A semiconductor device having high reliability and high load short circuit withstand capability while maintaining a low ON resistance is provided, by using a WBG semiconductor as a switching element of an inverter circuit. In the semiconductor device for application to a switching element of an inverter circuit, a band gap of a semiconductor material is wider than that of silicon, a circuit that limits a current when a main transistor is short circuited is provided, and the main transistor that mainly serves to pass a current, a sensing transistor that is connected in parallel to the main transistor and detects a microcurrent proportional to a current flowing in the main transistor, and a lateral MOSFET that controls a gate of the main transistor on the basis of an output of the sensing transistor are formed on the same semiconductor.