Patent attributes
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises a body of a first conductivity type having a source region and a channel, the body being in contact with a top contact layer. The device also comprises a gate arranged adjacent the channel and a drift zone of a second conductivity type arranged between the body and a bottom contact layer. An integrated diode is formed partially by a first zone of the first conductivity type within the body and being in contact with the top contact layer and a second zone of the second conductivity type being in contact with the bottom contact layer. A reduced charge carrier concentration region is formed in the drift zone having a continuously increasing charge carrier lifetime in the vertical direction so that the charge carrier lifetime is lowest near the body and highest near the bottom contact layer.