Patents by Inventor Manfred Klaussner

Manfred Klaussner 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).

  • Patent number: 8233252
    Abstract: An ESD protection circuit is provided having a first field-effect transistor, which has a first drain terminal, a first source terminal and a first control terminal, and having an input network which, in the event that a first voltage present between the first drain terminal and the first source terminal crosses a threshold value, alters a second voltage that appears between the first control terminal and the first source terminal. The input network contains a second field-effect transistor, complementary to the first field-effect transistor, having a second drain terminal, a second source terminal and a second control terminal, wherein the first drain terminal is connected to the second source terminal and, through a first resistance, to the second control terminal, and the second drain terminal is connected to the first control terminal and, through a second resistance, to the first source terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Atmel Corporation
    Inventors: Peter Grombach, Manfred Klaussner
  • Patent number: 7848070
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure is disclosed. The ESD protection structure includes an active device. The active device includes a plurality of drains. Each of the drains has a contact row and at least one body contact row. The at least one body contact row is located on the active device in a manner to reduce the amount of voltage required for triggering the ESD protection structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Atmel Corporation
    Inventors: Stefan Schwantes, Michael Graf, Volker Dudek, Gayle W. Miller, Jr., Irwin Rathbun, Peter Grombach, Manfred Klaussner
  • Publication number: 20080278874
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure is disclosed. The ESD protection structure includes an active device. The active device includes a plurality of drains. Each of the drains has a contact row and at least one body contact row. The at least one body contact row is located on the active device in a manner to reduce the amount of voltage required for triggering the ESD protection structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Inventors: Stefan Schwantes, Michael Graf, Volker Dudek, Gayle W. Miller, JR., Irwin Rathbun, Peter Grombach, Manfred Klaussner
  • Patent number: 7402846
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure is disclosed. The ESD protection structure includes an active device. The active device includes a plurality of drains. Each of the drains has a contact row and at least one body contact row. The at least one body contact row is located on the active device in a manner to reduce the amount of voltage required for triggering the ESD protection structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Atmel Corporation
    Inventors: Stefan Schwantes, Michael Graf, Volker Dudek, Gayle W. Miller, Jr., Irwin Rathbun, Peter Grombach, Manfred Klaussner
  • Publication number: 20080006847
    Abstract: A semiconductor protective structure suitable for electrostatic discharge with a field-effect transistor, whose source forms an emitter, whose body forms a base, and whose drain forms a collector of a bipolar transistor. A plurality of drain regions are formed within a body region of the field-effect transistor, and the drain regions are connected to one another by a conductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2007
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Inventors: Peter Grombach, Andre Heid, Manfred Klaussner, Stefan Schwantes
  • Publication number: 20070120190
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure is disclosed. The ESD protection structure comprises an active device. The active device includes a plurality of drains. Each of the drains has a contact row and at least one body contact row. The at least one body contact row is located on the active device in a manner to reduce the amount of voltage required for triggering the ESD protection structure. A system and method in accordance with the present invention utilizes a LDNMOS transistor as ESD protection element with optimised substrate contacts. The ratio of substrate contact rows to drain contact rows is smaller than one in order to reduce the triggering voltage of the inherent bipolar transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Publication date: May 31, 2007
    Inventors: Stefan Schwantes, Michael Graf, Volker Dudek, Gayle Miller, Irwin Rathbun, Peter Grombach, Manfred Klaussner
  • Patent number: 7130175
    Abstract: At least one or more terminals of an integrated circuit, such as a low- or high-side driver stage, are protected against transient or over-voltages by two pairs of diodes. A first pair of diodes includes a regular diode (D1 or D1?) and a Zener-diode (ZD1 or ZD1?). A second pair of diodes also includes a regular diode (D2 or D3) and a Zener-diode (ZD2 or ZD3). These diode pairs are looped into the respective circuit and cooperate with an n-channel MOSFET or a p-channel MOSFET to provide the required over-voltage protection, particularly for transmitter/receiver circuits and databus systems especially in motor vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: ATMEL Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Dietz, Lars Hehn, Manfred Klaussner, Anton Koch
  • Publication number: 20060220138
    Abstract: An ESD protection circuit includes semiconductor structures as basic elements whose electrical conductivity changes in a breakdown or avalanche manner in the presence of an applied voltage which exceeds a threshold value. The ESD protection circuit has a matrix of basic elements in which a desired current capacity can be set by specifying a number of basic elements in each row, and a desired voltage capacity can be set by specifying a number of rows.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2006
    Publication date: October 5, 2006
    Applicant: ATMEL GERMANY GMBH
    Inventors: Volker Dudek, Michael Graf, Peter Grombach, Manfred Klaussner
  • Publication number: 20060209479
    Abstract: An ESD protection circuit is provided having a first field-effect transistor, which has a first drain terminal, a first source terminal and a first control terminal, and having an input network which, in the event that a first voltage present between the first drain terminal and the first source terminal crosses a threshold value, alters a second voltage that appears between the first control terminal and the first source terminal. The input network contains a second field-effect transistor, complementary to the first field-effect transistor, having a second drain terminal, a second source terminal and a second control terminal, wherein the first drain terminal is connected to the second source terminal and, through a first resistance, to the second control terminal, and the second drain terminal is connected to the first control terminal and, through a second resistance, to the first source terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2006
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Inventors: Peter Grombach, Manfred Klaussner
  • Patent number: 6933215
    Abstract: In a method of producing a doped semiconductor structure with a trench, it is possible to set the doping of the trench side walls independently from the doping of the trench bottom, and to set different doping concentrations of the individual trench side walls relative to each other. In the method, a mask layer with a window therein is provided on a surface of a semiconductor body, and then a first doping step, a trench etching step, and a second doping step are carried out successively through this window while this one mask layer remains in place on the surface of the semiconductor body. Further etching and doping steps can be carried out successively also through this window of the mask layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Atmel Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Bromberger, Franz Dietz, Volker Dudek, Michael Graf, Joern Herrfurth, Manfred Klaussner
  • Patent number: 6878603
    Abstract: In a new process of making a DMOS transistor, the doping of the sloping side walls can be set independently from the doping of the floor region in a trench structure. Furthermore, different dopings can be established among the side walls. This is achieved especially by a sequence of implantation doping, etching to form the trench, formation of a scattering oxide protective layer on the side walls, and two-stage perpendicular and tilted final implantation doping. For DMOS transistors, this achieves high breakthrough voltages even with low turn-on resistances, and reduces the space requirement, in particular with regard to driver structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Atmel Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Bromberger, Franz Dietz, Volker Dudek, Michael Graf, Joern Herrfurth, Manfred Klaussner
  • Publication number: 20050024801
    Abstract: At least one or more terminals of an integrated circuit, such as a low- or high-side driver stage, are protected against transient or over-voltages by two pairs of diodes. A first pair of diodes includes a regular diode (D1 or D1?) and a Zener-diode (ZD1 or ZD1?). A second pair of diodes also includes a regular diode (D2 or D3) and a Zener-diode (ZD2 or ZD3). These diode pairs are looped into the respective circuit and cooperate with an n-channel MOSFET or a p-channel MOSFET to provide the required over-voltage protection, particularly for transmitter/receiver circuits and databus systems especially in motor vehicles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Publication date: February 3, 2005
    Applicant: ATMEL Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Dietz, Lars Hehn, Manfred Klaussner, Anton Koch
  • Patent number: 6806131
    Abstract: In a new process of making a DMOS transistor, the doping of the sloping side walls can be set independently from the doping of the floor region in a trench structure. Furthermore, different dopings can be established among the side walls. This is achieved especially by a sequence of implantation doping, etching to form the trench, formation of a scattering oxide protective layer on the side walls, and two-stage perpendicular and tilted final implantation doping. For DMOS transistors, this achieves high breakthrough voltages even with low turn-on resistances, and reduces the space requirement, in particular with regard to driver structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2004
    Assignee: ATMEL Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Bromberger, Franz Dietz, Volker Dudek, Michael Graf, Joern Herrfurth, Manfred Klaussner
  • Patent number: 6780713
    Abstract: In a new process of making a DMOS transistor, the doping of the sloping side walls can be set independently from the doping of the floor region in a trench structure. Furthermore, different dopings can be established among the side walls. This is achieved especially by a sequence of implantation doping, etching to form the trench, formation of a scattering oxide protective layer on the side walls, and two-stage perpendicular and tilted final implantation doping. For DMOS transistors, this achieves high breakthrough voltages even with low turn-on resistances, and reduces the space requirement, in particular with regard to driver structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: ATMEL Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Bromberger, Franz Dietz, Volker Dudek, Michael Graf, Joern Herrfurth, Manfred Klaussner
  • Publication number: 20030003669
    Abstract: In the processes known so far, for a trench-shaped structure the doping of the side walls is coupled to the doping of the floor region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2002
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Applicant: ATMEL Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Bromberger, Franz Dietz, Volker Dudek, Michael Graf, Joern Herrfurth, Manfred Klaussner
  • Publication number: 20030001198
    Abstract: In the processes known so far, for a trench-shaped structure the doping of the side walls is coupled to the doping of the floor region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2002
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Applicant: ATMEL Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Bromberger, Franz Dietz, Volker Dudek, Michael Graf, Joern Herrfurth, Manfred Klaussner
  • Publication number: 20030003643
    Abstract: In the processes known so far, for a trench-shaped structure the doping of the side walls is coupled to the doping of the bottom region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2002
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Applicant: ATMEL Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Bromberger, Franz Dietz, Volker Dudek, Michael Graf, Joern Herrfurth, Manfred Klaussner
  • Publication number: 20030003638
    Abstract: In the processes known so far, for a trench-shaped structure the doping of the side walls is coupled to the doping of the floor region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2002
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Applicant: ATMEL Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Bromberger, Franz Dietz, Volker Dudek, Michael Graf, Joern Herrfurth, Manfred Klaussner