Patent ID: 8853776
Filing Date: 2014-10-07
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
1. An electronic circuit, comprising a transistor device that can be operated in a reverse operation mode and a control circuit, the transistor device comprising: a source region, a drain region, a body region and a drift region; a source electrode electrically connected to the source region; a pn junction formed between the body region and the drift region; a gate electrode adjacent the body region and dielectrically insulated from the body region; and a depletion control structure adjacent the drift region, the depletion control structure having a control terminal and configured to generate a depletion region in the drift region dependent on a drive signal received at the control terminal; and a clamping element coupled between the drift region and at least one of the source electrode and the body region and configured to clamp a voltage between the body region or the source electrode and the drift region to a voltage below a forward voltage of the pn junction between the body region and the drift region, wherein the transistor device is operated in the reverse operation mode when a voltage between the drain and source regions forward biases the pn junction between the body region and the drift region, wherein the control circuit is coupled to the control terminal of the depletion control structure and is configured to drive the depletion control structure to generate the depletion region in the drift region when the transistor device is operated in the reverse operation mode so that the transistor device is driven to block and current does not flow via the pn junction in the reverse operation mode.