Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a first epitaxial layer of a first conductivity type, a first semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, a second epitaxial layer of a second conductivity type, a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, a gate insulating film, a gate electrode, an interlayer insulating film, a source electrode; and a gate electrode pad. The first semiconductor region is not provided beneath the gate electrode pad.

Abstract: A recombination center is formed within the bandgap of at least a silicon carbide material used to form an n? drift layer in a SiC-MOSFET. This recombination center is an impurity level formed by doping the n? drift layer with boron (B) or the like and/or a defect level constituted by defects formed by irradiating the n? drift layer with an electron beam. Due to the presence of this recombination center, the effective bandgap Eg1 of the silicon carbide material of the n? drift layer is set to be narrower than the original bandgap Eg0 and less than the valence band offset ?EV0 of a silicon carbide/insulating film interface. As a result, the photon energy created by recombination of electrons and holes while a body diode of the SiC-MOSFET is conducting current in a forward direction is less than the valence band offset ?EV0 of the silicon carbide/insulating film interface.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a first epitaxial layer of a first conductivity type, a first semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, a second epitaxial layer of a second conductivity type, a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type, a gate insulating film, a gate electrode, an interlayer insulating film, a source electrode; and a gate electrode pad. The first semiconductor region is not provided beneath the gate electrode pad.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes circuitry. The circuitry acquires, from equipment in which a fault has occurred, status information indicating a status of the equipment. The circuitry checks whether a maintenance person who is in an available state is present from among a plurality of maintenance persons. The circuitry identifies a type of the fault that has occurred in the equipment, based on the acquired status information. In a case in which no maintenance person who is in the available state is present from among the plurality of maintenance persons, the circuitry instructs the equipment to output a quick fix technique, which enables working around the fault of the identified type to enable continued use of the equipment.

Abstract: A recombination center is formed within the bandgap of at least a silicon carbide material used to form an n? drift layer in a SiC-MOSFET. This recombination center is an impurity level formed by doping the n? drift layer with boron (B) or the like and/or a defect level constituted by defects formed by irradiating the n? drift layer with an electron beam. Due to the presence of this recombination center, the effective bandgap Eg1 of the silicon carbide material of the n? drift layer is set to be narrower than the original bandgap Eg0 and less than the valence band offset ?EV0 of a silicon carbide/insulating film interface. As a result, the photon energy created by recombination of electrons and holes while a body diode of the SiC-MOSFET is conducting current in a forward direction is less than the valence band offset ?EV0 of the silicon carbide/insulating film interface.