A novel gate geometry for the IGBT: the trench planar insulated gate bipolar transistor (TPIGBT)

This letter demonstrates a simple way to improve the performance of a planar, fine lithography insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), by incorporating a trench gate between the cathode cells. The results of this new trench-planar IGBT (TPIGBT) clearly demonstrate a significant reduction in the voltage drop without degrading the breakdown voltage. The switching analysis indicates that the TPIGBT represents a good trade-off between planar and trench structures. By separating the trench gate requirements away from the cathode cells, the technology development cycle and costs can be reduced. Furthermore, the reduced cell-width and the shallow trench presents TPIGBT as a cost-effective structure for high-voltage applications.