Patent ID: 7868379

Claim:
An electronic device comprising a transistor, wherein the transistor comprises: a semiconductor layer having a primary surface and a trench extending from the primary surface; a conductive structure comprising: a horizontally-oriented doped region lying adjacent to the primary surface; an underlying doped region spaced apart from the primary surface and the horizontally-oriented doped region; and a vertically-oriented conductive region extending through a majority of the thickness of the semiconductor layer, including a conductive layer that substantially fills the trench, and electrically connecting the horizontally-oriented doped region and the underlying doped region; a conductive electrode overlying and electrically insulated from the conductive structure, wherein the conductive electrode is configured to be at a substantially constant voltage when the electronic device is in a normal operating state; a gate electrode overlying the primary surface of the semiconductor layer; and a gate signal line overlying the primary surface of the semiconductor layer and the conductive structure, wherein within an area occupied by the transistor, the gate signal line overlies the conductive electrode.