Patents Assigned to Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
  • Patent number: 7486529
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a switching power supply controller decouples the power supply controller from receiving a sense signal during one portion of the operation of the power supply controller and couples the switching power supply controller to receive the sense signal during another portion of the operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Frantisek Sukup
  • Patent number: 7482220
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a semiconductor device is formed in a body of semiconductor material. The semiconductor device includes a charge compensating trench formed in proximity to active portions of the device. The charge compensating trench includes a trench filled with various layers of semiconductor material including opposite conductivity type layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Gary H. Loechelt, John M. Parsey, Jr., Peter J. Zdebel, Gordon M. Grivna
  • Patent number: 7483270
    Abstract: A fan speed control system (200) for an electronic equipment enclosure comprises means for determining temperature (201, 202, 203, 210, 211) at a plurality of locations within the enclosure, means for determining operating parameters (201, 202, 203, 212) for the fan control system, means for setting operating speed (201) of at least one cooling fan, and means for exchanging information signals (205, 217, 218) relating to fan speed control system operation with an external controller. A method is also provided for controlling fan speed for an electronic equipment enclosure comprising the steps of determining temperature at a plurality of locations within the enclosure, determining operating parameters for the fan control system, setting operating speed of at least one cooling fan, and exchanging information signals relating to fan speed control system operation with an external controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: John Blake
  • Patent number: 7476959
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an electronic device package (1) includes a leadframe (2) with a flag (3). An electronic chip (8) is attached to the flag (3) with a die attach layer (9). A trench (16) having curved sidewalls is formed in the flag (3) in proximity to the electronic chip (8) and surrounds the periphery of the chip (8). An encapsulating layer (19) covers the chip (8), portions of the flag (3), and at least a portion of the curved trench (16). The curved trench (16) reduces the spread of die attach material across the flag (3) during chip attachment, which reduces chip and package cracking problems, and improves the adhesion of encapsulating layer (19). The shape of the curved trench (16) prevents flow of die attach material into the curved trench (16), which allows the encapsulating layer (19) to adhere to the surface of the curved trench (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Stephen St. Germain, Michael J. Seddon
  • Patent number: 7477084
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a power supply controller is configured to use a plurality of ramp signals to generate a plurality of PWM control signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Benjamin M. Rice
  • Patent number: 7477532
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a start-up controller for a PWM power supply controller is formed to generate a current that is substantially constant for changes in temperature and for changes in an output voltage received by the start-up controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Jefferson W. Hall, Senpeng Sheng
  • Patent number: 7466894
    Abstract: A power supply monitoring system generates a monitor signal having information on more than one aspect of the power supply output. In one example embodiment, the monitor signal may be implemented as a square wave in which the duty cycle is proportional to output current, the peak amplitude is proportional to output voltage, and the average value is equal to output power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Tod F. Schiff, Rodney J. Goldhammer, Gabor T. Reizik
  • Patent number: 7462550
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a trench semiconductor device is formed to have an oxide of a first thickness along the sidewalls of the trench, and to have a greater thickness along at least a portion of a bottom of the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Gordon M. Grivna
  • Patent number: 7457138
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a multi-function signal sensor is configured to receive a signal having a plurality of states and to offset the input signal by a first amount for values of the input signal that are greater than a first value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries L.L.C.
    Inventors: Senpeng Sheng, Juan Carlos Pastrana
  • Patent number: 7456611
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a battery charger is configured to provide a normal charge current during a first time period and to supply a maintenance current after the first time period expires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Charles E. Mullett, Jefferson W. Hall
  • Patent number: 7453298
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a PWM controller is configured to form a control signal that has reduced noise. The control signal is used to adjust a frequency of a clock signal of the PWM controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Radim Mlcousek, Pavel Latal
  • Patent number: 7446517
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a power supply controller uses a first clock of a first frequency to initiate a PWM cycle in a first operating mode and uses a second clock having a higher frequency to initiate a PWM cycle in a second operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries L.L.C.
    Inventors: Gang Chen, Lung Wai Chris Chan, Chi Tak Leung
  • Patent number: 7447601
    Abstract: A power supply controller determines the value of an input power and uses the value of the input power to regulate a value of the output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Francois Lhermite, Joel Turchi
  • Patent number: 7446354
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a semiconductor device is formed in a body of semiconductor material. The semiconductor device includes a counter-doped drain region spaced apart from a channel region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Gary H. Loechelt, Peter J. Zdebel
  • Patent number: 7443699
    Abstract: A power supply controller (10, 60, 70) uses a negative current (36) of a power transistor (16, 71) to detect the valley point for enabling the power transistor when driving an inductor (17). The negative current occurs when the inductor is de-magnetized and can be used for controlling the time to enable the power transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Francois Lhermite
  • Patent number: 7439716
    Abstract: A DC-DC converter and method for compensating for errors in the DC-DC converter. The DC-DC converter includes an inductor coupled for receiving a source of operating voltage through a plurality of switches. The switches are controlled by a control circuit that has first and second circuit paths that are substantially parallel to each other. Each circuit path is comprised of two switched capacitor comparators that are connected in series. The circuit paths function such that during one portion of a clock period one of the circuit paths operates in an error correction mode and the other circuit path operates in a normal mode. During a different portion of the clock period the operational modes of the circuit paths switch. This allows for a calibration interval in a sampled system in which at least one circuit path is always active and responsive to the input signals in a desired manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Michael John Gay
  • Patent number: 7439100
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an encapsulated electronic package includes a semiconductor chip having patterned solderable pads formed on a major surface. During an assembly process, the patterned solderable pads are directly affixed to conductive leads. The assembly is encapsulated using, for example, a MAP over-molding process, and then placed through a separation process to provide individual chip scale packages having flip-chip on lead frame interconnects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Joseph K. Fauty, James P. Letterman, Jr., Denise Thienpont
  • Patent number: 7423856
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a fault control circuit of a switching power supply controller is configured to disable an operating voltage of the switching power supply controller responsively to a fault condition and to subsequently decouple the fault control circuit from another operating voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Ladislav Matyas
  • Patent number: 7417265
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a Schottky diode structure comprises a Schottky barrier layer in contact with a semiconductor material through a Schottky contact opening. A conductive ring is formed adjacent the Schottky contact opening and is separated from the semiconductor material by a thin insulating layer. Another insulating layer is formed overlying the structure, and a contact opening is formed therein. The contact opening is wider than the Schottky contact opening and exposes portions of the conductive ring. A Schottky barrier metal is formed in contact with the semiconductor material through the Schottky contact opening, and is formed in further+contact with the conductive ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Antonin Rozsypal
  • Patent number: 7411266
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a semiconductor device is formed having charge compensation trenches in proximity to channel regions of the device. The charge compensation trenches comprise at least two opposite conductivity type semiconductor layers. A channel connecting region electrically couples the channel region to one of the at least two opposite conductivity type semiconductor layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Shanghui Larry Tu, Gordon M. Grivna