Semiconductor component having emitter short circuits

A shorted emitter structure for a semiconductor device, said semiconductor device comprising:

• a wafer of semiconductor material having first and second parallel surfaces and a layer of one semiconductor material of a first conductivity type extending from said first surface;
• a center gate region of said first conductivity type generally located at the center of said first surface;
• an annular cathode region of semiconductor material of a second conductivity type extending from said first surface and surrounding and spaced from said center gate region;
• a plurality of short circuit elements comprising angular segments of said first conductivity type disposed within interior radial regions of said annular cathode region but spaced from said annular cathode region, said short circuit elements having inner diameter regions which are substantially continuous with the inner diameter of said annular cathode region;
• and
• an annular cathode metallizing ring which extends from about the inner diameter of said cathode region and said annular segments to about the outer diameter of said cathode region and extending across and electrically connecting said annular segments of said first conductivity type to said cathode region of said second conductivity type.