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US 7,132,712 B2Granted
Trench structure having one or more diodes embedded therein adjacent a PN junction
AssigneeFairchild Semiconductor Corporation
InventorsChristopher Boguslaw Kocon, Joseph Andrew Yedinak
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Abstract
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor region having a P-type region and a N-type region forming a PN junction therebetween. A first trench extends in the semiconductor region adjacent at least one of the P-type and N-type regions. The first trench includes at least one diode therein.
Claims41
A semiconductor structure comprising:
- a semiconductor region comprising a P-type region and a N-type region forming a PN junction therebetween;
- and
- a first trench extending in the semiconductor region adjacent at least one of the P-type and N-type regions, the first trench having at least one diode therein, the at least one diode being at least partially insulated from at least one of the P-type and N-type regions by an insulating layer, wherein no current flows through the first trench when the semiconductor structure is biased in a conducting state, and wherein the at least one diode influences an electric field in at least one of the P-type and N-type regions to thereby increase the blocking voltage of the semiconductor structure.
A semiconductor structure comprising:
- a semiconductor region having a body region and a drift region forming a PN junction;
- a first trench extending at least in the drift region;
- and
- at least one diode in the first trench, the at least one diode being at least partially insulated from at least one of the body and drift regions by an insulating layer, wherein no current flows through the first trench when the semiconductor structure is biased in a conducting state, and wherein the at least one diode influences an electric field in at least the drift region to thereby increase the blocking voltage of the semiconductor structure.
1 more element
A semiconductor structure comprising:
- a substrate;
- an epitaxial layer over and in contact with the substrate, the epitaxial layer having a body region and a drift region forming a PN junction, the drift region being of the same conductivity type as the substrate;
- a plurality of laterally spaced trenches each extending through at least a portion of the drift region;
- and
- a plurality of diodes in each of the plurality of trenches, the plurality of diodes in each trench being insulated from the drift region along the trench sidewalls, wherein at least one of the plurality of diodes in each trench influences an electric field in at least the drift region to thereby increase the blocking voltage of the semiconductor structure.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.