Semiconductor Device with Stripe-Shaped Trench Gate Structures, Transistor Mesas and Diode Mesas

A semiconductor device comprising:

• stripe-shaped trench gate structures extending into a first surface of a semiconductor body;
• transistor mesas between neighboring trench gate structures, the transistor mesas comprising body regions forming first pn junctions with a drift structure and second pn junctions with source zones;
• diode mesas between neighboring trench gate structures, the diode mesas comprising diode regions that directly adjoin the neighboring trench gate structures and form a third p-n junction with the drift structure,
• wherein the diode regions form contiguous regions extending from the first surface of the semiconductor body to a bottom of the diode regions that is coextensive with the third p-n junction,
• wherein between central bottoms of two of the neighboring trench gate structures, the bottom of the diode regions extends continuously along a plane that is parallel to the first surface and is beneath the central bottoms of the two of the neighboring trench gate structures,
• wherein each of the diode regions comprise a contact portion and a shielding portion,
• wherein the contact portion extends from the first surface to the shielding portion,
• wherein the contact portion extends deeper into the semiconductor body than the body regions,
• wherein the shielding portion extends from the contact portion to the bottom of the diode regions, and
• wherein a mean net dopant concentration in the contact portions is higher than a mean net dopant concentration in the shielding portions.