Patent ID: 7932583

Claim:
A semiconductor device, comprising: an insulated-gate bipolar transistor having a body region of a first conductivity type, a gate arranged adjacent the body region, a first highly-doped contact region of the first conductivity type arranged in the body region and in contact with a top contact layer, a drift zone of a second conductivity type arranged below the body region, and a second highly-doped contact region of the first conductivity type arranged between the drift zone and a bottom contact layer; a diode having an anode at least partially formed by the body region and a cathode at least partially formed by one or more regions of the second conductivity type formed in the second highly-doped contact region; and an irradiation zone formed in the drift zone, the irradiation zone comprising at least two end of range regions and a reduced charge carrier lifetime region arranged between adjacent end of range regions and between a surface of the drift zone through which the irradiation zone is formed and the end of range region nearest the surface, wherein the reduced charge carrier lifetime regions and the end of range regions each have a charge carrier lifetime lower than that of a non-irradiated region of the drift zone.