A power semiconductor device (1) comprises a gate-commutated thyristor cell (20) including a cathode electrode (2), a cathode region (9) of a first conductivity type, a base layer (8) of a second conductivity type, a drift layer (7) of the first conductivity type, an anode layer (5) of the second conductivity type, an anode electrode (3) and a gate electrode (4). The base layer (8) comprises a cathode base region (81) located between the cathode region (9) and the drift layer (7) and having a first depth (D1), a gate base region (82) located between the gate electrode (4) and the drift layer (7) and having a second depth (D2), and an intermediate base region (83) located between the cathode base region (81) and the gate base region (82) and having two different values of a third depth (D3) being between the first depth (D1) and the second depth (D2).

Memory cells are formed with vertical thyristors to create a volatile memory array. Power consumption in such arrays is reduced or controlled for an operation on a set of memory cells in an array, sequentially engaging subsets of memory cells for the operation while keeping the remaining memory cells of the set on hold until all the memory cells of the set have been operated on.

Operations with reduced current overall are performed on single thyristor memory cells forming a volatile memory cell cross-point array. An operation is performed on at least one memory cell in a first group of memory cells out of a plurality of groups of memory cells coupled to a line. A first voltage is applied across the first group of memory cells for the operation and a lower second voltage is applied across the other groups of memory cells. The first voltage is then applied across a second group of memory cells while the second voltage is applied across the other groups including the first group of memory cells. These steps may repeated until the operations covers all the groups.

Memory cells are formed with vertical thyristors to create a volatile memory array. Power consumption in such arrays is reduced or controlled with various techniques including encoding the data stored in the arrays.

A transient voltage suppressing (TVS) device formed in an epitaxial layer of a first conductivity type supported on a semiconductor substrate. The TVS device further comprises a plurality of contact trenches opened and extended to a lower part of the epitaxial layer filled with a doped polysilicon layer of a second conductivity type wherein the trenches are further surrounded by a heavy dopant region of the second conductivity type. The TVS device further includes a metal contact layer disposed on a top surface of the epitaxial layer electrically connected to a Vcc electrode wherein the metal contact layer further directly contacting the doped polysilicon layer and the heavy dopant region of the second conductivity type.

In an example, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type and a semiconductor region of the first conductivity type over the semiconductor substrate. A well region of a second conductivity type is in the semiconductor region. A doped region of the first conductivity type is in the well region. A doped region of the second conductivity type is in the well region. A doped region of the second conductivity type is in the semiconductor substrate at a bottom side. A doped region of the first conductivity type is in the semiconductor substrate at the bottom side. A first conductor is at a top side of the semiconductor region and a second conductor is at the bottom side. In some examples, one or more of doped regions at the bottom side is a patterned doped region.

In an example, a semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type and a semiconductor region of the first conductivity type over the semiconductor substrate. A well region of a second conductivity type is in the semiconductor region. A doped region of the first conductivity type is in the well region. A doped region of the second conductivity type is in the well region. A doped region of the second conductivity type is in the semiconductor substrate at a bottom side. A doped region of the first conductivity type is in the semiconductor substrate at the bottom side. A first conductor is at a top side of the semiconductor region and a second conductor is at the bottom side. In some examples, one or more of doped regions at the bottom side is a patterned doped region.

Memory cells are formed with vertical thyristors to create a volatile memory array. Power consumption in such arrays is reduced or controlled with various techniques including encoding the data stored in the arrays.

A transient voltage suppressing (TVS) device formed in an epitaxial layer of a first conductivity type supported on a semiconductor substrate. The TVS device further comprises a plurality of contact trenches opened and extended to a lower part of the epitaxial layer filled with a doped polysilicon layer of a second conductivity type wherein the trenches are further surrounded by a heavy dopant region of the second conductivity type. The TVS device further includes a metal contact layer disposed on a top surface of the epitaxial layer electrically connected to a Vcc electrode wherein the metal contact layer further directly contacting the doped polysilicon layer and the heavy dopant region of the second conductivity type.

A semiconductor component including a short-circuit structure. One embodiment provides a semiconductor component having a semiconductor body composed of doped semiconductor material. The semiconductor body includes a first zone of a first conduction type and a second zone of a second conduction type, complementary to the first conduction type, the second zone adjoining the first zone. The first zone and the second zone are coupled to an electrically highly conductive layer. A connection zone of the second conduction type is arranged between the second zone and the electrically highly conductive layer.