According to an embodiment, the surface doping region 155 is formed by implanting counter dopants into the upper drift region 153a. The drift region 153 may be formed by epitaxial deposition to form the upper drift region 153a with a substantially homogeneous doping concentration. In a later process, counter dopants may be implanted globally, or in selected areas using an implantation mask, to reduce the net-doping concentration at the first side 101 and to form the surface doping region 155 having a lower net-doping concentration than the upper drift region 153a.

Both the upper drift region 153a and the surface doping region 155 may be of the first conductivity type and have the same doping concentration of dopants of the first conductivity type. The surface doping region 155 may have also dopants of the second conductivity type which effectively reduces the net doping concentration of the surface doping region 155. Since the doping concentration of the dopants of the first conductivity type is higher than the doping concentration of the dopants of the second conductivity type in the surface doping region 155, the “net” conductivity type of the surface doping region 155 remains of the first conductivity type.

According to an embodiment, the upper drift region 153a in the cell mesa regions 120 of the active area 104 does not contain a counter doping while the surface doping region 155 formed in the edge termination area 110 includes a counter doping to reduce the net doping concentration relative to the net doping concentration of the upper drift region 153a in the cell mesa regions 120 of the active area 104.