Method of operating a reverse conducting IGBT

摘要

According to an embodiment of a method, a semiconductor device is operated in a reverse biased unipolar mode before operating the semiconductor device in an off-state in a forward biased mode. The semiconductor device includes at least one floating parasitic region disposed outside a cell region of the device.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
operating a semiconductor transistor device in a reverse biased unipolar mode before operating the semiconductor transistor device in an off-state in a forward biased mode, wherein the semiconductor transistor device comprises:
a first emitter region of a first conductivity type, a second emitter region of a second conductivity type complementary to the first conductivity type, and a drift region of the second conductivity type arranged in a semiconductor body;a first electrode, wherein the first emitter region and the second emitter region are arranged between the drift region and the first electrode and are each connected to the first electrode;a cell region comprising at least one device cell, the at least one device cell comprising a body region of the first conductivity type adjoining the drift region, a source region of the second conductivity type adjoining the body region, and a gate electrode adjacent the body region and dielectrically insulated from the body region by a gate dielectric;a second electrode electrically connected to the source region and the body region of the at least one device cell;at least one first parasitic region of the first conductivity type disposed outside the cell region; and wherein the at least one first parasitic region is floating, wherein the semiconductor transistor device is operated in the reverse biased unipolar mode by driving the gate electrode such that a conducting channel is generated in the body region between the source region and the drift region before the semiconductor transistor device is forward biased, wherein in the reverse biased unipolar mode, charge carriers of the second conductivity type bypass the body region and injection of charge carriers of the first conductivity type into the drift region is reduced such that a low concentration of charge carriers of the first conductivity type is injected into the drift region or only charge carriers of the second conductivity type are injected into the drift region in the reverse biased unipolar mode.