Process for manufacturing a high-voltage withstanding planar p-n junction

摘要

Starting from a planar pn junction (12a, 12b) which isolates a semiconductor region (11a, 11b) of a first conduction type from a semiconductor body (1) of a second conduction type, the peripheral region (11b) of the semiconductor region having a lateral doping gradient over its entire width, which exceeds the penetration depth of the semiconductor region, a part of the peripheral region (11b) is removed in an etching step. The etching depth (17) is so dimensioned that the surface breakdown voltage of the p-n junction (12a, 12b) is adjusted to specified value.