A semiconductor device comprising: an epitaxial layer grown over a heavily doped substrate layer , both of a first conductivity type; a source region , of a second conductivity type, in said epitaxial layer; a drain region , of said second conductivity type, in said epitaxial layer; a drain contact to said drain region, wherein said epitaxial layer is isolated from said drain contact by a pn-junction; a MOSFET gate structure on said epitaxial layer between said source region and said drain region ; a gate shield that is over said source region; a tetraethyl orthosilicate layer over said gate shield; a trench filled with an electrically conductive material forming an electrically conductive trench-like feed-through element that passes through said tetraethyl orthosilicate layer and said epitaxial layer and contacts said substrate layer , said gate shield , and said source region , wherein: an upper portion of said trench is etched by plasma-oxide etch through said tetraethyl orthosilicate layer and a lower portion of said trench, is etched by plasma-silicon etch through said epitaxial layer, said upper portion of said feed-through element being wider than said a lower portion of said feed-through element, thus forming a ledge where said upper portion and said lower portion meet, wherein said gate shield contacts said feed-through element at said ledge; and a low temperature oxide layer over the surface of said electrically conductive material in said feed-through element and a borophosphosilicate glass layer over said oxide layer. an epitaxial layer grown over a heavily doped substrate layer , both of a first conductivity type; a source region , of a second conductivity type, in said epitaxial layer; a drain region , of said second conductivity type, in said epitaxial layer; a drain contact to said drain region, wherein said epitaxial layer is isolated from said drain contact by a pn-junction; a MOSFET gate structure on said epitaxial layer between said source region and said drain region ; a gate shield that is over said source region; a tetraethyl orthosilicate layer over said gate shield; a trench filled with an electrically conductive material forming an electrically conductive trench-like feed-through element that passes through said tetraethyl orthosilicate layer and said epitaxial layer and contacts said substrate layer , said gate shield , and said source region , wherein: an upper portion of said trench is etched by plasma-oxide etch through said tetraethyl orthosilicate layer and a lower portion of said trench, is etched by plasma-silicon etch through said epitaxial layer, said upper portion of said feed-through element being wider than said a lower portion of said feed-through element, thus forming a ledge where said upper portion and said lower portion meet, wherein said gate shield contacts said feed-through element at said ledge; and a low temperature oxide layer over the surface of said electrically conductive material in said feed-through element and a borophosphosilicate glass layer over said oxide layer. an upper portion of said trench is etched by plasma-oxide etch through said tetraethyl orthosilicate layer and a lower portion of said trench, is etched by plasma-silicon etch through said epitaxial layer, said upper portion of said feed-through element being wider than said a lower portion of said feed-through element, thus forming a ledge where said upper portion and said lower portion meet, wherein said gate shield contacts said feed-through element at said ledge; and a low temperature oxide layer over the surface of said electrically conductive material in said feed-through element and a borophosphosilicate glass layer over said oxide layer. <EOS>