Patent ID: 7859018

Claim:
A semiconductor device comprising: (a) a substrate made from silicon or a silicon compound, the substrate having a pair of opposite major surfaces, a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type and a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type, opposite to the first conductivity type, the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region being adapted to provide a pn junction therebetween, all of the pn junction being disposed in parallel with the major surfaces of the substrate; (b) a main semiconductor region formed on one of a pair of opposite major surfaces of said substrate and having at least one nitride semiconductor layer; (c) a source and a drain electrode on said main semiconductor region; (d) a gate electrode disposed between, and spaced from, said source and said drain electrodes on said main semiconductor region for controlling conduction between said source and said drain electrodes via said main semiconductor region; (e) a back electrode formed on the other of the pair of opposite major surfaces of said substrate; and (f) a conductor connecting said back electrode to said source or said drain electrode, wherein said conductor does not touch said main semiconductor region directly.