Patents by Inventor Rongming Chu

Rongming Chu 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: 20190165154
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a III-V semiconductor circuit; the method comprising: forming a first layer of a III-V material on a growth substrate; forming a second layer of a III-V material on the first layer of III-V material; forming a FET transistor having a source electrode and a drain electrode in contact with a top surface of the second layer of a III-V material; forming a top dielectric layer above the FET transistor; forming a metal layer above the top dielectric layer, wherein said metal layer is connected to said source electrode; attaching a handle substrate to a top surface of the metal layer; removing the growth substrate from the bottom of the first layer of a III-V material; and forming a bottom dielectric layer on the bottom of the first layer of a III-V material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Zijian "Ray" LI, Rongming CHU
  • Patent number: 10283358
    Abstract: Lateral PN junctions and diodes and transistors comprising lateral PN junctions and methods used in making such devices are disclosed. A method of fabricating a lateral PN junction, can comprise: conformally growing p?GaN material on a n?GaN vertical surface extending vertically from an n?GaN horizontal surface on an n?GaN drift layer to form a first PN junction, wherein the n?GaN horizontal surface extends horizontally from the n?GaN vertical surface and the n?GaN horizontal surface has a layer of dielectric material formed on the n?GaN horizontal surface that extends from the p?GaN surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Rongming Chu, Yu Cao
  • Patent number: 10276712
    Abstract: A field effect transistor (FET) includes a III-nitride channel layer, a III-nitride barrier layer on the channel layer, a first dielectric on the barrier layer, a first gate trench extending through the first dielectric, and partially or entirely through the barrier layer, a second dielectric on a bottom and walls of the first gate trench, a source electrode on a first side of the first gate trench, a drain electrode on a second side of the first gate trench opposite the first side, a first gate electrode on the second dielectric and filling the first gate trench, a third dielectric between the first gate trench and the drain electrode, a second gate trench extending through the third dielectric and laterally located between the first gate trench and the drain electrode, and a second gate electrode filling the second gate trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventor: Rongming Chu
  • Patent number: 10263104
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a III-V semiconductor circuit; the method comprising: forming a first layer of a III-V material on a growth substrate; forming a second layer of a III-V material on the first layer of III-V material; forming a FET transistor having a source electrode and a drain electrode in contact with a top surface of the second layer of a III-V material; forming a top dielectric layer above the FET transistor; forming a metal layer above the top dielectric layer, wherein said metal layer is connected to said source electrode; attaching a handle substrate to a top surface of the metal layer; removing the growth substrate from the bottom of the first layer of a III-V material; and forming a bottom dielectric layer on the bottom of the first layer of a III-V material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Zijian “Ray” Li, Rongming Chu
  • Publication number: 20190067464
    Abstract: A III-nitride power handling device and the process of making the III-nitride power handling device are disclosed that use digital alloys as back barrier layer to mitigate the strain due to lattice mismatch between the channel layer and the back barrier layer and to provide increased channel conductivity. An embodiment discloses a GaN transistor using a superlattice binary digital alloy as back barrier comprising alternative layers of AlN and GaN. Other embodiments include using superlattice structures with layers of GaN and AlGaN as well as structures using AlGaN/AlGaN stackups that have different Aluminum concentrations. The disclosed device has substantially increased channel conductivity compared to traditional analog alloy back barrier devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2017
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Applicant: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Rongming CHU, Yu Cao
  • Patent number: 10199217
    Abstract: Group III-nitride devices are described that include a stack of III-nitride layers, passivation layers, and conductive contacts. The stack includes a channel layer with a 2DEG channel, a barrier layer and a spacer layer. One passivation layer directly contacts a surface of the spacer layer on a side opposite to the channel layer and is an electrical insulator. The stack of III-nitride layers and the first passivation layer form a structure with a reverse side proximate to the first passivation layer and an obverse side proximate to the barrier layer. Another passivation layer is on the obverse side of the structure. Defected nucleation and stress management layers that form a buffer layer during the formation process can be partially or entirely removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Transphorm Inc.
    Inventors: Rongming Chu, Umesh Mishra, Rakesh K. Lal
  • Patent number: 10181400
    Abstract: A vertical trench MOSFET comprising: a N-doped substrate of a III-N material; and an epitaxial layer of the III-N material grown on a top surface of the substrate, a N-doped drift region being formed in said epitaxial layer; a P-doped base layer of said III-N material, formed on top of at least a portion of the drift region; a N-doped source region of said III-N material; formed on at least a portion of the base layer; and a gate trench having at least one vertical wall extending along at least a portion of the source region and at least a portion of the base layer; wherein at least a portion of the P-doped base layer along the gate trench is a layer of said P-doped III-N material that additionally comprises a percentage of aluminum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventor: Rongming Chu
  • Patent number: 10153761
    Abstract: A half bridge circuit includes a sapphire substrate, a GaN upper switch on the sapphire substrate, a GaN lower switch on the sapphire substrate and coupled to the GaN upper switch, a first conductor coupled to the upper switch, a second conductor coupled to the lower switch, and a capacitor. A portion of the first conductor and a portion of the second conductor are on a plane vertically separated from the upper switch and the lower switch by a height, and the capacitor is coupled between the portion of the first conductor and the portion of the second conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Brian Hughes, Rongming Chu
  • Publication number: 20180337042
    Abstract: Lateral PN junctions and diodes and transistors comprising lateral PN junctions and methods used in making such devices are disclosed. A method of fabricating a lateral PN junction, can comprise: conformally growing p?GaN material on a n?GaN vertical surface extending vertically from an n?GaN horizontal surface on an n?GaN drift layer to form a first PN junction, wherein the n?GaN horizontal surface extends horizontally from the n?GaN vertical surface and the n?GaN horizontal surface has a layer of dielectric material formed on the n?GaN horizontal surface that extends from the p?GaN surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Applicant: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Rongming Chu, Yu Cao
  • Patent number: 10134851
    Abstract: A diode includes: a semiconductor substrate; a cathode metal layer contacting a bottom of the substrate; a semiconductor drift layer on the substrate; a graded aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) semiconductor barrier layer on the drift layer and having a larger bandgap than the drift layer, the barrier layer having a top surface and a bottom surface between the drift layer and the top surface, the barrier layer having an increasing aluminum composition from the bottom surface to the top surface; and an anode metal layer directly contacting the top surface of the barrier layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Rongming Chu, Yu Cao, Zijian “Ray” Li, Adam J. Williams
  • Publication number: 20180114837
    Abstract: A diode includes: a semiconductor substrate; a cathode metal layer contacting a bottom of the substrate; a semiconductor drift layer on the substrate; a graded aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) semiconductor barrier layer on the drift layer and having a larger bandgap than the drift layer, the barrier layer having a top surface and a bottom surface between the drift layer and the top surface, the barrier layer having an increasing aluminum composition from the bottom surface to the top surface; and an anode metal layer directly contacting the top surface of the barrier layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Inventors: Rongming Chu, Yu Cao, Zijian "Ray" Li, Adam J. Williams
  • Publication number: 20180097081
    Abstract: A field effect transistor having at least a gate, source, and drain electrodes and a semiconductor channel for controlling transport of charge carriers between the source and drain electrodes, the gate being insulated from the channel by an dielectric, at least a portion of the dielectric disposed between the gate electrode and the semiconductor channel being doped or imbued with the an element which if doped or imbued into a semiconductor material would cause the semiconductor to be p-type. The p-type element used to dope or imbue the gate dielectric is preferably Mg.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Publication date: April 5, 2018
    Applicant: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Yu CAO, Rongming CHU, Zijian Ray Li
  • Patent number: 9929243
    Abstract: A method of making a stepped field gate for an FET including forming a first passivation layer on a barrier layer, defining a first field plate by using electron beam (EB) lithography and by depositing a first negative EB resist, forming a second passivation layer over first negative EB resist and the first passivation layer, planarizing the first negative EB resist and the second passivation layer, defining a second field plate by using EB lithography and by depositing a second negative EB resist connected to the first negative EB resist, forming a third passivation layer over second negative EB resist and the second passivation layer, planarizing the second negative EB resist and the third passivation layer, removing the first and second negative EB resist, and forming a stepped field gate by using lithography and plating in a void left by the removed first and second negative EB resist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Andrea Corrion, Keisuke Shinohara, Miroslav Micovic, Rongming Chu, David F. Brown, Alexandros D. Margomenos, Shawn D. Burnham
  • Patent number: 9899482
    Abstract: A diode includes: a semiconductor substrate; a cathode metal layer contacting a bottom of the substrate; a semiconductor drift layer on the substrate; a graded aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) semiconductor barrier layer on the drift layer and having a larger bandgap than the drift layer, the barrier layer having a top surface and a bottom surface between the drift layer and the top surface, the barrier layer having an increasing aluminum composition from the bottom surface to the top surface; and an anode metal layer directly contacting the top surface of the barrier layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Rongming Chu, Yu Cao, Zijian Li, Adam J. Williams
  • Patent number: 9865725
    Abstract: A transistor includes a stack of III-nitride semiconductor layers, the stack having a frontside and a backside, a source electrode in contact with the frontside of the stack, a drain electrode in contact with the backside of the stack, a trench extending through a portion of the stack, the trench having a sidewall, and a gate structure formed in the trench, including an AlN layer formed on the sidewall of the trench, an insulating cap layer formed on the AlN layer, and a gate electrode formed on the insulator cap layer and covering the sidewall of the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventor: Rongming Chu
  • Patent number: 9831315
    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 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: June 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Transphorm Inc.
    Inventors: Rongming Chu, Robert Coffie
  • Patent number: 9812532
    Abstract: A field effect transistor includes a III-Nitride channel layer, a III-Nitride doped cap layer on the channel layer, a source electrode in contact with the III-Nitride cap layer, a drain electrode in contact with the III-Nitride cap layer, a gate electrode located between the source and the drain electrodes, and a gate dielectric layer between the gate electrode and the III-Nitride undoped channel layer, wherein the cap layer is doped to provide mobile holes, and wherein the gate dielectric layer comprises a layer of AlN in contact with the channel layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Rongming Chu, Yu Cao, Mary Y. Chen, Zijian “Ray” Li
  • Patent number: 9773884
    Abstract: A transistor includes a buffer layer, a channel layer over the buffer layer, a barrier layer over the channel layer, a source electrode electrically connected to the channel layer, a drain electrode electrically connected to the channel layer, a gate electrode on the barrier layer between the source electrode and the drain electrode, a backside metal layer, a substrate between a first portion of the buffer layer and the backside metal layer; and a dielectric between a second portion of the buffer layer and the backside metal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Rongming Chu, Zijan Ray Li, Karim Boutros
  • Publication number: 20170263769
    Abstract: A vertical trench MOSFET comprising: a N-doped substrate of a III-N material; and an epitaxial layer of the III-N material grown on a top surface of the substrate, a N-doped drift region being formed in said epitaxial layer; a P-doped base layer of said III-N material, formed on top of at least a portion of the drift region; a N-doped source region of said III-N material; formed on at least a portion of the base layer; and a gate trench having at least one vertical wall extending along at least a portion of the source region and at least a portion of the base layer; wherein at least a portion of the P-doped base layer along the gate trench is a layer of said P-doped III-N material that additionally comprises a percentage of aluminum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Inventor: Rongming CHU
  • Patent number: 9761709
    Abstract: A vertical trench MOSFET comprising: a N-doped substrate of a III-N material; and an epitaxial layer of the III-N material grown on a top surface of the substrate, a N-doped drift region being formed in said epitaxial layer; a P-doped base layer of said III-N material, formed on top of at least a portion of the drift region; a N-doped source region of said III-N material; formed on at least a portion of the base layer; and a gate trench having at least one vertical wall extending along at least a portion of the source region and at least a portion of the base layer; wherein at least a portion of the P-doped base layer along the gate trench is a layer of said P-doped III-N material that additionally comprises a percentage of aluminum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventor: Rongming Chu