Various embodiments for improved power devices as well as their methods of
manufacture, packaging and circuitry incorporating the same for use in a
wide variety of power electronic applications are disclosed. One aspect
of the invention combines a number of charge balancing techniques and
other techniques for reducing parasitic capacitance to arrive at
different embodiments for power devices with improved voltage
performance, higher switching speed, and lower on-resistance. Another
aspect of the invention provides improved termination structures for low,
medium and high voltage devices. Improved methods of fabrication for
power devices are provided according to other aspects of the invention.
Improvements to specific processing steps, such as formation of trenches,
formation of dielectric layers inside trenches, formation of mesa
structures and processes for reducing substrate thickness, among others,
are presented. According to another aspect of the invention, charge
balanced power devices incorporate temperature and current sensing
elements such as diodes on the same die. Other aspects of the invention
improve equivalent series resistance (ESR) for power devices, incorporate
additional circuitry on the same chip as the power device and provide
improvements to the packaging of charge balanced power devices.