Method of Manufacturing a Semiconductor Device Having an Integrated pn Diode Temperature Sensor

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

• forming one or more transistor cells in a first region of a semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate having a second region that is devoid of transistor cells;
• forming a first dielectric material over the first region and the second region of the semiconductor substrate;
• forming a second dielectric material over the first dielectric material;
• forming a pn diode in the first dielectric material over the second region of the semiconductor substrate;
• etching first contact grooves into a p-type region of the pn diode, second contact grooves into an n-type region of the pn diode, and third contact grooves into the first region of the semiconductor substrate, the first contact grooves, the second contact grooves and the third contact grooves being etched at the same time using a common contact formation process;
• and
• filling the first contact grooves, the second contact grooves and the third contact grooves with an electrically conductive material.