Patent ID: 7608512

Claim:
A method of forming a semiconductor device comprising: providing a layer of semiconductor material having a top surface; forming with a first mask level a pair of spaced-apart field effect gate structures with associated gate insulators on the top surface, each gate structure including a first end portion facing a first end portion of the other gate structure; forming with a second mask level first and second spaced-apart source regions of a first conductivity type in the semiconductor layer adjacent the top surface and between the pair of gate structures with a resulting gap at the top surface between the first and second spaced-apart source regions along a line between the pair of gate structures having a gap width; also forming with the second mask level a lightly doped body region of a second conductivity type in the semiconductor layer and extending below the source regions; forming sidewall spacers against each of the first end portions and over the source regions; and forming a more heavily doped region of the second conductivity type in the semiconductor layer adjacent the top surface and extending between the sidewall spacers on the first end portions at the top surface, the length of the heavily doped region at the top surface along the line between the pair of gate structures being greater than the gap width.