Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a drift layer of a first conductivity type; well layers of a second conductivity type; a source layer of a first conductivity type; a gate electrode; an interlayer insulating film; and a source electrode, in which a plurality of body diodes constituted by the well layer and the drift layer at positions not overlapping with the gate electrode in plan view include a first operation portion that operates at a first body diode operation voltage and a plurality of second operation portions that operate at a second body diode operation voltage lower than the first body diode operation voltage.

Abstract: A silicon carbide semiconductor device includes an n-type epitaxial layer provided on a SiC substrate, a front surface electrode provided on the epitaxial layer, and a p-type electric field relieving region provided in the upper layer of the epitaxial layer in a terminal region. On the epitaxial layer, a first protective film composed of an interlayer insulating film and a protective oxide film that covers at least a part of the electric field relieving region is provided. A second protective film composed of a polyimide protective film is provided via a silicon nitride film so as to cover the outer end portion of the surface electrode, the first protective film, and at least a part of the epitaxial layer. The silicon nitride film protrudes from the second protective film at both an inner side end portion and an outer side end portion.

Abstract: Transforming optical images of a portion including a normal conductor pattern having a surface roughness, a portion subjected to an inspection, and a reference portion to images of electric charges and picking up these as electric signals by an image pick-up device, rendering the optical image including the normal conductor pattern having the surface roughness to a pixel signal by the image pick-up device, controlling a light volume of the optical image so that the pixel signal is saturated or immediately before the saturation, picking up a pixel signal of the portion to be inspected under this light volume, obtaining a differential signal from a pixel signal picked up from the reference portion, and judging an existence of defect from the differential signal, so as to detect defects such as a hiatus of conductor, a short circuit, and a deposition of an extraneous matter on a wafer, on which the normal conductor pattern having the roughened surface, with a high accuracy in processes of forming films and etchi

Abstract: Transforming optical images of a portion including a normal conductor pattern having a surface roughness, a portion subjected to an inspection, and a reference portion to images of electric charges and picking up these as electric signals by an image pick-up device, rendering the optical image including the normal conductor pattern having the surface roughness to a pixel signal by the image pick-up device, controlling a light volume of the optical image so that the pixel signal is saturated or immediately before the saturation, picking up a pixel signal of the portion to be inspected under this light volume, obtaining a differential signal from a pixel signal picked up from the reference portion, and judging an existence of defect from the differential signal, so as to detect defects such as a hiatus of conductor, a short circuit, and a deposition of an extraneous matter on a wafer, on which the normal conductor pattern having the roughened surface, with a high accuracy in processes of forming films and etchi