Patents by Inventor Robert Coffie

Robert Coffie 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: 20140094010
    Abstract: An electronic component includes a depletion-mode transistor, an enhancement-mode transistor, and a resistor. The depletion-mode transistor has a higher breakdown voltage than the enhancement-mode transistor. A first terminal of the resistor is electrically connected to a source of the enhancement-mode transistor, and a second terminal of the resistor and a source of the depletion-mode transistor are each electrically connected to a drain of the enhancement-mode transistor. A gate of the depletion-mode transistor can be electrically connected to a source of the enhancement-mode transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2013
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Applicant: Transphorm Inc.
    Inventors: Rakesh L. Lal, Robert Coffie, Yifeng Wu, Primit Parikh, Yuvaraj Dora, Umesh Mishra, Srabanti Chowdhury, Nicholas Fichtenbaum
  • Publication number: 20140042495
    Abstract: An electronic component includes a high-voltage depletion-mode transistor and a low-voltage enhancement-mode transistor both encased in a single package. A source electrode of the high-voltage depletion-mode transistor is electrically connected to a drain electrode of the low-voltage enhancement-mode transistor, a drain electrode of the high-voltage depletion-mode transistor is electrically connected to a drain lead of the single package, a gate electrode of the low-voltage enhancement-mode transistor is electrically connected to a gate lead of the single package, a gate electrode of the high-voltage depletion-mode transistor is electrically connected to an additional lead of the single package, and a source electrode of the low-voltage enhancement-mode transistor is electrically connected to a conductive structural portion of the single package.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2013
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: Transphorm Inc.
    Inventors: Primit Parikh, James Honea, Carl C. Blake, Jr., Robert Coffie, Yifeng Wu, Umesh Mishra
  • Patent number: 8624662
    Abstract: An electronic component includes a high-voltage depletion-mode transistor and a low-voltage enhancement-mode transistor both encased in a single package. A source electrode of the high-voltage depletion-mode transistor is electrically connected to a drain electrode of the low-voltage enhancement-mode transistor, a drain electrode of the high-voltage depletion-mode transistor is electrically connected to a drain lead of the single package, a gate electrode of the low-voltage enhancement-mode transistor is electrically connected to a gate lead of the single package, a gate electrode of the high-voltage depletion-mode transistor is electrically connected to an additional lead of the single package, and a source electrode of the low-voltage enhancement-mode transistor is electrically connected to a conductive structural portion of the single package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Transphorm Inc.
    Inventors: Primit Parikh, James Honea, Carl C. Blake, Jr., Robert Coffie, Yifeng Wu, Umesh Mishra
  • Patent number: 8598937
    Abstract: An electronic component includes a depletion-mode transistor, an enhancement-mode transistor, and a resistor. The depletion-mode transistor has a higher breakdown voltage than the enhancement-mode transistor. A first terminal of the resistor is electrically connected to a source of the enhancement-mode transistor, and a second terminal of the resistor and a source of the depletion-mode transistor are each electrically connected to a drain of the enhancement-mode transistor. A gate of the depletion-mode transistor can be electrically connected to a source of the enhancement-mode transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Transphorm Inc.
    Inventors: Rakesh K. Lal, Robert Coffie, Yifeng Wu, Primit Parikh, Yuvaraj Dora, Umesh Mishra, Srabanti Chowdhury, Nicholas Fichtenbaum
  • Publication number: 20130316502
    Abstract: A III-N semiconductor device that includes a substrate and a nitride channel layer including a region partly beneath a gate region, and two channel access regions on opposite sides of the part beneath the gate. The channel access regions may be in a different layer from the region beneath the gate. The device includes an AlXN layer adjacent the channel layer wherein X is gallium, indium or their combination, and a preferably n-doped GaN layer adjacent the AlXN layer in the areas adjacent to the channel access regions. The concentration of Al in the AlXN layer, the AlXN layer thickness and the n-doping concentration in the n-doped GaN layer are selected to induce a 2DEG charge in channel access regions without inducing any substantial 2DEG charge beneath the gate, so that the channel is not conductive in the absence of a switching voltage applied to the gate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Applicant: Transphorm Inc.
    Inventors: Umesh Mishra, Robert Coffie, Likun Shen, Ilan Ben-Yaacov, Primit Parikh
  • Patent number: 8519438
    Abstract: A III-N semiconductor device that includes a substrate and a nitride channel layer including a region partly beneath a gate region, and two channel access regions on opposite sides of the part beneath the gate. The channel access regions may be in a different layer from the region beneath the gate. The device includes an AlXN layer adjacent the channel layer wherein X is gallium, indium or their combination, and a preferably n-doped GaN layer adjacent the AlXN layer in the areas adjacent to the channel access regions. The concentration of Al in the AlXN layer, the AlXN layer thickness and the n-doping concentration in the n-doped GaN layer are selected to induce a 2DEG charge in channel access regions without inducing any substantial 2DEG charge beneath the gate, so that the channel is not conductive in the absence of a switching voltage applied to the gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Transphorm Inc.
    Inventors: Umesh Mishra, Robert Coffie, Likun Shen, Ilan Ben-Yaacov, Primit Parikh
  • Patent number: 8431962
    Abstract: A nitride-based FET device that provides reduced electron trapping and gate current leakage. The device includes a relatively thick passivation layer to reduce traps caused by device processing and a thin passivation layer below the gate terminal to reduce gate current leakage. The device includes semiconductor device layers deposited on a substrate. A plurality of passivation layers are deposited on the semiconductor device layers, where at least two of the layers are made of a different dielectric material to provide an etch stop. One or more of the passivation layers can be removed using the interfaces between the layers as an etch stop so that the distance between the gate terminal and the semiconductor device layers can be tightly controlled, where the distance can be made very thin to increase device performance and reduce gate current leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin Heying, Ioulia Smorchkova, Vincent Gambin, Robert Coffie
  • Publication number: 20130088280
    Abstract: An electronic component includes a depletion-mode transistor, an enhancement-mode transistor, and a resistor. The depletion-mode transistor has a higher breakdown voltage than the enhancement-mode transistor. A first terminal of the resistor is electrically connected to a source of the enhancement-mode transistor, and a second terminal of the resistor and a source of the depletion-mode transistor are each electrically connected to a drain of the enhancement-mode transistor. A gate of the depletion-mode transistor can be electrically connected to a source of the enhancement-mode transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Applicant: TRANSPHORM INC.
    Inventors: Rakesh K. Lal, Robert Coffie, Yifeng Wu, Primit Parikh, Yuvaraj Dora, Umesh Mishra, Srabanti Chowdhury, Nicholas Fichtenbaum
  • Patent number: 8390000
    Abstract: A III-N device is described with a III-N material layer, an insulator layer on a surface of the III-N material layer, an etch stop layer on an opposite side of the insulator layer from the III-N material layer, and an electrode defining layer on an opposite side of the etch stop layer from the etch stop layer from the insulator layer. A recess is formed in the electrode defining layer. An electrode is formed in the recess. The insulator can have a precisely controlled thickness, particularly between the electrode and III-N material layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Transphorm Inc.
    Inventors: Rongming Chu, Robert Coffie
  • Publication number: 20110193619
    Abstract: An electronic component includes a high-voltage depletion-mode transistor and a low-voltage enhancement-mode transistor both encased in a single package. A source electrode of the high-voltage depletion-mode transistor is electrically connected to a drain electrode of the low-voltage enhancement-mode transistor, a drain electrode of the high-voltage depletion-mode transistor is electrically connected to a drain lead of the single package, a gate electrode of the low-voltage enhancement-mode transistor is electrically connected to a gate lead of the single package, a gate electrode of the high-voltage depletion-mode transistor is electrically connected to an additional lead of the single package, and a source electrode of the low-voltage enhancement-mode transistor is electrically connected to a conductive structural portion of the single package.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Publication date: August 11, 2011
    Applicant: Transphorm Inc.
    Inventors: Primit Parikh, James Honea, Carl C. Blake, JR., Robert Coffie, Yifeng Wu, Umesh Mishra
  • Publication number: 20110049526
    Abstract: A III-N device is described with a III-N material layer, an insulator layer on a surface of the III-N material layer, an etch stop layer on an opposite side of the insulator layer from the III-N material layer, and an electrode defining layer on an opposite side of the etch stop layer from the etch stop layer from the insulator layer. A recess is formed in the electrode defining layer. An electrode is formed in the recess. The insulator can have a precisely controlled thickness, particularly between the electrode and III-N material layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: TRANSPHORM INC.
    Inventors: Rongming Chu, Robert Coffie
  • Patent number: 7897446
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is fabricated to include source and drain contacts including an ohmic metal sunken into the barrier layer and a portion of the channel layer; a protective dielectric layer disposed between the source and drain contacts on the barrier layer; a metallization layer disposed in drain and source ohmic vias between the source contact and the protective dielectric layer and between the protective dielectric layer and the drain contact; and a metal T-gate disposed above the barrier layer including a field mitigating plate disposed on a side portion of a stem of the metal T-gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Ioulia Smorchkova, Robert Coffie, Ben Heying, Carol Namba, Po-Hsin Liu, Boris Hikin
  • Patent number: 7851825
    Abstract: Enhancement-mode III-nitride transistors are described that have a large source to drain barrier in the off state, low off state leakage, and low channel resistance in the access regions are described. The devices can include a charge depleting layer under the gate and/or a charge enhancing layer outside of the gate region, that is, in the access region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Transphorm Inc.
    Inventors: Chang Soo Suh, Ilan Ben-Yaacov, Robert Coffie, Umesh Mishra
  • Patent number: 7800132
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a T-gate disposed between drain and source regions and above a barrier layer to form a Schottky contact to the channel layer. A first inactive field mitigating plate is disposed above a portion of the T-gate and a second active field plate is disposed above the barrier layer and in a vicinity of the T-gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Ioulia Smorchkova, Carol Namba, Po-Hsin Liu, Robert Coffie, Roger Tsai
  • Publication number: 20100184262
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is fabricated to include source and drain contacts including an ohmic metal sunken into the barrier layer and a portion of the channel layer; a protective dielectric layer disposed between the source and drain contacts on the barrier layer; a metallization layer disposed in drain and source ohmic vias between the source contact and the protective dielectric layer and between the protective dielectric layer and the drain contact; and a metal T-gate disposed above the barrier layer including a field mitigating plate disposed on a side portion of a stem of the metal T-gate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Ioulia Smorchkova, Robert Coffie, Ben Heying, Carol Namba, Po-Hsin Liu, Boris Hikin
  • Patent number: 7750370
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is fabricated to include source and drain contacts including an ohmic metal sunken into the barrier layer and a portion of the channel layer; a protective dielectric layer disposed between the source and drain contacts on the barrier layer; a metallization layer disposed in drain and source ohmic vias between the source contact and the protective dielectric layer and between the protective dielectric layer and the drain contact; and a metal T-gate disposed above the barrier layer including a field mitigating plate disposed on a side portion of a stem of the metal T-gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Ioulia Smorchkova, Robert Coffie, Ben Heying, Carol Namba, Po-Hsin Liu, Boris Hikin
  • Patent number: 7632726
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a nitride-based FET device that provides reduced electron trapping and gate current leakage. The fabrication method provides a device that includes a relatively thick passivation layer to reduce traps caused by device processing and a thin passivation layer below the gate terminal to reduce gate current leakage. Semiconductor device layers are deposited on a substrate. A plurality of passivation layers are deposited on the semiconductor device layers, where at least two of the layers are made of a different dielectric material to provide an etch stop. One or more of the passivation layers can be removed using the interfaces between the layers as an etch stop so that the distance between the gate terminal and the semiconductor device layers can be tightly controlled, where the distance can be made very thin to increase device performance and reduce gate current leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Benjamin Heying, Ioulia Smorchkova, Vincent Gambin, Robert Coffie
  • Publication number: 20090267078
    Abstract: A III-N semiconductor device that includes a substrate and a nitride channel layer including a region partly beneath a gate region, and two channel access regions on opposite sides of the part beneath the gate. The channel access regions may be in a different layer from the region beneath the gate. The device includes an AlXN layer adjacent the channel layer wherein X is gallium, indium or their combination, and a preferably n-doped GaN layer adjacent the AlXN layer in the areas adjacent to the channel access regions. The concentration of Al in the AlXN layer, the AlXN layer thickness and the n-doping concentration in the n-doped GaN layer are selected to induce a 2DEG charge in channel access regions without inducing any substantial 2DEG charge beneath the gate, so that the channel is not conductive in the absence of a switching voltage applied to the gate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2008
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Applicant: Transphorm Inc.
    Inventors: Umesh Mishra, Robert Coffie, Likun Shen, Ilan Ben-Yaacov, Primit Parikh
  • Publication number: 20090267115
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a T-gate HEMT with a club extension comprising the steps of: providing a substrate; providing a bi-layer resist on the substrate; exposing an area of the bi-layer resist to electron beam lithography where the area corresponds to a T-gate opening; exposing an area of the bi-layer resist to electron beam lithography where the area corresponds to the shape of the club extension wherein the area corresponding to the club extension is approximately 1 micron to an ohmic source side of a T-gate and approximately 0.5 microns forward from a front of the T-gate; developing out the bi-layer resist in the exposed area that corresponds to the T-gate opening; developing out the bi-layer resist in the exposed area that corresponds to the club extension; and forming the T-gate and club extension through a metallization process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Inventors: Carol Osaka Namba, Po-Hsin Liu, Ioulia Smorchkova, Michael Wojtowicz, Robert Coffie, Yaochung Chen
  • Patent number: 7608865
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a T-gate HEMT with a club extension comprising the steps of: providing a substrate; providing a bi-layer resist on the substrate; exposing an area of the bi-layer resist to electron beam lithography where the area corresponds to a T-gate opening; exposing an area of the bi-layer resist to electron beam lithography where the area corresponds to the shape of the club extension wherein the area corresponding to the club extension is approximately 1 micron to an ohmic source side of a T-gate and approximately 0.5 microns forward from a front of the T-gate; developing out the bi-layer resist in the exposed area that corresponds to the T-gate opening; developing out the bi-layer resist in the exposed area that corresponds to the club extension; and forming the T-gate and club extension through a metallization process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Carol Osaka Namba, Po-Hsin Liu, Ioulia Smorchkova, Michael Wojtowicz, Robert Coffie, Yaochung Chen