Patents by Inventor Robert Beach

Robert Beach 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: 20060081985
    Abstract: A III-nitride power semiconductor device that includes a current sense electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Publication date: April 20, 2006
    Inventors: Robert Beach, Paul Bridger, Daniel Kinzer
  • Publication number: 20060065908
    Abstract: A III-nitride power semiconductor device that includes a plurality of III-nitride heterojunctions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2005
    Publication date: March 30, 2006
    Inventor: Robert Beach
  • Publication number: 20060065912
    Abstract: A III-nitride power semiconductor device that includes a heterojunction body with a stepped profile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2005
    Publication date: March 30, 2006
    Inventor: Robert Beach
  • Publication number: 20060060871
    Abstract: A III-nitride switch includes a recessed gate contact to produce a nominally off, or an enhancement mode, device. By providing a recessed gate contact, a conduction channel formed at the interface of two III-nitride materials is interrupted when the gate electrode is inactive to prevent current flow in the device. The gate electrode can be a schottky contact or an insulated metal contact. Two gate electrodes can be provided to form a bi-directional switch with nominally off characteristics. The recesses formed with the gate electrode can have sloped sides. The gate electrodes can be formed in a number of geometries in conjunction with current carrying electrodes of the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Publication date: March 23, 2006
    Inventor: Robert Beach
  • Publication number: 20060006413
    Abstract: An embodiment of a III-nitride semiconductor device and method for making the same may include a low resistive passivation layer that permits the formation of device contacts without damage to the III-nitride material during high temperature processing. The passivation layer may be used to passivate the entire device. The passivation layer may also be provided in between contacts and active layers of the device to provide a low resistive path for current conduction. The passivation process may be used with any type of device, including FETs, rectifiers, schottky diodes and so forth, to improve breakdown voltage and prevent field crowding effects near contact junctions. The passivation layer may be activated with a low temperature anneal that does not impact the III-nitride device regarding outdiffusion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Publication date: January 12, 2006
    Inventor: Robert Beach
  • Publication number: 20060003898
    Abstract: A water-soluble granular composition including at least 40% of at least one plant growth regulator, at least one binder, at least one disaccharide and at least one surfactant; as well as methods for making and using the composition are disclosed. The water-soluble granular composition advantageously improves preparation of a solid plant growth regulator formulation for spray application, as such composition swiftly dissolves, is easily metered for application, can be more highly concentrated and is dust-free. A presently preferred water-soluble granular composition includes at least 40% of at least one gibberellin as the plant growth regulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2005
    Publication date: January 5, 2006
    Inventors: Bala Devisetty, Robert Beach, Ricardo Menendez, Prem Warrior
  • Publication number: 20060002378
    Abstract: A wireless local area network that carries mixed traffic of voice and data communications may be provided. The wireless local area network may include an access point and a plurality of remote terminals that are associated with the access point. The access point may be operably coupled to a wireline network. The access point may receive voice and other communications packets from the remote terminals and the wireline network. Some of the packets may be for transmission to the remote terminals. The access point manages which packets to transmit and when to transmit packets. The access point may manage traffic to maintain a fair distribution of packets and to give priority to voice communications over other communications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Publication date: January 5, 2006
    Inventors: Robert Beach, Jason Harris, Richard Montgomery, Wanda Sealander
  • Publication number: 20050281252
    Abstract: A wireless local area network that carries mixed traffic of voice and data communications may be provided. The wireless local area network may include an access point and a plurality of remote terminals that are associated with the access point. The access point may be operably coupled to a wireline network. The access point may receive voice and other communications packets from the remote terminals and the wireline network. Some of the packets may be for transmission to the remote terminals. The access point manages which packets to transmit and when to transmit packets. The access point may manage traffic to maintain a fair distribution of packets and to give priority to voice communications over other communications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Publication date: December 22, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Beach, Jason Harris, Richard Montgomery, Wanda Sealander
  • Publication number: 20050281235
    Abstract: A wireless local area network that carries mixed traffic of voice and data communications may be provided. The wireless local area network may include an access point and a plurality of remote terminals that are associated with the access point. The access point may be operably coupled to a wireline network. The access point may receive voice and other communications packets from the remote terminals and the wireline network. Some of the packets may be for transmission to the remote terminals. The access point manages which packets to transmit and when to transmit packets. The access point may manage traffic to maintain a fair distribution of packets and to give priority to voice communications over other communications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Publication date: December 22, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Beach, Jason Harris, Richard Montgomery, Wanda Sealander
  • Publication number: 20050226181
    Abstract: A wireless local area network is provided with simplified RF ports which are configured to provide lower level media access control functions. Higher level media access control functions are provided in a cell controller, which may service one or more RF ports that are capable operating with at least two wireless local area subnetworks occupying common physical space. Mobile units can also be configured with the higher level media access control functions being performed in a host processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2005
    Publication date: October 13, 2005
    Inventor: Robert Beach
  • Publication number: 20050203912
    Abstract: A method for configuring a mobile device includes receiving at least one of an audio and a video signal encoded with configuration data from an interface unit proximate the mobile device and configuring the mobile device based on the configuration data. In another embodiment, the method includes initiating a client-to-client connection between the mobile device and an interface unit coupled to the communication network, receiving configuration data from the interface unit over the client-to-client connection, and configuring the mobile device based on the configuration data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2004
    Publication date: September 15, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Beach, Kevin Prest, Andy Werback
  • Publication number: 20050194612
    Abstract: A III-nitride device includes a recessed electrode to produce a nominally off, or an enhancement mode, device. By providing a recessed electrode, a conduction channel formed at the interface of two III-nitride materials is interrupted when the electrode contact is inactive to prevent current flow in the device. The electrode can be a schottky contact or an insulated metal contact. Two ohmic contacts can be provided to form a rectifier device with nominally off characteristics. The recesses formed with the electrode can have sloped sides. The electrode can be formed in a number of geometries in conjunction with current carrying electrodes of the device. A nominally on device, or pinch resistor, is formed when the electrode is not recessed. A diode is also formed by providing non-recessed ohmic and schottky contacts through an insulator to an AlGaN layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Publication date: September 8, 2005
    Inventor: Robert Beach
  • Publication number: 20050189561
    Abstract: A III-nitride bidirectional switch which includes an AlGaN/GaN interface that obtains a high current currying channel. The bidirectional switch operates with at least one gate that prevents or permits the establishment of a two dimensional electron gas to form the current carrying channel for the bidirectional switch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Publication date: September 1, 2005
    Inventors: Daniel Kinzer, Robert Beach
  • Publication number: 20050191821
    Abstract: A semiconductor device composed of III-nitride materials is produced with epitaxial growth that permits vertical and lateral growth geometries to improve device characteristics. The resulting device has a greater breakdown voltage due to the greater integrity of the semiconductor material structure since no ion implantation processes are used. The epitaxially grown layers also exhibit greater thermal conductivity for improved operation with power semiconductor devices. The device may include a laterally grown charge compensated area to form a superjunction device. The resulting device may be bidirectional and have improved breakdown voltage in addition to higher current capacity for a given voltage rating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Publication date: September 1, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Beach, Paul Bridger
  • Publication number: 20050189562
    Abstract: A III-nitride based integrated semiconductor device which includes at least two III-nitride based semiconductor devices formed in a common die.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Publication date: September 1, 2005
    Inventors: Daniel Kinzer, Robert Beach
  • Publication number: 20050180231
    Abstract: A semiconductor device which includes a laterally extending stack of laterally adjacent conductive semiconductor regions formed over a support surface of a substrate, and a method for fabricating the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Beach, Paul Bridger
  • Publication number: 20050179096
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the device are disclosed in which the semiconductor device includes ohmic contacts on different planes and the method for manufacturing the device includes etching a semiconductor stack of different conductivity semiconductor layers in successive steps to create a first opening of a first width in a first semiconductor layer to expose another semiconductor layer, and then a second opening of a narrower width in the another layer, whereby a portion of the another layer remains exposed for receiving an ohmic contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Beach, Paul Bridger
  • Publication number: 20050157690
    Abstract: A local area network is provided with a cell controller that operates with RF Ports and provides the higher level MAC functions of an access point. In addition the cell controller replaces the router usually used in the local area network to provide layer 3 routing and filtering functions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2004
    Publication date: July 21, 2005
    Inventors: James Frank, John Klein, Robert Beach
  • Publication number: 20050145883
    Abstract: A III-nitride trench device has a vertical conduction region with an interrupted conduction channel when the device is not on, providing an enhancement mode device. The trench structure may be used in a vertical conduction or horizontal conduction device. A gate dielectric provides improved performance for the device by being capable of withstanding higher electric field or manipulating the charge in the conduction channel. A passivation of the III-nitride material decouples the dielectric from the device to permit lower dielectric constant materials to be used in high power applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Publication date: July 7, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Beach, Paul Bridger
  • Publication number: 20050139891
    Abstract: A III-nitride power device for controlling high currents as an interdigitated electrode pattern for increasing device rating while decreasing device dimensions. Fingers of the interdigitated electrode pattern have tips with smaller dimensions than the remainder of the fingers. The tapered finger design balances current flow in the electrode fingers to reduce device resistance while permitting a more compact construction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Publication date: June 30, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Beach, Paul Bridger