Patent ID: 7705369

Claim:
A high-voltage diode having a front and a rear side and comprising: a p + -conducting anode emitter including an upper side adjacent an anode metallization provided at the front side of the high-voltage diode; an anodal p-conducting zone provided beneath and adjacent the p + -conducting anode emitter; a n − -conducting drift zone provided beneath and adjacent the anodal p-conducting zone so as to form a p-n junction; an n-conducting zone provided beneath and adjacent the n − -conducting drift zone; an n + -conducting cathode emitter provided beneath and adjacent the n-conducting zone; and having a lower side adjacent a cathode metallization provided at the rear side of the high-voltage diode; and a first plurality of defects provided within the high-voltage diode and operable to reduce the charge carrier lifetime at the cathode side of the high-voltage diode, the first plurality of defects characterized by a defect concentration increasing from a predetermined concentration level at the n + -conducting cathode emitter to a local concentration peak level lying within a field stop region at a certain distance from the n + -conducting cathode emitter, the certain distance being a function of a range and/or dose of α-particles provided into the lower side of the n + -conducting cathode emitter.