Patent ID: 7649244

Claim:
A vertical semiconductor device, comprising: a semiconductor body; a first contact on a first side of the semiconductor body; a second contact on a second side of the semiconductor body opposite the first side; wherein a plurality of regions are formed in the semiconductor body, the plurality of regions including, in a direction from the first contact to the second contact, a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type; and a third semiconductor region of the second conductivity type; wherein a basic doping density of the second semiconductor region is lower than a doping density of the third semiconductor region and the third semiconductor region is connected to the second contact in an electrically conductive manner; wherein in the second semiconductor region a semiconductor zone of the second conductivity type is arranged, wherein the doping density in the semiconductor zone is increased relative to the basic doping density of the second semiconductor region, wherein the semiconductor zone separates a first part of the second semiconductor region of the basic doping density arranged closer to the first semiconductor region from a second part of the second semiconductor region of the basic doping density arranged closer to the third semiconductor region; and wherein a maximum value of the doping density in the semiconductor zone is in a range of greater than 10 16 cm −3 and a thickness of the semiconductor zone along the direction from the first contact to the second contact is in a range of smaller than 3 μm, wherein the semiconductor zone is arranged near the third semiconductor region such that a ratio of a width of the second part of the second semiconductor region along the direction from the first contact to the second contact to a sum of a width of the first part of the second semiconductor region along the direction from the first contact to the second contact, a width of the second part and a thickness of the semiconductor zone is in a range from 0.01 to 0.2.