Patents by Inventor Neill R. Thornton

Neill R. Thornton has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5648664
    Abstract: A BIFET vacuum tube replacement structure includes a plurality of devices that replicate the characteristics of a vacuum tube. The vacuum tube replacement structure has the same pin-out as the vacuum tube being replaced and so can be exchanged directly for a vacuum tube in an audio amplifier. The vacuum tube replacement structure is suitable for use in a wide range of audio amplifier applications without modification to the audio amplifiers. Further, there is no noticeable degradation to the human ear in the sound quality when the vacuum tube replacement structure is used in an audio amplifier in place of a vacuum tube. A unitary device that is a combination of a high impedance bipolar like transistor and a unipolar junction field effect transistor, that is referred to as a BIFET, is used in the vacuum tube replacement structure. In one embodiment, the bipolar like transistor is formed in combination with the gate of the unipolar junction field effect transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Inventors: J. Kirkwood H. Rough, Adrian I. Cogan, Neill R. Thornton
  • Patent number: 5321283
    Abstract: The junction field effect transistors (JFETs) of this invention have improved breakdown voltage capability, reduced on-resistance and improved overdrive capability. The JFET on-resistance is decreased by ion-implanting an insulating layer covering a layer that contains the source and gate regions of the unipolar transistor. The charge of the implanted ions is the same as the charge polarity of the gate regions. To improve the overdrive capability of a JFET a region of conductivity opposite to the conductivity of the gate region is formed in the gate region of the transistor. This region of opposite conductivity creates another junction within the gate region i.e., the junction between the region of opposite conductivity and the gate region, and the junction between the gate region and the layer containing the gate region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1994
    Assignee: MicroWave Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Adrian I. Cogan, Neill R. Thornton
  • Patent number: 4967245
    Abstract: A trench power MOSFET device is disclosed wherein the method of manufacturing produces a high density MOSFET cell with good breakdown characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 30, 1990
    Assignee: Siliconix incorporated
    Inventors: Adrian I. Cogan, Neill R. Thornton