Abstract: The invention relates to a semiconductor component which is capable of blocking such as an (IGBT), a thyristor, a GTO or diodes, especially schottky diodes. An insulator profile section (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 11) provided in the border area of an anode metallic coating (1, 31) is fixed (directly in the edge area) on the substrate (9) of the component. The insulator profile has a curved area (KB) and a base area (SB), said curved area having a surface (OF) which begins flat and curves outward and upward in a steadily increasing manner. A metallic coating (MET1; 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 31b) is deposited on the surface (OF). Said coating directly follows the surface curvature and laterally extends the inner anode metallic coating. The upper end of the curved metallic coating (MET1; 30a, 30b . . . ) is distanced and insulated from one of these surrounding outer metallic coatings (MET2; 3) by the surrounding base area (SB) of the insulator profile (10a, . . .

Abstract: A Semiconductor component, such as an IGBT, a thyristor, a GTO or a diode, and especially a Schottky diode is provided that is capable of blocking for producing a termination portion of a semiconductor component. An insulator profile of an insulator portion includes a curved surface, which is free of steps and is produced by gray-tone lithography in the termination portion of an anode. The device also includes a substrate that is covered with an insulating layer having a thickness of between 0.5 &mgr;m and 15 &mgr;m, an insulator layer having a thickness is covered with a photosensitive layer (photoresist layer) where the photoresist layer is exposed through a mask, which changes in its gray-tone value in accordance with the course of curvature of the surface of at least one insulator profile, and is subsequently structured to form at least one resist remainder.

Abstract: Semiconductor structure configured as a semiconductor switch that can be used in various forms to switch currents. Semiconductor switch comprising non-doped or very lightly doped semiconductor crystal for switching currents in at least one direction at higher to high voltages which are significantly higher than the operating voltages of gate circuits, comprising an active region and a termination portion, wherein at least one opposite surface of the active region is provided with fine structures distributed over a wide area, which structures are substantially uniformly configured and include one conductive terminal surface each, by which charge carriers can be moved in a controlled manner into the active region of the semiconductor crystal via the fine structures in order to control a concentration of the charge carriers in the active region and thus the off-state and/or on-state of the semiconductor switch.

Abstract: The invention relates to a semiconductor component with a base zone (3) extending in a lateral direction (x) of a first type of conductivity (n) and at least two contact areas (1, 2) for connection to electric contacts (A, K) which zones are separate at least from the base zone (3) in the lateral direction (x). A base material of the base zone (3) is silicon (Si) and has a dopant concentration of 1012 to 5×1014 cm−3 and a respective dopant concentration (NA) along a lateral direction (x) of less than 2×1012 cm−2 determined by integrating the dopant concentration across the vertical thickness of the base area (3). The semiconductor component further comprises compensation layers (6, 6a, 6b, 6c, 7, 7a, 7b, 7c, 8) of a second type of conductivity (p) opposed to the first type of conductivity. Said layers extend inside or outside the base area in a lateral direction (x).

Abstract: The invention relates to a semiconductor component which is capable of blocking such as an (IGBT), a thyristor, a GTO or diodes, especially schottky diodes. An insulator profile section (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 11) provided in the border area of an anode metallic coating (1, 31) is fixed (directly in the edge area) on the substrate (9) of the component. The insulator profile has a curved area (KB) and a base area (SB), said curved area having a surface (OF) which begins flat and curves outward and upward in a steadily increasing manner. A metallic coating (MET1; 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 31b) is deposited on the surface (OF). Said coating directly follows the surface curvature and laterally extends the inner anode metallic coating. The upper end of the curved metallic coating (MET1; 30a, 30b . . . ) is distanced and insulated from one of these surrounding outer metallic coatings (MET2; 3) by the surrounding base area (SB) of the insulator profile (10a, . . .

Abstract: The invention relates to a semiconductor component which is capable of blocking such as an (IGBT), a thyristor, a GTO or diodes, especially schottky diodes. An insulator profile section (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 11) provided in the border area of an anode metallic coating (1, 31) is fixed (directly in the edge area) on the substrate (9) of the component. The insulator profile has a curved area (KB) and a base area (SB), said curved area having a surface (OF) which begins flat and curves outward and upward in a steadily increasing manner. A metallic coating MET1; 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 31b) is deposited on the surface (OF). Said coating directly follows the surface curvature and laterally extends the inner anode metallic coating. The upper end of the curved metallic coating (MET1; 30a, 30b . . . ) is distanced and insulated from one of these surrounding outer metallic coatings (MET2; 3) by the surrounding base area (SB) of the insulator profile (10a, . . .

Abstract: A pin diode includes an inner zone, a cathode zone and an anode zone. A boundary surface between the inner zone and the anode zone is at least partly curved and/or at least one floating region having the same conduction type and a higher dopant concentration than in the inner zone is provided in the inner zone. The turnoff performance in such geometrically coupled power diodes, in contrast to the turnoff performance of pin power diodes (in the Read-diode version) with spaced charge coupling, is largely temperature-independent. Hybrid diodes with optimized conducting-state and turnoff performance can be made from such FCI diodes. FCI diodes are preferably used in conjunction with switching power semiconductor elements, as voltage limiters or free running diodes.

Abstract: A Read diode includes an inner zone, a cathode zone, an anode zone and a first coupling zone disposed between the inner zone and the anode zone. A second coupling zone is disposed between the first coupling zone and the inner zone. Both coupling zones are used in the reverse mode for dividing an electric field into a high-field zone and a low-field zone and, consequently, permit greatly localized charge carrier generation by impact ionization in the voltage breakdown. The use of the two coupling zones ensures "punch-through" coupling between the high-field and low-field zones which, in contrast to the space charge coupling of Read diodes, permits a largely temperature-independent "soft-recovery" behavior. Hybrid diodes having optimized forward and commutation behaviors can be produced from the FCI-PT diodes. FCI-PT diodes are preferably employed in conjunction with switching power semiconductor components as voltage limiters or freewheeling diodes.

Abstract: A thyristor having a p-n-p-n semiconductor construction has a shoulder of the n-base extending through the p-base to an exterior surface of the body of the thyristor and is connected to an associated circuit to supply the circuit with operating current. The shoulder has a first part at the boundary surface of the body and a second part with smaller cross-sectional dimensions, connected between the first part and the n-base. The cross-sectional dimensions of the conductive connection between the shoulder and the external circuit are less than the corresponding dimensions of the first part, such that the conductive coating is shielded from the space charge zone adjacent the second part.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a power semiconductor component having a component of this type is presented which has at least three consecutive layers and possessing a high current capacity and small power losses. For contacting the first two layers, the component has first second metallized contact planes, which impress a step-like structure onto a first surface of the component. The steps have a height of between 10 and 20 .mu.m and a width of between 20 and 300 .mu.m. The ratio between the surface area of the first contact plane and the surface area of the second contact plane is between 1 and 4. The first layer is heavily doped and has a maximum thickness of 8 .mu.m, and the second layer is lightly doped and has a maximum thickness of 40 .mu.m. According to the process for manufacturing the component, the surface structure according to the invention is produced essentially by a reactive ion-etching process with a single aluminum mask.

Abstract: A thyristor having a p-n-p-n semiconductor construction has a shoulder of the n-base extending through the p-base to an exterior surface of the body of the thyristor and is connected to an associated circuit to supply the circuit with operating current. The shoulder has a first part at the boundary surface of the body and a second part with smaller cross-sectional dimensions, connected between the first part and the n-base. The cross-sectional dimensions of the conductive connection between the shoulder and the external circuit are less than the corresponding dimensions of the first part, such that the conductive coating is shielded from the space charge zone adjacent the second part.

Abstract: For improving the dynamic characteristics of semiconductor components required to absorb high reverse voltages only in one polarity (diodes, reverse-conducting thyristors and asymmetric thyristors), in many cases structures having an n base consisting of two layers are used. In order to improve the reverse-voltage capability, it is proposed, in a semiconductor component having at least one pn.sup.- n sequence of layers, to select the thickness (S) and the doping of an n stop layer (4) in such a way that the following applies: ##EQU1## where e=elementary charge, .epsilon.=dielectric constant of the semiconductor, N.sub.D =donor concentration, X=path coordinate, 0.8.ltoreq.k.ltoreq.1.0 and E.sub.n =field strength at the n.sup.- n junction. The effect of this measure is that the geometric conditions of the edge chamfering are less stringent. The edge can also be shaped by means of conventional etching processes.

Abstract: A power semiconductor component having a component of this type is presented which has at least three consecutive layers and possessing a high current capacity and small power losses. For contacting the first two layers, the component has first and second metallized contact planes, which impress a step-like structure onto a first surface of the component. The steps have a height of between 10 and 20 .mu.m and a width of between 20 and 300 .mu.m. The ratio between the surface area of the first contact plane and the surface area of the second contact plane is between 1 and 4. The first layer is heavily doped and has a maximum thickness of 8 .mu.m, and the second layer is lightly doped and has a maximum thickness of 40 .mu.m. The invention further includes a process for manufacturing the component, wherein the surface structure according to the invention is produced essentially by a reactive ion-etching process with a single aluminum mask.

Abstract: A semiconductor component such as a four layer assymetrical thyristor having four zones of alternately opposite conductivity type, including a P emitter, an N base, a P base and an N emitter, wherein in the N base zone there is provided a stopping layer in a partial region adjacent the P emitter. The stopping layer has a doping concentration which decreases in a direction towards the P emitter zone perpendicular to the four zones. Thus the transport factor for the holes injected by the P emitter is desirably changed by means of lowering the doping concentration of the stopping layer in front of the P emitter, on the side of the anode, of a highly blocking thyristor in the forward direction, while the full effectiveness of the stopping layer remains unchanged. Also a lower blocking current in the blocking condition and/or a lower transmission voltage in the passing condition is attained.

Abstract: A process for interrupting load current in a thyristor to switch-off current conduction through the thyristor, as well as a semiconductor module for implementation of the process. In the process, a semiconductor diode is connected in parallel to the thyristor and a photocurrent is produced in the diode to switch-off current conduction in the thyristor, the diode then taking over the load current of the thyristor. The photocurrent can be optionally produced by means of an electro-magnetic radiation (light) or by means of a bombardment with electrons. The process permits considerable reduction in the complexity of the cut-off circuit and separation of this circuit in a galvanic fashion from the load circuit. The semiconductor module provided for implementing the process includes a thyristor and a radiation sensitive diode disposed in parallel with the thyristor and commonly integrated into the thyristor semiconductor structure.

Abstract: A semiconductor element having at least one pn junction and provided with zone guard rings for improving the suppression behavior of the pn junction, wherein the pn junction extends to the peripheral or side surface of the element and the first of a series of guard rings is coordinated with the pn junction and is bounded by the peripheral or side surface and by the lower planar surface of the element.

Abstract: A power thyristor formed by four zones of alternating conductivity type and including at least one control gate, at least one generator gate in the vicinity of a respective control gate and at least one firing gate located further away from a respective control gate formed on portions of the cathode-base zone extending to the cathode-side main surface, in which the firing gate is electronically connected to the generator gate with no intervening cathode-base zone.

Abstract: An output thyristor with at least two electrodes located on the cathode side base zone, whereby one of the two electrodes is used as a control electrode (starting gate) and the second electrode is used for the output of current (generator gate), wherein the existing lateral resistance R.sub.GK ' between the generator gate and the cathode zone and/or the edge length of the generator gate is selected such that at the generator gate of the started thyristor, with an anode current which is smaller than the surge limit of the thyristor in question, the current I.sub.G removable therefrom is sufficient when applied to the starting gate of a corresponding thyristor connected in parallel to start the parallel connected thyristor. The lateral resistance between the starting gate and the cathode zone--R.sub.GK --is selected as small as possible (R.sub.GK <R.sub.

Abstract: A thyristor exhibiting improved maximum current rise rates as a result of the relocation of the ignition front from the edge of the cathode emitter zone to inner cathode emitter areas. This relocation is effected by providing a relatively light doping of the anode zone beneath the thyristor gate and cathode emitter edge, and a relatively higher anode zone doping opposite and outside of the cathode edge, while not applying an anode electrode metal coating to the lightly doped area of the anode zone. The thyristor utilizes cathode emitter short circuit rings arranged such that the ignition front which occurs at thyristor triggering bypasses the short circuit ring immediately adjacent the cathode emitter edge, thereby increasing the thyristor voltage rise velocity, dU/dt.

Abstract: A safety device for protecting a controllable high power semiconductor component having an anode, a cathode, and a control electrode, against excessive voltage rise rates dU/dt and comprising: a semiconductor body having at least four sequential zones of alternating and opposite conductivity type, the second sequential zone being provided with a high concentration region having a higher concentration of conductivity type determining impurities than the rest of the second sequential zone; a first emitter electrode contacting the first of the four sequential zones of the semiconductor body and adapted to be connected to the control electrode of the controllable high power semiconductor component; a second emitter electrode contacting the fourth of the four sequential zones of the semiconductor body and adapted to be connected to the anode of the controllable high power semiconductor component; a gate electrode contacting the high concentration region of the second sequential zone of the semiconductor body; and