Claims
- 1. A controllable semiconductor switching element, comprising:
a first conduction zone and a second conduction zone of a first conductivity type; a channel zone of a second conductivity type between said first and second conduction zones; a control electrode insulated from said channel zone; said second conduction zone having a more heavily doped second terminal zone for connection to a terminal electrode and a more weakly doped second transition zone adjacent said channel zone; said first conduction zone having a more heavily doped first terminal zone for connection to a terminal electrode and a more weakly doped first transition zone adjacent said channel zone; and at least one recombination region formed in said channel zone and made of a material promoting a recombination of charge carriers of the first and second conductivity types.
- 2. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 1, wherein the material of said recombination region is a metal.
- 3. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 1, wherein the material of said recombination region is a material selected from the group consisting of silicide and polysilicon.
- 4. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 1, wherein said recombination region is formed as a plate.
- 5. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 1, wherein said recombination region is one of a plurality of recombination regions formed in said depletion zone.
- 6. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 5, wherein said recombination regions are formed in substantially parallel strips.
- 7. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 1, wherein said recombination region is completely surrounded by said channel zone.
- 8. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 1, which further comprises a zone of the first conductivity type arranged between said recombination region and said first conduction zone.
- 9. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 8, wherein said zone of the first conductivity type is doped more weakly than said first conduction zone.
- 10. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 1, wherein said first conduction zone, said depletion zone, and said second conduction zone are disposed in layers one above the other.
- 11. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 10, wherein said first and second transition zones of said first and second conduction zones have a substantially identical layer thickness.
- 12. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 1, wherein said first and second transition zones have at least an approximately equal doping concentration.
- 13. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 1, wherein a distance between said at least one recombination zone and said control electrode is small in relation to a thickness of said first and second transition zones.
- 14. The semiconductor switching element according to claim 1, wherein a distance between said at least one recombination zone and said control electrode is less than 1 μm.
- 15. A method for fabricating a semiconductor switching element, which comprises the following steps:
providing a semiconductor body with a second terminal zone of a first conductivity type, a second transition zone of the first conductivity type adjacent the second terminal zone and more weakly doped than the second terminal zone, a channel zone of a second conductivity type adjacent the second transition zone, a first transition zone of the first conductivity type adjacent the channel zone, a first terminal zone of the first conductivity type adjacent the first transition zone and doped more heavily than the second transition zone; fabricating at least one control electrode surrounded by an insulation layer and extending at least from the first transition zone through the channel zone as far as the second transition zone; and fabricating at least one recombination zone in the channel zone made of a material that promotes a recombination of charge carriers of the first and second conductivity types.
- 16. The method according to claim 15, which comprises forming the second terminal zone, the second transition zone, the channel zone, the first transition zone, and the first terminal zone in layers one above the other.
- 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the step of fabricating the at least one control electrode comprises the following method steps:
producing at least one first trench in the semiconductor body to extend, proceeding from one side of the semiconductor body, into the transition zone remote from the one side; depositing an insulation layer in the trench; depositing electrode material in the trench for fabricating the control electrode; and filling the trench with insulation material.
- 18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the step of fabricating the at least one recombination zone comprises the following method steps:
producing at least one second trench to extend, proceeding from one side of the semiconductor body, into the channel zone; depositing the material promoting the recombination of charge carriers of the first and second conductivity types in the second trench in the channel zone; and filling the trench with an insulation material.
- 19. The method according to claim 15, which comprises forming the first and second trenches at a very small mutual spacing.
- 20. The method according to claim 19, which comprises forming the first and second trenches at a spacing distance of less than 1 μm.
- 21. The method according to claim 15, which comprises fabricating a multiplicity of mutually adjacent first and second trenches and fabricating respective control electrodes or recombination zones in said trenches.
- 22. The method according to claim 15, which comprises forming the first and second transition zones with a substantially equal doping concentration.
- 23. The method according to claim 15, which comprises forming the first and second transition zones with a substantially equal layer thickness.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
199 58 694.2 |
Dec 1999 |
DE |
|
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of copending International Application No. PCT/EP00/07603, filed Aug. 4, 2000, which designated the United States and which was not published in English.
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/EP00/07603 |
Aug 2000 |
US |
Child |
10164178 |
Jun 2002 |
US |