Surface-potential controlled semiconductor device

Claim 1

A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE COMPRISING A BODY OF SEMICONDUCTOR HAVING: A BASE REGION OF ONE CONDUCTIVITY TYPE, A COLLECTOR REGION OF THE OPPOSITE CONDUCTIVITY TYPE FROM SAID BASE REGION ADJACENT TO SAID BASE REGION AND FORMING A FIRST PN JUNCTION THEREWITH, SAID JUNCTION HAVING AN EDGE AT THE SURFACE OF SAID BODY OF SEMICONDUCTOR, AN EMITTER REGION AND A SHORTING REGION, BOTH OF SAID OPPOSITE CONDUCTIVITY TYPE DISPOSED WITHIN SAID BASE REGION AND EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM SAID SURFACE, SAID REGIONS FORMIN TWO SEPARATE PN JUNCTIONS WITH SAID BASE REGION, EACH HAVING AN EDGE AT SAID SURFACE OF THE BODY OF SEMICONDUCTOR, A SURFACE CHANNEL REGION FORMED IN SAID BASE REGION AND EXTENDING THE ENTIRE LENGTH BETWEEN THE JUNCTION BETWEEN THE SHORTING REGION AND THE BASE REGION AND ONE OF THE OTHER OF SAID JUNCTION, A CONTROL ELECTRODE CAPACITATIVELY COUPLED TO THE SEMICONDUCTOR IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID SURFACE CHANNEL REGION AND OVERLAPPING THE EDGES OF THE JUNCTIONS BETWEEN WHICH SAID SURFACE CHANNEL REGION EXTENDS, MEANS FOR PASSING ELECTRIC CURRENT ACROSS SAID FIRST PN JUNCTION AND ONE OF SAID SEPARATED PN JUNCTIONS, AND MEANS FOR APPLYING A POTENTIAL TO SAID CONTROL ELECTRODE SO AS TO CHANGE THE EFFECTIVE CONDUCTIVITY TYPE OF SAID SURFACE CHANNEL REGION.