Controlled resistance integrated snubber for power switching device

A semiconductor device, comprising:

• a semiconductor substrate comprising a main surface, a rear surface vertically spaced apart from the main surface, an active device region, and an inactive region that is laterally adjacent to the active device region;
• a transistor cell in the active device region, the transistor cell comprising a gate trench and a pair of field plate trenches disposed on either side of the gate trench, the gate trench and the field plate trenches each being elongated and extending parallel to one another in a length direction of the trenches, the gate trench comprising an electrically conductive gate electrode that is configured to control a conductive connection between source regions that extend to the main surface and a drain region at the rear surface, the field plate trenches comprising electrically conductive field electrodes;
• a resistor trench in the inactive region, the resistor trench comprising a resistance section that is disposed in the resistor trench beneath the main surface;
• and
• a source pad and a field electrode connector formed in a first metallization layer over the main surface,
• wherein the source pad comprises a narrower section that is disposed in the inactive region and extends over a first end of the resistor trench and exposes a second end of the resistor trench,
• wherein the source pad comprises a wider section that is disposed in the active region and partially covers the gate trench and the pair of field plate trenches and exposes central regions of the gate trench and the pair of field plate trenches,
• wherein the narrower and wider sections are continuously connected to one another,
• wherein the narrower section of the source pad is directly electrically connected to the resistance section at the first end of the resistor trench,
• wherein the wider section of the source pad is directly electrically connected to the source regions,
• wherein the field electrode connector is directly connected to the resistance section at the second end of the resistor trench and is directly connected to the field electrodes at the central regions of the field plate trenches that are exposed from the source pad, and
• wherein the field electrode connector is an elongated span of the first metallization layer that wraps around opposite facing edge sides of the wider section of the source pad.