The power semiconductor components in prior art high-voltage smart power ICs frequently take up more than half of the total chip surface. To be able to produce the ICs more economically, the material consumption must be reduced, and hence, in particular, the surfaces of the drift zones of the power semiconductor components must be made significantly smaller. Based on the premise that the electrical breakdown field strength of silicon carbide is approximately ten times higher than that of silicon, the parts of a semiconductor component which receive voltage are integrated in silicon carbide. The drift zone can be made much smaller for the same reverse voltage. In an SiC MOS transistor with lateral current conduction, the SiC layer, which is only approximately 1-2 &mgr;m thick and is covered by an SiO2 layer, is arranged so as to be dielectrically insulated on an Si substrate. Two n+-doped SiC regions are used as source and drain contacts. The electron-conducting channel is formed on that surface of a p+-doped region of the SiC layer which is opposite the gate electrode. The SiC drift zone, which is only weakly electron-conducting, adjoins the channel in the lateral direction.