Patent ID: 7605427

Claim:
A field plate trench transistor comprising: a semiconductor body containing a plurality of trenches which are isolated from one another by mesa regions, the trenches containing gate electrodes operable to control a vertical flow of current through the semiconductor body, wherein a first plurality of the gate electrodes is configured such that when a gate potential and a source potential are applied to the field plate trench transistor, the first plurality of the gate electrodes is at the source potential which differs from the gate potential, and the remaining gate electrodes which form a second plurality of the gate electrodes are configured such that when the gate potential and the source potential are applied to the field plate trench transistor, the second plurality of the gate electrodes are at the gate potential, and below the second plurality of the gate electrodes within the trenches there are field electrodes which are configured such that when the gate potential and the source potential are applied to the field plate trench transistor, the field electrodes are at the source potential.