Method of Operating a Semiconductor Device Having a Desaturation Channel Structure and Related Methods of Manufacture

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

• forming a first IGBT cell comprising:
• a second-type doped drift zone, a source region and a first electrode terminal connected to the source region;
• and a gate electrode and a gate electrode terminal connected to the gate electrode;
• and
• forming a desaturation semiconductor structure for desaturating a charge carrier concentration in the first IGBT cell, the desaturation semiconductor structure comprising:
• a first-type doped region forming a pn-junction with the drift zone;
• two portions of a trench or two trenches extending into the first-type doped region, each of the two trench portions or each of the two trenches confining a first-type doped desaturation channel region of the first-type doped region at least in a lateral direction and a first-type doped mesa region of the first-type doped region at least in the lateral direction, the desaturation channel region and the mesa region adjoining each other;
• and a conductive material in the two trench portions or in the two trenches, the first-type doped mesa region being connected to the first electrode terminal, the conductive material in the two trench portions or in the two trenches being connected to the gate electrode terminal.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

• forming a first IGBT cell comprising a second-type doped drift zone and a first-type doped body region forming a pn-junction with the drift zone;
• and
• forming a desaturation semiconductor structure adjacent the first IGBT cell and configured to desaturate a charge carrier concentration in the drift zone of the first IGBT cell when the first IGBT cell is in the process of switching off,
• wherein forming the desaturation semiconductor structure comprises:
• forming a first-type doped region which forms a pn-junction with the drift zone;
• and
• forming two trenches or two portions of a trench extending into the first-type doped region and arranged beside the first IGBT cell in a lateral direction,
• wherein the two trenches confine a mesa region comprising a first-type doped desaturation channel region and a first-type doped body region at least in the lateral direction,
• wherein the desaturation channel region and the body region of the desaturation semiconductor structure adjoin each other,
• wherein the desaturation channel region is a depletable region.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

• forming a first IGBT cell comprising a second-type doped drift zone and a first-type doped body region forming a pn-junction with the drift zone;
• and
• forming a desaturation semiconductor structure adjacent the first IGBT cell and configured to desaturate a charge carrier concentration in the drift zone of the first IGBT cell when the first IGBT cell is in the process of switching off, wherein forming the desaturation semiconductor structure comprises:
• forming a first-type doped region which forms a pn-junction with the drift zone;
• and
• forming two portions of a trench arranged in the first-type doped region and arranged beside the first IGBT cell in a lateral direction
• wherein the two trench portions of the trench confine a mesa region comprising a first-type doped desaturation channel region and a first-type doped body region at least in the lateral direction,
• wherein the desaturation channel region and the body region of the desaturation semiconductor structure adjoin each other,
• wherein the desaturation channel region is a depletable region.