Abstract: Methods and semiconductor devices are provided. A vertical junction field effect transistor (JFET) includes a substrate, an active region having a plurality of semiconductor fins, a source metal layer on an upper surface of the fins, a source metal pad layer coupled to the semiconductor fins through the source metal layer, a gate region surrounding the semiconductor fins, and a body diode surrounding the gate region.

Abstract: An electronic device can include a substrate, an active region of a transistor, and a shield electrode. The substrate can define a trench and include a mesa adjacent to the trench, and the shield electrode can be within the trench. In an embodiment, the electronic device can further include an active region of a transistor within the mesa and an insulating layer including a thicker section and a thinner section closer to a bottom of the trench. In another embodiment, the electronic device can include a body region and a doped region within the mesa and spaced apart from the body region by a semiconductor region. The doped region can have a dopant concentration that is higher than a dopant concentration of the semiconductor region and a portion of the substrate underlying the doped region.

Abstract: Methods and semiconductor devices are provided. A vertical junction field effect transistor (JFET) includes a substrate, an active region having a plurality of semiconductor fins, a source metal layer on an upper surface of the fins, a source metal pad layer coupled to the semiconductor fins through the source metal layer, a gate region surrounding the semiconductor fins, and a body diode surrounding the gate region.

Abstract: Methods and systems for emulating high side current of a power switch including low and high side switches. The method includes generating, with a low side current sensor, a low side current signal for the low side switch when the power switch is in a low state. The method also includes generating, with a first transconductance amplifier, an emulated current signal based on an input voltage of the power switch. The method further includes generating, with a buffer, a fixed reference voltage by sampling the low side current signal when the power switch changes from the low state to a high state. The method also includes generating, with a capacitor, an emulated voltage based on the emulated current signal and the fixed reference voltage. The method further includes, generating, with a second transconductance amplifier, a high side current signal for the high side switch based on the emulated voltage.

Abstract: An electronic device can include a NVM cell. The NVM cell can include a drain/source region, a source/drain region, a floating gate electrode, a control gate electrode, and a select gate electrode. The NVM cell can be fabricated using a process flow that also forms a power transistor, high-voltage transistors, and low-voltage transistors on the same die. A relatively small size for the NVM can be formed using a hard mask to define a gate stack and spacer between gate stack and select gate electrode. A gate dielectric layer can be used for the select gate electrode and transistors in a low-voltage region and allows for a fast read access time.

Abstract: An electronic device can include a substrate, an active region of a transistor, and a shield electrode. The substrate can define a trench and include a mesa adjacent to the trench, and the shield electrode can be within the trench. In an embodiment, the electronic device can further include an active region of a transistor within the mesa and an insulating layer including a thicker section and a thinner section closer to a bottom of the trench. In another embodiment, the electronic device can include a body region and a doped region within the mesa and spaced apart from the body region by a semiconductor region. The doped region can have a dopant concentration that is higher than a dopant concentration of the semiconductor region and a portion of the substrate underlying the doped region.

Abstract: A process to form a HEMT can have a gate electrode layer that initially has a plurality of spaced-apart doped regions. In an embodiment, any of the spaced-apart doped regions can be formed by depositing or implanting p-type dopant atoms. After patterning, the gate electrode can include an n-type doped region over the p-type doped region. In another embodiment a barrier layer can underlie the gate electrode and include a lower film with a higher Al content and thinner than an upper film. In a further embodiment, a silicon nitride layer can be formed over the gate electrode layer and can help to provide Si atoms for the n-type doped region and increase a Mg:H ratio within the gate electrode. The HEMT can have good turn-on characteristics, low gate leakage when in the on-state, and better time-dependent breakdown as compared to a conventional HEMT.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present technology may provide methods and apparatus for computing parasitic resistance in a battery system. The apparatus may provide various circuits to perform functions such as storing known battery characteristic data, measuring battery voltage, computing remaining capacity, determining whether the battery is charging in a constant current state, measuring the duration of the constant current state, and calculating the parasitic resistance based on the measured duration and the battery characteristic data.

Abstract: A circuit and physical structure can help to counteract non-linear COSS associated with power transistors that operate at higher switching speeds and lower RDSON. In an embodiment, a component with a pn junction can be coupled to an n-channel IGFET. The component can include a p-channel IGFET, a pnp bipolar transistor, or both. A gate/capacitor electrode can be within a trench that is adjacent to the active regions of the component and n-channel IGFET, where the active regions can be within a semiconductor pillar. The combination of a conductive member and the semiconductor pillar of the component can be a charge storage component. The physical structure may include a compensation region, a barrier doped region, or both. In a particular embodiment, doped surface regions can be coupled to a buried conductive region without the use of a topside interconnect or a deep collector type of structure.

Abstract: An electronic device can include doped regions and a trench disposed between the doped regions, wherein the trench can include a conductive member. In an embodiment, a parasitic transistor can include doped regions as drain/source regions and the conductive member as a gate electrode. A semiconductor material can lie along a bottom or sidewall of the trench and be a channel region of the parasitic transistor. The voltage on the gate electrode or the dopant concentration can be selected so that the channel region does not reach inversion during the normal operation of the electronic device.

Abstract: An image sensor may contain an array of imaging pixels. Each pixel column outputs signals that are read out using a successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The SAR ADC may include at least first and second input sampling capacitors, a comparator, a capacitive digital-to-analog converter (CDAC), and associated control circuitry. If desired, the SAR ADC may include a bank of more than two input sampling capacitors alternating between sampling and conversion. The first capacitor may be used to sample an input signal while conversion for the second capacitor is taking place. Prior to conversion, an input voltage of the comparator and an output voltage of the CDAC may be initialized. During conversion of the signal on the first capacitor, the first capacitor is embedded within the SAR ADC feedback loop to prevent charge sharing between the input sampling capacitor and the CDAC, thereby mitigating potential capacitor mismatch issues.

Abstract: An electronic device can include a substrate, an active region of a transistor, and a shield electrode. The substrate can define a trench and include a mesa adjacent to the trench, and the shield electrode can be within the trench. In an embodiment, the electronic device can further include an active region of a transistor within the mesa and an insulating layer including a thicker section and a thinner section closer to a bottom of the trench. In another embodiment, the electronic device can include a body region and a doped region within the mesa and spaced apart from the body region by a semiconductor region. The doped region can have a dopant concentration that is higher than a dopant concentration of the semiconductor region and a portion of the substrate underlying the doped region.

Abstract: An electronic device can include a die that has an active region and a termination region. Pillars within an active region near the termination region can help reduce an electrical field near a boundary of the active and termination regions adjacent to a primary surface of a substrate. In an embodiment, the reduced electrical field may be achieved by having reduced net charge within pillars of the active region near the termination region, as opposed to pillars near the center of the active region. In another embodiment, the reduced electrical field can be achieved by partially doping pillars within the active region that are closer to the termination region or by at least partly counter doping such pillars.

Abstract: An electronic device including a die including a diode including a semiconductor base material that includes a Group 14 element and a high electron mobility transistor over the semiconductor layer, wherein the high electron mobility transistor is coupled to the diode. In an embodiment, the die can include an insulating layer under the semiconductor layer. In another embodiment, the diode can be a lateral diode. In still another embodiment, the die can include an isolation region that isolates cathode or anode electrode of the diode from each of the current-carrying electrodes of the high electron mobility transistor. In a further embodiment, the die can include an electrical connection that is configured so that the diode is in a blocking state when the high electron transistor is in a conducting state, and the diode is in a conducting state when the high electron transistor is in a blocking state.

Abstract: A light emitting diode (LED) driver circuit includes an LED string and a conducting state detection circuit. The conducting state detection circuit detects a conducting state of the LED string, and generates a discharge control signal upon sensing that the LED string is in a non-conducting state. A current source generates a discharge current according to the discharge control signal when the LED string is in the non-conducting state. A passive bleeder provides current compensation by internal regulator operation. An LED spike current suppression circuit suppresses spike current that can occur when the input voltage increases above a threshold. A bias supply circuit has an input capacitor that provides a bias voltage.

Abstract: An electronic device can include a JFET that can include a drain contact region, a channel region spaced apart from the drain contact region, and a gate region adjacent the channel region. In an embodiment, the gate region includes a relatively heavier doped portion and a relatively lighter portion closer to the drain contact region. In another embodiment, a gate field electrode can be extended beyond a field isolation structure and overlie a channel of the JFET. In a further embodiment, a region having relatively low dopant concentration can be along the drain side of the conduction path, where the region is between two other more heavily doped regions. In another embodiment, alternating conducting channel and gate regions can be used to allow lateral and vertical pinching off of the conducting channel regions.

Abstract: An electronic device can include a source terminal, a gate terminal, and a protection circuit. The protection circuit can include a gate section including a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the first electrode of the gate section is coupled to the gate terminal; and a source section including a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the first electrode of the source section is coupled to the source terminal. The protection switch can include a control electrode, a first current-carrying electrode coupled to the gate terminal, and a second current-carrying electrode coupled to the source terminal. The second electrode of the gate section, the second electrode of the source section, and the control electrode of the protection switch can be coupled to one another. In an embodiment, the electronic device can further include an electronic component that is protected by the protection circuit.

Abstract: A process can be used to allow processing of thin layers of a workpiece including dies. The workpiece can include a base substrate and a plurality of layers overlying the base substrate. The process can include forming a polymer support layer over the plurality of layers; thinning or removing the base substrate within a component region of the workpiece, wherein the component region includes an electronic device; and singulating the workpiece into a plurality of dies after thinning or removing the base substrate. In another aspect, an electronic device can be formed using such process. In an embodiment, the workpiece may have a size corresponding to a semiconductor wafer to allow wafer-level, as opposed to die-level, processing.

Abstract: An electronic device can include a HEMT. In an embodiment, a gate electrode, a drain electrode, and an access region including a first portion closer to the gate electrode and a second portion closer to the drain electrode. A lower dielectric film can overlie a portion of the access region, and an upper dielectric region can overlie another portion of the access region. In another embodiment, a dielectric film can have a relatively positive or negative charge and a varying thickness. In a further embodiment, the HEMT can include a gate electrode; a dielectric film overlying the gate electrode and defining openings to the gate electrode, wherein a portion of the dielectric film is disposed between the openings; and a gate interconnect extending into the openings of the dielectric film and contacting the gate electrode and the portion of the dielectric film.

Abstract: An electronic device can include a JFET that overlies a substrate and includes a first well region including a drain region or a source region, or both, and a second well region having the opposite the conductivity type. The second well region can be disposed within the first well region and includes a gate electrode of the JFET. Embodiments as described herein can be used to form a JFET integrated with n-channel and p-channel MISFETs without having to add an additional mask or other process operation to an existing process flow.