Double Gate Transistor Device and Method of Operating

A method, comprising:

• driving a first gate electrode of a transistor device and monitoring at least one electrical parameter of a second gate electrode of the transistor device,
• wherein the first gate electrode is dielectrically insulated from a body region by a first gate dielectric,
• wherein the second gate electrode is dielectrically insulated from the body region by a second gate dielectric, arranged adjacent the first gate electrode, and separated from the first gate electrode by a separation layer,
• wherein the body region is arranged between a source region and a drift region, and wherein the drift region is arranged between the body region and a drain region, and
• wherein monitoring the at least one electrical parameter of the second gate electrode comprises measuring a current flowing to the second gate electrode,
• wherein driving the first gate electrode comprises decreasing a first drive voltage between the first gate electrode and the source region from a first on-level to a first off-level,
• wherein driving the second gate electrode comprises decreasing a second drive voltage between the second gate electrode and the source region from a second on-level to a second off-level, and
• wherein the second off-level is different from the first off-level.

A method comprising:

• switching off a transistor device by interrupting a first conducting channel in a body region by driving a first gate electrode and, after interrupting the first conducting channel, interrupting a second conducting channel in the body region by driving a second gate electrode,
• wherein the first gate electrode is dielectrically insulated from the body region by a first gate dielectric,
• wherein the second gate electrode is dielectrically insulated from the body region by a second gate dielectric, arranged adjacent the first gate electrode, and separated from the first gate electrode by a separation layer, and
• wherein the body region is arranged between a source region and a drift region, and wherein the drift region is arranged between body region and a drain region
• wherein driving the first gate electrode comprises decreasing a first drive voltage between the first gate electrode and the source region from a first on-level to a first off-level according to a first slope, and
• wherein driving the second gate electrode comprises decreasing a second drive voltage between the second gate electrode and the source region from a second on-level to a second off-level according to a second slope, wherein the second slope is greater than the first slope.