Patents by Inventor Constantin Bulucea

Constantin Bulucea 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).

  • Publication number: 20240113210
    Abstract: Bi-directional trench power switches. At least one example is a semiconductor device comprising: an upper base region associated with a first side of a substrate of semiconductor material; an upper-CE trench defined on the first side, the upper-CE trench defines a proximal opening at the first side and a distal end within the substrate; an upper collector-emitter region disposed at the distal end of the upper-CE trench; a lower base region associated with a second side of substrate; and a lower collector-emitter region associated with the second side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicant: IDEAL POWER INC.
    Inventors: Jiankang BU, Constantin BULUCEA, Alireza MOJAB, Jeffrey KNAPP, Robert Daniel BRDAR
  • Patent number: 11881525
    Abstract: Bi-directional trench power switches. At least one example is a semiconductor device comprising: an upper base region associated with a first side of a substrate of semiconductor material; an upper-CE trench defined on the first side, the upper-CE trench defines a proximal opening at the first side and a distal end within the substrate; an upper collector-emitter region disposed at the distal end of the upper-CE trench; a lower base region associated with a second side of substrate; and a lower collector-emitter region associated with the second side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: IDEAL POWER INC.
    Inventors: Jiankang Bu, Constantin Bulucea, Alireza Mojab, Jeffrey Knapp, Robert Daniel Brdar
  • Publication number: 20230048984
    Abstract: Bi-directional trench power switches. At least one example is a semiconductor device comprising: an upper base region associated with a first side of a substrate of semiconductor material; an upper-CE trench defined on the first side, the upper-CE trench defines a proximal opening at the first side and a distal end within the substrate; an upper collector-emitter region disposed at the distal end of the upper-CE trench; a lower base region associated with a second side of substrate; and a lower collector-emitter region associated with the second side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2022
    Publication date: February 16, 2023
    Applicant: IDEAL POWER INC.
    Inventors: Jiankang BU, Constantin BULUCEA, Alireza MOJAB, Jeffrey KNAPP, Robert Daniel BRDAR
  • Patent number: 10319809
    Abstract: A semiconductor device contains an LDNMOS transistor with a lateral n-type drain drift region and a p-type RESURF region over the drain drift region. The RESURF region extends to a top surface of a substrate of the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a shunt which is electrically coupled between the RESURF region and a low voltage node of the LDNMOS transistor. The shunt may be a p-type implanted layer in the substrate between the RESURF layer and a body of the LDNMOS transistor, and may be implanted concurrently with the RESURF layer. The shunt may be through an opening in the drain drift region from the RESURF layer to the substrate under the drain drift region. The shunt may be include metal interconnect elements including contacts and metal interconnect lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Yongxi Zhang, Philip L. Hower, John Lin, Guru Mathur, Scott G. Balster, Constantin Bulucea, Zachary K. Lee, Sameer P. Pendharkar
  • Publication number: 20180108729
    Abstract: A semiconductor device contains an LDNMOS transistor with a lateral n-type drain drift region and a p-type RESURF region over the drain drift region. The RESURF region extends to a top surface of a substrate of the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a shunt which is electrically coupled between the RESURF region and a low voltage node of the LDNMOS transistor. The shunt may be a p-type implanted layer in the substrate between the RESURF layer and a body of the LDNMOS transistor, and may be implanted concurrently with the RESURF layer. The shunt may be through an opening in the drain drift region from the RESURF layer to the substrate under the drain drift region. The shunt may be include metal interconnect elements including contacts and metal interconnect lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Inventors: Yongxi Zhang, Philip L. Hower, John Lin, Guru Mathur, Scott G. Balster, Constantin Bulucea, Zachary K. Lee, Sameer P. Pendharkar
  • Patent number: 9876071
    Abstract: A semiconductor device contains an LDNMOS transistor with a lateral n-type drain drift region and a p-type RESURF region over the drain drift region. The RESURF region extends to a top surface of a substrate of the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a shunt which is electrically coupled between the RESURF region and a low voltage node of the LDNMOS transistor. The shunt may be a p-type implanted layer in the substrate between the RESURF layer and a body of the LDNMOS transistor, and may be implanted concurrently with the RESURF layer. The shunt may be through an opening in the drain drift region from the RESURF layer to the substrate under the drain drift region. The shunt may be include metal interconnect elements including contacts and metal interconnect lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Yongxi Zhang, Philip L Hower, John Lin, Guru Mathur, Scott G. Balster, Constantin Bulucea, Zachary K. Lee, Sameer P Pendharkar
  • Publication number: 20160254346
    Abstract: A semiconductor device contains an LDNMOS transistor with a lateral n-type drain drift region and a p-type RESURF region over the drain drift region. The RESURF region extends to a top surface of a substrate of the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a shunt which is electrically coupled between the RESURF region and a low voltage node of the LDNMOS transistor. The shunt may be a p-type implanted layer in the substrate between the RESURF layer and a body of the LDNMOS transistor, and may be implanted concurrently with the RESURF layer. The shunt may be through an opening in the drain drift region from the RESURF layer to the substrate under the drain drift region. The shunt may be include metal interconnect elements including contacts and metal interconnect lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2015
    Publication date: September 1, 2016
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Yongxi Zhang, Philip L. Hower, John Lin, Guru Mathur, Scott G. Balster, Constantin Bulucea, Zachary K. Lee, Sameer P. Pendharkar
  • Patent number: 8735980
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure, which serves as the core of a semiconductor fabrication platform, has a combination of empty-well regions and filled-well regions variously used by electronic elements, particularly insulated-gate field-effect transistors (“IGFETs”), to achieve desired electronic characteristics. A relatively small amount of semiconductor well dopant is near the top of an empty well. A considerable amount of semiconductor well dopant is near the top of a filled well. Some IGFETs (100, 102, 112, 114, 124, and 126) utilize empty wells (180, 182, 192, 194, 204, and 206) in achieving desired transistor characteristics. Other IGFETs (108, 110, 116, 118, 120, and 122) utilize filled wells (188, 190, 196, 198, 200, and 202) in achieving desired transistor characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Constantin Bulucea, Sandeep Bahl, William French, Jeng-Jiun Yang, Donald Archer, David C. Parker, Prasad Chaparala
  • Publication number: 20140097491
    Abstract: A dielectrically-terminated superjunction field-effect transistor (FET) architecture for use in high voltage applications. The architecture adds a dielectric termination to general features of a high voltage superjunction process. The dielectrically-terminated FET (DFET) is more compact and more manufacturable than a conventional, semiconductor-terminated superjunction FET.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2012
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Applicant: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Constantin Bulucea
  • Patent number: 8629027
    Abstract: An asymmetric insulated-gate field-effect transistor (100 or 102) has a source (240 or 280) and a drain (242 or 282) laterally separated by a channel zone (244 or 284) of body material (180 or 182) of a semiconductor body. A gate electrode (262 or 302) overlies a gate dielectric layer (260 or 300) above the channel zone. A more heavily doped pocket portion (250 or 290) of the body material extends largely along only the source. The source has a main source portion (240M or 280M) and a more lightly doped lateral source extension (240E or 280E). The drain has a main portion (242M or 282M) and a more lightly doped lateral drain extension (242E or 282E). The drain extension is more lightly doped than the source extension. The maximum concentration of the semiconductor dopant defining the two extensions occurs deeper in the drain extension than in the source extension. Additionally or alternatively, the drain extension extends further laterally below the gate electrode than the source extension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Constantin Bulucea, William D. French, Sandeep R. Bahl, Jeng-Jiun Yang, D. Courtney Parker, Peter B. Johnson, Donald M. Archer
  • Patent number: 8610207
    Abstract: An insulated-gate field-effect transistor (220U) utilizes an empty-well region for achieving high performance. The concentration of the body dopant reaches a maximum at a subsurface location no more than 10 times deeper below the upper semiconductor surface than the depth of one of a pair of source/drain zones (262 and 264), decreases by at least a factor of 10 in moving from the subsurface location along a selected vertical line (136U) through that source/drain zone to the upper semiconductor surface, and has a logarithm that decreases substantially monotonically and substantially inflectionlessly in moving from the subsurface location along the vertical line to that source/drain zone. Each source/drain zone has a main portion (262M or 264M) and a more lightly doped lateral extension (262E or 264E). Alternatively or additionally, a more heavily doped pocket portion (280) of the body material extends along one of the source/drain zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Constantin Bulucea
  • Patent number: 8513703
    Abstract: The Si substrate of a group III-N HEMT is formed in layers that define a p-n junction which electrically isolates an upper region of the Si substrate from a lower region of the Si substrate. As a result, the upper region of the Si substrate can electrically float, thereby obtaining a full buffer breakdown voltage, while the lower region of the Si substrate can be attached to a package by way of a conductive epoxy, thereby significantly improving the thermal conductivity of the group III-N HEMT and minimizing undesirable floating-voltage regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Sandeep Bahl, Constantin Bulucea
  • Patent number: 8502273
    Abstract: The buffer breakdown of a group III-N HEMT on a p-type Si substrate is significantly increased by forming an n-well in the p-type Si substrate to lie directly below the metal drain region of the group III-N HEMT. The n-well forms a p-n junction which becomes reverse biased during breakdown, thereby increasing the buffer breakdown by the reverse-biased breakdown voltage of the p-n junction and allowing the substrate to be grounded. The buffer layer of a group III-N HEMT can also be implanted with n-type and p-type dopants which are aligned with the p-n junction to minimize any leakage currents at the junction between the substrate and the buffer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Sandeep Bahl, Constantin Bulucea
  • Publication number: 20130126983
    Abstract: An insulated-gate field-effect transistor (220U) utilizes an empty-well region for achieving high performance. The concentration of the body dopant reaches a maximum at a subsurface location no more than 10 times deeper below the upper semiconductor surface than the depth of one of a pair of source/drain zones (262 and 264), decreases by at least a factor of 10 in moving from the subsurface location along a selected vertical line (136U) through that source/drain zone to the upper semiconductor surface, and has a logarithm that decreases substantially monotonically and substantially inflectionlessly in moving from the subsurface location along the vertical line to that source/drain zone. Each source/drain zone has a main portion (262M or 264M) and a more lightly doped lateral extension (262E or 264E). Alternatively or additionally, a more heavily doped pocket portion (280) of the body material extends along one of the source/drain zones.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Publication date: May 23, 2013
    Inventor: Constantin Bulucea
  • Patent number: 8415752
    Abstract: An asymmetric insulated-gate field effect transistor (100U or 102U) provided along an upper surface of a semiconductor body contains first and second source/drain zones (240 and 242 or 280 and 282) laterally separated by a channel zone (244 or 284) of the transistor's body material. A gate electrode (262 or 302) overlies a gate dielectric layer (260 or 300) above the channel zone. A pocket portion (250 or 290) of the body material more heavily doped than laterally adjacent material of the body material extends along largely only the first of the S/D zones and into the channel zone. The vertical dopant profile of the pocket portion is tailored to reach a plurality of local maxima (316-1-316-3) at respective locations (PH-1-PH-3) spaced apart from one another. The tailoring is typically implemented so that the vertical dopant profile of the pocket portion is relatively flat near the upper semiconductor surface. As a result, the transistor has reduced leakage current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Jeng-Jiun Yang, Constantin Bulucea, Sandeep R. Bahl
  • Patent number: 8410549
    Abstract: Insulated-gate field-effect transistors (“IGFETs”), both symmetric and asymmetric, suitable for a semiconductor fabrication platform that provides IGFETs for analog and digital applications, including mixed-signal applications, utilize empty-well regions in achieving high performance. A relatively small amount of semiconductor well dopant is near the top of each empty well. Each IGFET (100, 102, 112, 114, 124, or 126) has a pair of source/drain zones laterally separated by a channel zone of body material of the empty well (180, 182, 192, 194, 204, or 206). A gate electrode overlies a gate dielectric layer above the channel zone. Each source/drain zone (240, 242, 280, 282, 520, 522, 550, 552, 720, 722, 752, or 752) has a main portion (240M, 242M, 280M, 282M, 520M, 522M, 550M, 552M, 720M, 722M, 752M, or 752M) and a more lightly doped lateral extension (240E, 242E, 280E, 282E, 520E, 522E, 550E, 552E, 720E, 722E, 752E, or 752E).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Constantin Bulucea, Jeng-Jiun Yang, William D. French, Sandeep R. Bahl, D. Courtney Parker
  • Patent number: 8395212
    Abstract: An insulated-gate field-effect transistor (100, 100V, 140, 150, 150V, 160, 170, 170V, 180, 180V, 190, 210, 210W, 220, 220U, 220V, 220W, 380, or 480) has a hypoabrupt vertical dopant profile below one (104 or 264) of its source/drain zones for reducing the parasitic capacitance along the pn junction between that source/drain zone and adjoining body material (108 or 268). In particular, the concentration of semiconductor dopant which defines the conductivity type of the body material increases by at least a factor of 10 in moving from that source/drain zone down to an underlying body-material location no more than 10 times deeper below the upper semiconductor surface than that source/drain zone. The body material preferably includes a more heavily doped pocket portion (120 or 280) situated along the other source/drain zone (102 or 262).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Constantin Bulucea
  • Patent number: 8377768
    Abstract: A group of high-performance like-polarity insulated-gate field-effect transistors (100, 108, 112, 116, 120, and 124 or 102, 110, 114, 118, 122, and 126) have selectably different configurations of lateral source/drain extensions, halo pockets, and gate dielectric thicknesses suitable for a semiconductor fabrication platform that provides a wide variety of transistors for analog and/or digital applications. Each transistor has a pair of source/drain zones, a gate dielectric layer, and a gate electrode. Each source/drain zone includes a main portion and a more lightly doped lateral extension. The lateral extension of one of the source/drain zones of one of the transistors is more heavily doped or/and extends less deeply below the upper semiconductor surface than the lateral extension of one of the source/drain zones of another of the transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Constantin Bulucea, William D. French, Donald M. Archer, Jeng-Jiun Yang, Sandeep R. Bahl, D. Courtney Parker
  • Publication number: 20130015535
    Abstract: An asymmetric insulated-gate field effect transistor (100U or 102U) provided along an upper surface of a semiconductor body contains first and second source/drain zones (240 and 242 or 280 and 282) laterally separated by a channel zone (244 or 284) of the transistor's body material. A gate electrode (262 or 302) overlies a gate dielectric layer (260 or 300) above the channel zone. A pocket portion (250 or 290) of the body material more heavily doped than laterally adjacent material of the body material extends along largely only the first of the S/D zones and into the channel zone. The vertical dopant profile of the pocket portion is tailored to reach a plurality of local maxima (316-1-316-3) at respective locations (PH-1-PH-3) spaced apart from one another. The tailoring is typically implemented so that the vertical dopant profile of the pocket portion is relatively flat near the upper semiconductor surface. As a result, the transistor has reduced leakage current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Inventors: Jeng-Jiun Yang, Constantin Bulucea, Sandeep R. Bahl
  • Publication number: 20120299097
    Abstract: An insulated-gate field-effect transistor (100, 100V, 140, 150, 150V, 160, 170, 170V, 180, 180V, 190, 210, 210W, 220, 220U, 220V, 220W, 380, or 480) has a hypoabrupt vertical dopant profile below one (104 or 264) of its source/drain zones for reducing the parasitic capacitance along the pn junction between that source/drain zone and adjoining body material (108 or 268). In particular, the concentration of semiconductor dopant which defines the conductivity type of the body material increases by at least a factor of 10 in moving from that source/drain zone down to an underlying body-material location no more than 10 times deeper below the upper semiconductor surface than that source/drain zone. The body material preferably includes a more heavily doped pocket portion (120 or 280) situated along the other source/drain zone (102 or 262).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Inventor: Constantin Bulucea