Patent ID: 8362590

Claim:
A power semiconductor component featuring an electric blocking capability exceeding 30 V comprising: a semiconductor body; two load terminals; and a potential probe positioned to tap an intermediate electric potential of the semiconductor body at a tap location within the semiconductor body for an electric voltage applied across the two load terminals, said intermediate electric potential being intermediate to the electric potentials of the two load terminals, but differing from each of the two electric potentials of the two load terminals, wherein said potential probe comprises a portion extending into the semiconductor body and a dielectric insulating the portion from the semiconductor body so that an electrically conductive connection between the portion and the semiconductor body can exist only at the tap location within the semiconductor body; wherein the tap location is selected so that the electric potential of the potential probe differs from at least one of the two electric potentials applied to the load terminals by maximally 100 V when the maximum blocking voltage is applied across the load terminals.