Insulated gate bipolar transistor having a coupling element

A field-effect-controlled semiconductor component (IGBT), comprising:

• a semiconductor body having at least four regions of alternating opposite conductivity types and forming respective p-n junctions between adjoining ones of said four regions, said four regions including an anode-end emitter region, said four regions adjoining first and second base regions and a cathode-end emitter region, wherein the cathode-end emitter region and the first base region form a source and a drain of an MOS field-effect transistor having a channel region formed adjacent the second base region;
• an anode contact for the anode end emitter region, a cathode contact for the cathode-end emitter region and a control electrode contact for the MOS field-effect transistor and disposed on an insulating layer formed on a top surface of the semiconductor body and above the source, drain and channel regions;
• an additional p-n junction realized by a separately disposed p.sup.+ -area which lies adjacent to the second base region and which is placed into the first region, which is an n-type conductivity region;
• and wherein
• the p.sup.+ -area is connected only to the cathode contact via a coupling element having a nonlinear current/voltage characteristic, with the coupling element being separated from the structure within the semiconductor body of the semiconductor component;
• whereby when the IGBT is switched off, a hole current flows from the anode contact to the cathode contact not only via the second base region which is a p-region, but also via the p.sup.+ -area and via the coupling element in order to prevent an ignition of a parasitic thyristor structure.