Patent ID: 8163624

Claim:
A method of making a discrete semiconductor device, comprising: providing a substrate including a first conductivity type of semiconductor material; forming a first semiconductor layer over the substrate, the first semiconductor layer having the first conductivity type of semiconductor material; forming a second semiconductor layer over the first semiconductor layer, the second semiconductor layer having a second conductivity type of semiconductor material opposite the first conductivity type of semiconductor material; forming a trench that extends through the second semiconductor layer and partially through the first semiconductor layer; lining the trench with an insulating layer; and depositing an insulating material in the trench, wherein the trench, the insulating layer, and the insulating material form an electrically insulating trench, wherein a boundary between the first and second semiconductor layers forms a p-n junction, and wherein the electrically insulating trench surrounds the p-n junction to terminate an electric field of a voltage imposed on the second semiconductor layer.