Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Robert F. Hightower
  • Method of forming a reference voltage and structure therefor
    Patent number: 7285943
    Abstract: A selected bandgap reference (11) of a voltage generator (10) is operated at a duty cycle that is less than one hundred percent. The seclectable bandgap reference (11) has at a high current consumption when enabled and a low current consumption when disabled. The output voltage of the selectable bandgap reference (11) is stored on a storage element (13) when the selectable bandgap reference (11) is enabled. A high impedance amplifier (16) receives the stored voltage and generates the reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Paolo Migliavacca
  • Method of forming an MOS transistor and structure therefor
    Patent number: 7282406
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an MOS transistor is formed with trench gates. The gate structure of the trench gates generally has a first insulator that has a first thickness in one region of the gate and a second thickness in a second region of the gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Companents Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Gordon M. Grivna, Francine Y. Robb
  • Integrated semiconductor inductor and method therefor
    Patent number: 7262681
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a multi-layer inductor is formed overlying a semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Ryan J. Hurley
  • Method of forming a floating charge pump and structure therefor
    Patent number: 7259613
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a capacitor of a charge pump circuit is referenced to a high side voltage or top voltage rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Stephen Meek, Alan R. Ball
  • Diagnostic circuit and method therefor
    Patent number: 7256605
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a diagnostic circuit is used to test the on-resistance of a transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Alan R. Ball
  • Semiconductor package and leadframe therefor having angled corners
    Patent number: 7247931
    Abstract: A leadframe for a semiconductor package is formed with an indentation on a bottom surface. A side of the indentation is used to form a mold-lock that assists in securing the leadframe to the encapsulation material of the semiconductor package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Chuan Kiak Ng, Ein Sun Ng, Yeu Wen Lee
  • Power system inhibit method and device and structure therefor
    Patent number: 7227203
    Abstract: A power control system (25) uses two separate currents to control a startup operation of the power control system (25). The two currents are shunted to ground to inhibit operation of the power control system (25) and one of the two currents is disabled to minimize power dissipation. The two independently controlled currents are generated by a multiple output current high voltage device (12) responsively to two separate control signals (23,24).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Josef Halamik, Jefferson W. Hall
  • Delay circuit and method therefor
    Patent number: 7218174
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a delay circuit is formed to use cascode coupled transistors to receive signals from a differential pair and increase the propagation through the delay circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Ira E. Baskett
  • Multi-chip semiconductor connector and method
    Patent number: 7202106
    Abstract: In one exemplary embodiment, a multi-chip connector is formed to have a first conductive strip that is suitable for attaching to a first semiconductor die and a second conductive strip that is attached suitable for attaching to a second semiconductor die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Francis J. Carney, Phillip Celaya, Joseph K. Fauty, James P. Letterman, Stephen St. Germain, Jay A. Yoder
  • Multi-chip semiconductor connector assembly method
    Patent number: 7202105
    Abstract: In one exemplary embodiment, a multi-chip connector is formed to have a first conductive strip that is attached to a first semiconductor die and a second conductive strip that is attached to a second semiconductor die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Francis J. Carney, Phillip Celaya, Joseph K. Fauty, James P. Letterman, Stephen St. Germain, Jay A. Yoder
  • Over-voltage tolerant bus hold circuit and method therefor
    Patent number: 7199614
    Abstract: In one embodiment a bus hold circuit decouples an inverter of the bus hold circuit from an operating voltage responsively to an input receiving a signal having a voltage that is approximately equal to or greater than the value of the operating voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Frank Dover, Senpeng Sheng
  • Interface system and method therefor
    Patent number: 7196549
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a differential transistor pair of an ECL differential amplifier is formed on two different semiconductor die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Ira E. Baskett
  • Method of forming a low capacitance semiconductor device and structure therefor
    Patent number: 7192814
    Abstract: In one embodiment a transistor is formed with a gate structure having an opening in the gate structure. An insulator is formed on at least sidewalls of the opening and a conductor is formed on the insulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Prasad Venkatraman
  • Semiconductor diode and method therefor
    Patent number: 7189610
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a diode is formed with anodes on two surfaces of a semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: John David Moran, Blanca Estela Kruse, Jose Rogelio Moreno
  • Translator circuit and method therefor
    Patent number: 7176723
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a voltage translator is configured to sense a change in a value of a supply voltage to the translator and responsively inhibit the translator from changing a state of the output of the translator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC
    Inventor: Antonin Rozsypal
  • Method of forming a self-gated transistor and structure therefor
    Patent number: 7157959
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a self-gated transistor includes a sensing portion that generates a sense signal that is used to drive the self-gated transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Alan R. Ball, Paul J. Harriman, Stephen Meek, Suzanne Nee
  • Method of routing an electrical connection on a semiconductor device and structure therefor
    Patent number: 7138327
    Abstract: In one embodiment, conductors of a semiconductor device are routed to a contact platform of the semiconductor device by using electroless plating and screen-printing techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Hun Kwang Lee, Ing Hong Ooi
  • Switch controller for a power control system and method therefor
    Patent number: 7138788
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a multiphase power control system uses two control lines from a PWM section to control the switch controllers of the system. The two control signals contain power control information in addition to timing information. The switch controller uses the two control signals to facilitate enabling and disabling a power switch of the multiphase power control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventor: Benjamin M. Rice
  • Cross-talk reduction circuit and method therefor
    Patent number: 7135924
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a pair of differential amplifiers have outputs coupled together. A signal received on one input results in signals coupled to the outputs that substantially cancel each other at the outputs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Ira E. Baskett
  • High speed receiver with wide input voltage range
    Patent number: 7132857
    Abstract: A receiver circuit (12) includes a first gate (24) that receives an input signal (VIN0, VIN1) and has an output (32, 34) for providing an output signal (VG0, VG1). A shifting circuit (20) is coupled for shifting the common mode potential of the input signal to produce a shifted signal (VSH0, VSH1). A second gate (22) has an input (27, 28) that receives the shifted signal and an output coupled to the output of the first gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Kevin Joseph Jurek