown voltage obtainable as a result of such doping.