Patent ID: 8283723

Claim:
A semiconductor device formed on a semiconductor substrate, comprising: a drain; an epitaxial layer overlaying the drain; and an active region comprising: a body disposed in the epitaxial layer, having a body top surface; a source embedded in the body, extending from the body top surface into the body; a gate trench extending into the epitaxial layer; a gate disposed in the gate trench; an active region contact trench extending through the source and into the body; an active region contact electrode disposed within the active region contact trench; wherein: the body includes a thin body layer that separates the active region contact electrode from the drain and that has a dopant concentration that is substantially the same as the rest of the body; thickness and dopant concentration of the body layer are such that in a reverse bias mode the layer of body region is substantially depleted, and in a forward bias mode the layer of body region is not depleted; wherein a low injection diode is formed below a body/drain junction.