Thermally stabilized semiconductor device

Claim 1

IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE INCLUDING A SEMICONDUCTOR BODY HAVING FIRST AND SECOND REGIONS OF GIVEN AND OPPOSITE RESPECTIVE CONDUCTIVITY TYPES WITH A PN JUNCTION HAVING A GIVEN AREA THEREBETWEEN, SAID FIRST REGION SERVING TO INJECT CARRIERS INTO SAID SECOND REGION AND HAVING AN EXPOSED SURFACE AREA DISPOSED IN JUXTAPOSITION WITH SAID GIVEN AREA, SAID DEVICE EXHIBITING A POSITIVE TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT OF CURRENT FLOWING ACROSS A LOCALIZED PORTION OF SAID CURRENT FLOWING ACROSS A LOCALIZED PORTION OF SAID GIVEN AREA PRODUCES ADDITIONAL HEATING OF SAID LOCALIZED PORTION WHICH RESULTS IN AN INCREASE IN SAID SPECIFIC CURRENT, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: DISTRIBUTED RESISTANCE MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID SURFACE AREA, SAID RESISTANCE MEANS HAVING A LOCALIZED RESISTANCE IN SERIES WITH EACH OF SAID LOCALIZED PORTIONS SUCH THAT THE VOLTAGE DEVELOPED ACROSS EACH OF SAID LOCALIZED RESISTANCES IS DEPENDENT UPON THE SPECIFIC CURRENT FLOWING ACROSS A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID LOCALIZED PORTIONS, DISTRIBUTED ELECTRODE MEANS CONTIGUOUS WITH SAID DISTRIBUTED RESISTANCE MEANS, THE VALUE OF SAID RESISTANCE MEANS BEING SUFFICIENT TO SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE SAID POSITIVE TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT OF CURRENT FLOW THEREBY TO STABILIZE THE CURRENT DENSITY ACROSS SAID GIVEN AREA.