With Means To Reduce Transistor Action In Selected Portions Of Transistor (e.g., Heavy Base Region Doping Under Central Web Of Emitter To Prevent Secondary Breakdown) Patents (Class 257/583)
  • Patent number: 9093286
    Abstract: This invention discloses a semiconductor power device formed in a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor power device further includes a channel stop region near a peripheral of the semiconductor substrate wherein the channel stop region further includes a peripheral terminal of a diode corresponding with another terminal of the diode laterally opposite from the peripheral terminal disposed on an active area of the semiconductor power device. In an embodiment of this invention, the semiconductor power device is an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Incorporated
    Inventor: Anup Bhalla
  • Patent number: 8933513
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is disclosed with a protection device formed of a parasitic bipolar transistor, a parasitic diode and a parasitic resistance and operated at a lowered operating voltage to be capable of improving a blocking capability against an over voltage. The impurity concentration in a semiconductor layer as the base of a parasitic bipolar transistor is lower compared with the impurity concentration of a semiconductor layer of the same conduction type arranged adjacently to the semiconductor layer as the base and to be the anode of a parasitic diode. The lowered impurity concentration is determined to be the concentration for making the parasitic bipolar transistor have a snapback phenomenon occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Osamu Sasaki
  • Patent number: 8901626
    Abstract: A field effect transistor device includes a gate stack disposed on a substrate a first contact portion disposed on a first distal end of the gate stack, a second contact portion disposed on a second distal end of the gate stack, the first contact portion disposed a distance (d) from the second contact portion, and a third contact portion having a width (w) disposed in a source region of the device, the distance (d) is greater than the width (w).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Dechao Guo, Wilfried E. Haensch, Xinhui Wang, Keith Kwong Hon Wong
  • Patent number: 8901642
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor body having a first surface defining a vertical direction and a source metallization arranged on the first surface. In a vertical cross-section the semiconductor body further includes: a drift region of a first conductivity type; at least two compensation regions of a second conductivity type each of which forms a pn-junction with the drift region and is in low resistive electric connection with the source metallization; a drain region of the first conductivity type having a maximum doping concentration higher than a maximum doping concentration of the drift region, and a third semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type arranged between the drift region and the drain region and includes at least one of a floating field plate and a floating semiconductor region of the second conductivity type forming a pn-junction with the third semiconductor layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Hans Weber, Franz Hirler
  • Patent number: 8791546
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor comprises at least first and second connected emitter-base (EB) junctions having, respectively, different first and second EB junction depths, and a buried layer (BL) collector having a greater third depth. The emitters and bases corresponding to the different EB junctions are provided during a chain implant. An isolation region overlies the second EB junction location thereby providing its shallower EB junction depth. The BL collector does not underlie the first EB junction and is laterally spaced therefrom by a variable amount to facilitate adjusting the transistor's properties. In other embodiments, the BL collector can underlie at least a portion of the second EB junction. Regions of opposite conductivity type over-lie and under-lie the BL collector, which is relatively lightly doped, thereby preserving the breakdown voltage. The transistor can be readily “tuned” by mask adjustments alone to meet various device requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Xin Lin, Bernhard H. Grote, Jiang-Kai Zuo
  • Patent number: 8536681
    Abstract: A MOS integrated circuit including an N-type silicide MOS transistor, an N-type non-silicide MOS transistor simultaneously formed with the N-type silicide MOS transistor, and an isolation film having an N conductivity type impurity formed on the N-type non-silicide MOS transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Oji
  • Patent number: 8502347
    Abstract: Bipolar junction transistors are provided in which at least one of an emitter contact, a base contact, or a collector contact thereof is formed by epitaxially growing a doped SixGe1-x layer, wherein x is 0?x?1, at a temperature of less than 500° C. The doped SixGe1-x layer comprises crystalline portions located on exposed surfaces of a crystalline semiconductor substrate and non-crystalline portions that are located on exposed surfaces of a passivation layer which can be formed and patterned on the crystalline semiconductor substrate. The doped SixGe1-x layer of the present disclosure, including the non-crystalline and crystalline portions, contains from 5 atomic percent to 40 atomic percent hydrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bahman Hekmatshoartabari, Tak H. Ning, Devendra K. Sadana, Ghavam G. Shahidi, Davood Shahrjerdi
  • Patent number: 8129818
    Abstract: The present invention is a power device includes, a first conductive type semiconductor substrate, a second conductive type base region formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, a second conductive type collector region formed on a rear surface of the semiconductor substrate, a first conductive type emitter region formed on a surface of the base region, a trench gate formed via a gate insulating film in a first trench groove formed in the base region so as to penetrate the emitter region, a dent formed in the base region in proximity to the emitter region, a second conductive type contact layer formed on an inner wall of the dent, having a higher dopant density than that of the base region, a dummy trench formed via a dummy trench insulating film in a second trench groove formed at a bottom of the dent, and an emitter electrode electrically connected to the emitter region, the contact layer and the dummy trench, wherein the trench gate and the dummy trench reach the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeo Tooi, Tetsujiro Tsunoda
  • Patent number: 7906796
    Abstract: In a bipolar device, such as transistor or a thyristor, the emitter layer or the anode layer is formed of two high-doped and low-doped layers, a semiconductor region for suppressing recombination comprising an identical semiconductor having an impurity density identical with that of the low-doped layer is present being in contact with a base layer or a gate layer and a surface passivation layer, and the width of the semiconductor region for suppressing recombination is defined equal with or longer than the diffusion length of the carrier. This provides, among other things, an effect of attaining reduction in the size of the bipolar transistor or improvement of the switching frequency of the thyristor without deteriorating the performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Mochizuki, Hidekatsu Onose, Natsuki Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 7638816
    Abstract: A surge protection device with small-area buried regions (38, 60) to minimize the device capacitance. The doped regions (38, 60) are formed either in a semiconductor substrate (34), or in an epitaxial layer (82), and then an epitaxial layer (40, 84) is formed thereover to bury the doped regions (38, 60). The small features of the buried regions (38, 60) are maintained as such by minimizing high temperature and long duration processing of the chip. An emitter (42, 86) is formed in the epitaxial layer (40, 84).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Littelfuse, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard A. Rodrigues
  • Patent number: 7601990
    Abstract: Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection is provided for an integrated circuit. Snap back from a lower initial critical voltage and critical current is provided, as compared to contemporary designs. A dynamic region having doped regions is formed on a substrate, interconnects contacting the dynamic region. The dynamic region includes an Nwell region, a Pwell region and shallow diffusions, defining a PNP region, an NPN region and a voltage Breakdown region. In an aspect, the Nwell region includes a first N+ contact, a first P+ contact and an N+ doped enhancement, while the Pwell region includes a second N+ contact, a second P+ contact and a P+ doped enhancement. The N+ doped enhancement contacts the P+ doped enhancement forming the breakdown voltage region therebetween, in one case forming a buried breakdown voltage junction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Jack L. Glenn
  • Patent number: 7550749
    Abstract: Embodiments of an apparatus and methods for offsetting systematic non-uniformities using a gas cluster ion beam are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: TEL Epion Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Caliendo, Nicholas J. Hofmeester
  • Patent number: 7397108
    Abstract: A monolithically integrated bipolar transistor has an SOI substrate, a collector region in the SOI substrate, a base layer region on top of and in contact with the collector region, and an emitter layer region on top of and in contact with the base layer region, wherein the collector, base layer, and emitter layer regions are provided with separate contact regions. Further, a region of an insulating material, preferably an oxide or nitride, is provided in the base layer region, in the emitter layer region, or between the base and emitter layer regions, wherein the insulating region extends laterally at a fraction of a width of the base and emitter layer regions to reduce an effective width of the bipolar transistor to thereby eliminate any base push out effects that would otherwise occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Torkel Arnborg
  • Patent number: 7394113
    Abstract: Embodiments herein present a structure, method, etc. for a self-alignment scheme for a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT). An HBT is provided, comprising an extrinsic base, a first self-aligned silicide layer over the extrinsic base, and a nitride etch stop layer above the first self-aligned silicide layer. A continuous layer is also included between the first self-aligned silicide layer and the nitride etch stop layer, wherein the continuous layer can comprise oxide. The HBT further includes spacers adjacent the continuous layer, wherein the spacers and the continuous layer separate the extrinsic base from an emitter contact. In addition, an emitter is provided, wherein the height of the emitter is less than or equal to the height of the extrinsic base. Moreover, a second self-aligned silicide layer is over the emitter, wherein the height of the second silicide layer is less than or equal to the height of the first silicide layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Francois Pagette, Anna Topol
  • Patent number: 7253498
    Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to bipolar transistors with geometry optimized for device performance and various methods of making same. In one illustrative embodiment, the device includes a substrate, an intrinsic base region formed in the substrate, a continuous emitter region formed within the intrinsic base region, the emitter region having a plurality of substantially hexagonal shaped openings defined therein, and a plurality of extrinsic base regions formed in the substrate, wherein each of the extrinsic base regions is positioned within an area defined by one of the plurality of substantially hexagonal shaped openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Legerity Inc.
    Inventor: Ranadeep Dutta
  • Patent number: 7247925
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductive type, a collector layer formed on the semiconductor substrate and made of a first semiconductor being of the first conductive type and having a higher resistance than that of the semiconductor substrate, an intrinsic base region having a junction surface with the collector layer and made of a second semiconductor of a second conductive type, and an emitter region having a junction surface with the intrinsic base region and made of a third semiconductor of the first conductive type. A periphery of the intrinsic base region is surrounded by an insulating region extending from the collector layer to the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Toyoda, Shinichi Sonetaka
  • Patent number: 7247926
    Abstract: A high-frequency switching transistor comprises a collector area, which has a first conductivity type, a first barrier area bordering on the collector area, which has a second conductivity type which differs from the first conductivity type, and a semiconductor area bordering on the first barrier area, which has a dopant concentration which is lower than a dopant concentration of the first barrier area. Further, the high-frequency switching transistor has a second barrier area bordering on the semiconductor area, which has a first conductivity type, as well as a base area bordering on the second barrier area, which has a second conductivity type. Additionally, the high-frequency switching transistor comprises a third barrier area bordering on the semiconductor area, which has the second conductivity type and a higher dopant concentration than the semiconductor area. Further, the high-frequency switching transistor has an emitter area bordering on the third barrier area, which has the first conductivity type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Reinhard Losehand
  • Patent number: 7019383
    Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a gallium arsenide heterojunction bipolar transistor comprises a collector layer and a first spacer layer situated over the collector layer, where the first spacer layer is a high-doped P+ layer. For example, the first spacer layer may comprise GaAs doped with carbon. The gallium arsenide heterojunction bipolar transistor further comprises a base layer situated over the first spacer layer. The base layer may comprise, for example, a concentration of indium, where the concentration of indium is linearly graded in the base layer. The base layer may comprise InGaAsN, for example. The gallium arsenide heterojunction bipolar transistor further comprises an emitter layer situated over the base layer. The emitter layer may comprise, for example, InGaP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter J. Zampardi, Kevin Choi, Lance G. Rushing
  • Patent number: 6917077
    Abstract: A semiconductor arrangement including: a substrate having a substrate layer (13) with an upper and lower surface, the substrate layer (13) being of a first conductivity type; a first buried layer (12) in the substrate, extending along said lower surface below a first portion of said upper surface of said substrate layer (13), and a second buried layer (12) in the substrate, extending along said lower surface below a second portion of said upper surface of said substrate layer (13); a first diffusion (26) in said first portion of said substrate layer (13), being of a second conductivity type opposite to said first conductivity type and having a first distance to said first buried layer (12) for defining a first breakdown voltage between said first diffusion (26) and said first buried layer (12); a second diffusion (45) in said second portion of said substrate layer (13), being of said second conductivity type and having a second distance to said second buried layer (12) for defining a second breakdown volta
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Petrus Hubertus Cornelis Magnee, Freerk Van Rijs, Hendrik Gezienus Albert Huizing
  • Patent number: 6894367
    Abstract: A vertical bipolar transistor has a J-FET incorporated in an epitaxial layer. The pinch-off voltage of the J-FET is less than the collector-emitter breakdown voltage of a bipolar transistor without the J-FET.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Peter Nelle, Matthias Stecher
  • Patent number: 6891250
    Abstract: A base contact section of a planar structure electrically connecting a base electrode to a base region of a bipolar transistor is constructed of a repeating structure in a plan view, in which a high impurity concentration region of the same conductivity type as that of the base region and a region of the reverse conductivity type from that of the base region or low concentration region of the same conductivity type as that of the base region, arranged in an alternately manner starting with a high impurity concentration region of the same conductivity type as that of the base region from an emitter region side. With such a structure, accumulation of minor carriers in the base contact section can be suppressed, a high switching speed can be achieved and reduction in power consumption can be realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuhisa Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 6890826
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a bipolar junction transistor results in an integrated polysilicon base contact and field plate element minimally spaced from a polysilicon emitter contact by using a single mask to define respective openings for these elements. In particular, a dielectric layer is deposited on a semiconductor wafer and has two openings defined by a single masking step, one opening above an emitter region and a second opening above a base-collector junction region. Polysilicon is deposited on the dielectric layer and selectively doped in the areas of the openings. Thus for an NPN transistor for example, the area above the emitter opening is doped N type and the area above the base/field plate opening is doped P type. The doped polysilicon is patterned and etched to leave a polysilicon emitter contact and an integrated polysilicon base contact and field plate within the respective openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Sheldon Douglas Haynie
  • Patent number: 6881639
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of manufacturing semiconductor devices, by which InGaAs-base C-top HBTs are manufactured at low cost. Helium ions with a smaller radius are implanted into a p-type InGaAs layer (in external base regions) not covered with a lamination consisting of an undoped InGaAs spacer layer, n-type InP collector layer, n-type InGaAs cap layer, and collector electrode from a direction vertical to the surface of the external base layer or within an angle of 3 degrees off the vertical. In consequence, the p-type InGaAs in the external base regions remains p-type conductive and low resistive and the n-type InAlAs layer in the external emitter regions can be made highly resistive. By this method, InGaAs-base C-top HBTs can be fabricated on a smaller chip at low cost without increase of the number of processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Mochizuki, Kiyoshi Ouchi, Tomonori Tanoue
  • Patent number: 6879024
    Abstract: As external connection terminals for an emitter electrode (12) of an IGBT chip, a first emitter terminal (151) for electrically connecting a light emitter in a strobe light control circuit to the emitter electrode (12) and a second emitter terminal (152) for connecting a drive circuit for driving an IGBT device to the emitter electrode (12) are provided. The first emitter terminal (151) and the second emitter terminal (152) are individually connected to the emitter terminal (12) by wire bonding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Renesas Technology Corp.
    Inventor: Makoto Kawano
  • Patent number: 6864538
    Abstract: An ESD protection device encompassing a vertical bipolar transistor that is connected as a diode and has an additional displaced base area. The assemblage has a space-saving configuration and a decreased difference between snapback voltage and breakdown voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Stephan Mettler, Wolfgang Wilkening
  • Patent number: 6803642
    Abstract: A non-uniform depth base-emitter junction, with deeper junction at the lateral portions of the emitter, preferably coupled with a recessed and raised extrinsic base, bipolar transistor, and a method of making the same. The bipolar transistor includes a substrate, a silicon germanium layer formed on the substrate, a collector layer formed on the substrate, a recessed and raised extrinsic base layer formed on the silicon germanium layer, and a silicon pedestal on which an emitter layer is formed. The emitter has non-uniform depths into the base layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory G. Freeman, Jae-Sung Rieh
  • Patent number: 6777780
    Abstract: The invention relates to a trench bipolar transistor structure, having a base 7, emitter 9 and collector 4, the latter being divided into a higher doped region 3 and a lower doped drift region 5. An insulated gate 11 is provided to deplete the drift region 5 when the transistor is switched off. The gate 11 and/or doping levels in the drift region 5 are arranged to provide a substantially uniform electric field in the drift region in this state, to minimise breakdown. In particular, the gate 11 may be seminsulating and a voltage applied along the gate between connections 21,23.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Raymond J. E. Hueting, Jan W. Slotboom, Petrus H. C. Magnee
  • Patent number: 6734520
    Abstract: A semiconductor component includes a first layer and at least one adjacent semiconductor layer or metallic layer, which forms a rectifying junction with the first layer. Further semiconductor layers and metallic layers are provided for contacting the component. Insulating or semi-insulating structures are introduced into the first layer in a plane parallel to the rectifying junction. These structures are shaped like dishes with their edges bent up towards the rectifying junction. A method of producing such a semiconductor component is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Holger Kapels, Dieter Silber, Robert Plikat
  • Publication number: 20040007762
    Abstract: An adapter and routing method for coupling an FPGA ball grid array to an ASIC ball grid array is disclosed. In one embodiment, the invention is a system for coupling circuit devices having dissimilar connectivity patterns, comprising a connection device having a first connectivity pattern on a first surface and a second connectivity pattern on a second surface, and a first conductor associated with the first connectivity pattern and a second conductor associated with the second connectivity pattern. The system also includes a first blind via extending from the first surface partway through the connection device, the first blind via forming the first conductor, a second blind via extending from the second surface partway through the connection device, the second blind via forming the second conductor, where the first blind via is mechanically isolated from the second blind via and the first blind via is electrically coupled to the second blind via through a common electrical connection to a through-hole via.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2002
    Publication date: January 15, 2004
    Inventor: Brock J. LaMeres
  • Patent number: 6614073
    Abstract: A semiconductor chip provided, at a lateral face thereof, with an electrode for external electric connection. Where a semiconductor chip has a plurality of electrodes, all the electrodes are preferably formed at one or more lateral faces of the semiconductor chip. Each electrode is preferably embedded in a groove which is formed in a lateral face of the semiconductor chip and which is opened laterally of the semiconductor chip. The semiconductor chip may be a discrete bipolar transistor element. In this case, each of the base electrode, the emitter electrode and the collector electrode is preferably formed at a lateral face of the semiconductor chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuhisa Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 6570242
    Abstract: A transistor that includes a doped buried region 320 within a semiconductor body 300, 340. The doped buried region includes a portion having a first thickness 348 and a second thickness, the first thickness being less than the second thickness. In one embodiment the first thickness is about half the second thickness. The transistor also includes a collector region 342 over the buried region, a base region 396 within the collector region, and an emitter region 422 within the base region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Frank S. Johnson
  • Publication number: 20030006485
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor using a B-doped Si and Ge alloy for a base in which a Ge content in an emitter-base depletion region and in a base-collector depletion region is greater than a Ge content in a base layer. Diffusion of B from the base layer can be suppressed by making the Ge content in the emitter-base depletion region and in a base-collector depletion region on both sides of the base layer greater than the Ge content in the base layer since the diffusion coefficient of B in the SiGe layer is lowered as the Ge contents increases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2002
    Publication date: January 9, 2003
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Kondo, Katsuya Oda, Katsuyoshi Washio
  • Patent number: 6459102
    Abstract: A peripheral structure for a monolithic power device, preferably planar, includes front and rear surfaces, connected respectively to a cathode and an anode, two junctions respectively reverse-biased and forward-biased when a direct and adjacent voltage is respectively applied to the two surfaces and at least an insulating box connecting the front and rear surfaces. The structure is such that when a direct voltage or a reverse voltage is applied, generating equipotential voltage lines, the insulating box enables to distribute the equipotential lines in the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
    Inventors: Patrick Austin, Jean-Louis Sanchez, Olivier Causse, Marie Breil, Jean-Pierre Laur, Jean Jalade
  • Patent number: 6437419
    Abstract: A power semiconductor device has an integral source/emitter ballast resistor. The gate has partial gate structures spaced apart from each other. Emitter resistors are provided beneath sidewall spacers on the ends of the gate structures. The emitter resistors have little effect on the threshold voltage under normal operating conditions, but rapidly saturate the device during short circuit conditions. This in turn increases the short circuit withstand capability o the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Anup Bhalla, Praveen Muraleedharan Shenoy
  • Patent number: 6404037
    Abstract: An insulated gate bipolar transistor having a collector electrode 3, an emitter region 6 and a base region 4 formed between the collector electrode and the emitter region, further including a channel stop region 17 spaced from the emitter region and electrically connected to the collector electrode. The base region 4 includes a first region 4c between the emitter region and the channel stop region and a second region between the first region and the collector electrode, the first region having a higher minority-carrier-lifetime than the second region, whereby the first region provides a conductivity modulated conduction path between the emitter region and the channel stop region when the insulated gate bipolar transistor is reverse biased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC
    Inventor: Adrian Finney
  • Patent number: 6355971
    Abstract: In a semiconductor switch device such as an NPN transistor (T) or a power switching diode (D), a multiple-zone first region (1) of one conductivity type forms a switchable p-n junction (12) with a second region (2) of opposite conductivity type. In accordance with the invention, this first region (1) includes three distinct zones, namely a low-doped zone (23), a high-doped zone (25), and an intermediate additional zone (24). The low-doped zone (23) is provided by a semiconductor body portion (11) having a substantially uniform p-type doping concentration (P−) and forms the p-n junction (12) with the second region (2). The distinct additional zone (24) is present between the low-doped zone (23) and the high-doped zone (25). The high-doped zone (25) which may form a contact zone has a doping concentration (P++) which is higher than that of the low-doped zone (23) and which decreases towards the low-doped zone (23).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Holger Schligtenhorst, Godefridus A. M. Hurkx, Andrew M. Warwick
  • Patent number: 6316817
    Abstract: High energy implantation through varying vertical thicknesses of one or more films is used to form a vertically modulated sub-collector, which simultaneously reduces both the vertical and lateral components of parasitic collector resistance in a vertically integrated bipolar device. The need for a sinker implant or other additional steps to reduce collector resistance is avoided. The necessary processing modifications may be readily integrated into conventional bipolar or BiCMOS process flows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation
    Inventors: John J. Seliskar, David W. Daniel, Todd A. Randazzo
  • Patent number: 6316827
    Abstract: A semiconductor device of the present invention includes ohmic source plate electrodes, gate plate electrodes, and drain plate electrodes in parallel from each other in a heat generating region various designs are used to more evenly distribute heat generated in the semiconductor device. A first example has gold-plate electrodes formed on the respective source and drain plate electrodes in parallel with the ohmic plate electrodes. The gold-plate electrode arranged at the central portion of the heat generating region plate electrodes has the widest width and gold-plate electrodes arranged toward the center portion to the peripheral portion of the heat generating region narrow gradually. By the structure mentioned above, the semiconductor device of the present invention has uniform temperature distribution in a heat generating region. A second example uses a plurality of stripe plates perpendicular to the ohmic plate electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Kazunori Asano, Kouji Ishikura
  • Patent number: 6252282
    Abstract: The invention relates to a semiconductor device including a preferably discrete bipolar transistor with a collector region, a base region, and an emitter region which are provided with connection conductors. A known means of preventing a saturation of the transistor is that the latter is provided with a Schottky clamping diode. The latter is formed in that case in that the connection conductor of the base region is also put into contact with the collector region. In a device according to the invention, the second connection conductor is exclusively connected to the base region, and a partial region of that portion of the base region which lies outside the emitter region, as seen in projection, lying below the second connection conductor is given a smaller flux of dopant atoms. The bipolar transistor in a device according to the invention is provided with a pn clamping diode which is formed between the partial region and the collector region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Godefridus A. M. Hurkx, Holger Schligtenhorst, Bernd Sievers
  • Patent number: 6215167
    Abstract: A power semiconductor device having an breakdown voltage improving structure and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. A collector region and a base region create a pn junction between them. At least one accelerating region of the same conductivity type as the collector region is formed spaced from the pn junction and at a dose higher than that of the collector region. A field plate overlaps the pn junction and the accelerating region. The field plate has an edge portion that extends past the accelerating region. When a voltage of a reverse direction is applied to the pn junction, an electric field becomes concentrated on the accelerating region as well as on the pn junction and on the edge portion of the field plate. This increases an electric field distribution area and thus also increases the breakdown voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chan-ho Park
  • Patent number: 6114746
    Abstract: A vertical PNP transistor integrated in a semiconductor material wafer having an N type substrate and an N type epitaxial layer forming a surface. The transistor has a P type buried collector region astride the substrate and the epitaxial layer; a collector sinker insulating an epitaxial tub from the rest of the wafer; a gain-modulating N type buried base region astride the buried collector region and the epitaxial tub, and forming a base region with the epitaxial tub; and a P type emitter region in the epitaxial tub. An N.sup.+ type base sinker extends from the surface, through the epitaxial tub to the buried base region. The gain of the transistor may be modulated by varying the extension and dope concentration of the buried base region, forming a constant or variable dope concentration profile of the buried base region, providing or not a base sinker, and varying the form and distance of the base sinker from the emitter region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2000
    Assignees: Consorzio per la Ricerca sullla Microelettronica nel Mezzogiorno, SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Salvatore Leonardi, Pietro Lizzio, Davide Giuseppe Patti, Sergio Palara
  • Patent number: 6078095
    Abstract: A unit transistor forming a power transistor includes a collector region, a base region, and an emitter region. A base contact portion is formed at a prescribed portion on the base region. The base region has a convex portion, which projects in the direction toward the emitter region, at a portion where the base contact portion is formed. The emitter region has, at a portion where the base region projects, a convex portion projecting in the same direction as the direction in which the base region projects. The base region has, at a portion where the emitter region projects, a concave portion. A base resistor region is expanded by the convex portion provided at the emitter region, thereby increasing the resistance value of the base resistor R.sub.B. Consequently, a power transistor having a wide area of safety operation and capable of performing operation in a stable manner can be obtained without an increase in size of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teruyuki Maeda, Akio Nkajima
  • Patent number: 6069404
    Abstract: A structure for a microwave device in which the minimum noise figure is reduced in that underneath the base terminal surface of a transistor, a highly-doped trenched layer is formed, which layer is connected to a reference potential in the vicinity of the base terminal surface via a standard collector contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Klaus Aufinger, Herbert Knapp
  • Patent number: 6013941
    Abstract: A semiconductor device provided with a planar bipolar transistor and a built-in ingredient acting as an element to protect the bipolar transistor from an external surge voltage e.g. an electrostatic surge voltage and the like, is provided with a planar bipolar transistor further provided with a doped region having a conductivity opposite to that of a semiconductor substrate in which the foregoing planar bipolar transistor is produced, the doped region being produced along the top surface of the semiconductor substrate at a location close to the bipolar transistor, and the emitter of the bipolar transistor being connected the doped region and a fixed potential (V.sub.EE) or the ground potential, whereby the operation speed of a circuit including the transistor is not reduced by potential parasitic capacitors which otherwise accompany the built-in ingredients produced to protect the transistor from an external surge voltage e.g. an electrostatic surge voltage and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takayuki Shimizu
  • Patent number: 5965931
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor includes multiple coupled delta layers in the base region between the emitter and collector regions to enhance carrier mobility and conductance. The delta layers can be varied in number, thickness, and dopant concentration to optimize desired device performance and enhanced mobility and conductivity vertically for emitter to collector and laterally parallel to the delta-doped layers. The transistors can be homojunction devices or heterojunction devices formed in either silicon or III-V semiconductor material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1999
    Assignee: The Board of Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Kang L. Wang, Timothy K. Carns, Xinyu Zheng
  • Patent number: 5880516
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having an epitaxial layer of one conductivity type formed on a semiconductor substrate of the other conductivity type, a base region of the other conductivity type formed on the epitaxial layer to extend from a surface of the epitaxial layer to a predetermined depth, the base region including an intrinsic base region and an external base region, an emitter region of the one conductivity type formed in the intrinsic base region, and a pedestal collector region of the one conductivity type formed in a portion of the epitaxial layer which is immediately under the base region to correspond thereto, wherein the pedestal collector region comprises a plurality of layers of pedestal collector regions which have an impurity concentration that changes in a direction of depth of the substrate and which are sequentially arranged in the direction of depth of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Toru Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 5850099
    Abstract: Generally, and in one form of the invention, a method for fabricating a transistor having a plurality of active regions comprising spacing or shaping the emitters 20 and 22, or gates, in a non-uniform manner to provide a substantially constant temperature over an active region of the transistor is disclosed. An advantage of the invention is that the occurrence of a thermal runaway condition between transistor current and temperature is generally avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1998
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: William Uei-Chung Liu
  • Patent number: 5760457
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor circuit element includes a semiconductor substrate; successively disposed on the substrate, a base layer, an emitter layer, and a collector layer; a bipolar transistor formed from parts of the collector, base, and emitter layers and including a base electrode electrically connected to the base layer and a base electrode pad for making an external connection to the base layer; a base ballasting resistor formed from a part of the base layer isolated from the bipolar transistor and electrically connecting the base electrode to the base electrode pad; and a base parallel capacitor connected in parallel with the base ballasting resistor wherein the base parallel capacitor includes part of the base input pad, a dielectric film disposed on part of the base electrode pad, and a second electrode disposed on the dielectric layer opposite the base electrode pad and electrically connected to the emitter electrode of the bipolar transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Mitsui, Takuji Sonoda, Teruyuki Shimura, Saburo Takamiya
  • Patent number: 5629547
    Abstract: A BiCMOS process where a base region is formed in a relatively highly doped n-type substrate region. Boron is implanted at two different energy levels to form the base region and a counter doped n region near the base collector junction to prevent impact ionization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1997
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen T. Chambers, Richard G. Taylor
  • Patent number: 5596220
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an integrated lateral transistor in which the depth and the doping level of the emitter region are such that the diffusion length of the minority carriers vertically injected into it is larger than or equal to the thickness of the emitter region. The distance between the peripheries of an electrical emitter connection zone and the emitter region is nominally larger than the alignment tolerance of an emitter contact window. This permits obtaining a transistor having an improved current amplification. An integrated circuit includes a lateral transistor, in which the ratio between the surface of the emitter region and that of the electrical emitter connection zone advantageous lies between 20 and 200.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1997
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Pierre Leduc, Bertrand Jacques