SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH SEMICONDUCTOR MESAS BETWEEN ADJACENT GATE TRENCHES

A semiconductor device is described. The semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor substrate having a first main surface; a plurality of gate trenches extending from the first main surface into the semiconductor substrate; a semiconductor mesa between adjacent gate trenches; a first interlayer dielectric on the first main surface; a plurality of first metal contacts extending through the first interlayer dielectric and contacting gate electrodes disposed in the gate trenches; a plurality of second metal contacts extending through the first interlayer dielectric and contacting the semiconductor mesas; and an air gap or a dielectric material having a lower dielectric constant than the first interlayer dielectric between adjacent first and second metal contacts. Methods of producing the semiconductor device are also described.