Abstract: In at least some embodiments, a system comprises a socket gate terminal configured to receive a first voltage to activate and inactivate a device under test (DUT) coupled to the socket gate terminal. The system also comprises a socket source terminal configured to provide a reference voltage to the DUT. The system further comprises a socket drain terminal configured to provide a second voltage to the DUT to stress the DUT when the DUT is inactive. The socket drain terminal is further configured to receive a third voltage to cause a current to flow through a pathway in the DUT between the socket drain terminal and the socket source terminal when the DUT is active. The socket drain terminal is further configured to provide a fourth voltage indicative of a resistance of the pathway in the DUT when the DUT is active and is heated to a temperature above an ambient temperature associated with the system.

Abstract: A transistor device includes a field plate extending from a source contact layer and defining an opening above a gate metal layer. Coplanar with the source contact layer, the field plate is positioned close to the channel region, which helps reduce its parasitic capacitance. Meanwhile, the opening allows a gate runner layer above the field plate to access and connect to the gate metal layer, which helps reduce the resistance of the gate structure. By vertically overlapping the metal gate layer, the field plate, and the gate runner layer, the transistor device may achieve fast switching performance without incurring any size penalty.

Abstract: A transistor device includes a field plate that extends from a source runner layer and/or a source contact layer. The field plate can be coplanar with and/or below a gate runner layer. The gate runner layer is routed away from a region directly above the gate metal layer by a gate bridge, such that the field plate can extend directly above the gate metal layer without being interfered by the gate runner layer. Coplanar with the source runner layer or the source contact layer, the field plate is positioned close to the channel region, which helps reduce its parasitic capacitance. By vertically overlapping the metal gate layer and the field plate, the disclosed HEMT device may achieve significant size efficiency without additional routings.

Abstract: A first set of test structures for a gallium nitride (GaN) transistor that includes N field plates is disclosed, where N is an integer and X is an integer between 0 and N inclusive. A test structure TSX of the first set of test structures includes a GaN substrate, a dielectric material overlying the GaN substrate, a respective source contact abutting the GaN substrate and a respective drain contact abutting the GaN substrate. The test structure TSX also includes a respective gate overlying the substrate and lying between the respective source contact and the respective drain contact and X respective field plates corresponding to X of the N field plates of the GaN transistor, the X respective field plates including field plates that are nearest to the GaN substrate.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a power transistor having at least one transistor finger that lies within a semiconductor material substrate. Each transistor finger has a source region stripe and a substantially parallel drain region stripe. A gate structure lies between the source region stripe and the drain region stripe and has a plurality of fingers that extend over the source region stripe. Contacts are formed that connect to the fingers of the gate structure over thick oxide islands in the source region stripes. A conductive gate runner is connected to the contacts of the gate layer structure over the thick oxide islands in the source region stripe.

Abstract: A first set of test structures for a gallium nitride (GaN) transistor that includes N field plates is disclosed, where N is an integer and X is an integer between 0 and N inclusive. A test structure TSX of the first set of test structures includes a GaN substrate, a dielectric material overlying the GaN substrate, a respective source contact abutting the GaN substrate and a respective drain contact abutting the GaN substrate. The test structure TSX also includes a respective gate overlying the substrate and lying between the respective source contact and the respective drain contact and X respective field plates corresponding to X of the N field plates of the GaN transistor, the X respective field plates including field plates that are nearest to the GaN substrate.

Abstract: A power transistor is provided with at least one transistor finger that lies within a semiconductor material. The gate oxide is segmented into a set of segments with thick field oxide between each segment in order to reduce gate capacitance and thereby improve a resistance times gate charge figure of merit.

Abstract: A High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) includes an active layer on a substrate, and a Group IIIA-N barrier layer on the active layer. An isolation region is through the barrier layer to provide at least one isolated active area including the barrier layer on the active layer. A gate is over the barrier layer. A drain includes at least one drain finger including a fingertip having a drain contact extending into the barrier layer to contact to the active layer and a source having a source contact extending into the barrier layer to contact to the active layer. The source forms a loop that encircles the drain. The isolation region includes a portion positioned between the source and drain contact so that there is a conduction barrier in a length direction between the drain contact of the fingertip and the source.

Abstract: An integrated circuit containing an extended drain MOS transistor which has a drift layer, an upper RESURF layer over and contacting an upper surface of the drift layer, and a buried drain extension below the drift layer which is electrically connected to the drift layer at the drain end and separated from the drift layer at the channel end. A lower RESURF layer may be formed between the drift layer and the buried drain extension at the channel end. Any of the upper RESURF layer, the drift layer, the lower RESURF layer and the buried drain extension may have a graded doping density from the drain end to the channel end. A process of forming an integrated circuit containing an extended drain MOS transistor which has the drift layer, the upper RESURF layer, and the buried drain extension.

Abstract: An integrated circuit and method having an extended drain MOS transistor with a buried drift region, a drain end diffused link between the buried drift region and the drain contact, and a concurrently formed channel end diffused link between the buried drift region and the channel, where the channel end diffused link is formed by implanting through segmented areas to dilute the doping to less than two-thirds the doping in the drain end diffused link.

Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure that provides snapback protections to one or more high voltage circuit components. The ESD protection structure can be integrated along a peripheral region of a high voltage circuit, such as a high side gate driver of a driver circuit. The ESD protection structure includes a bipolar transistor structure interfacing with a PN junction of a high voltage device, which is configured to discharge the ESD current during an ESD event. The bipolar transistor structure has a collector region overlapping the PN junction, a base region embedded with sufficient pinch resistance to launch the snapback protection, and an emitter region for discharging the ESD current.

Abstract: Integrated circuits are presented having high voltage IGBTs with integral emitter shorts and fabrication processes using wafer bonding or grown epitaxial silicon for controlled drift region thickness and fast switching speed.

Abstract: An integrated trench capacitor and method for making the trench capacitor is disclosed. The method includes forming a trench in a silicon layer, forming a first dielectric on the exposed surface of the trench, performing an anisotropic etch of the first dielectric to expose silicon at the bottom of the trench, implanting a dopant into exposed silicon at the bottom of the trench, forming a first polysilicon layer over the first dielectric, forming a second dielectric over the first polysilicon layer, and forming a second polysilicon layer over the second dielectric to fill the trench.

Abstract: A semiconductor device adopts an isolation scheme to protect low voltage transistors from high voltage operations. The semiconductor device includes a substrate, a buried layer, a transistor well region, a first trench, and a second trench. The substrate has a top surface and a bottom surface. The buried layer is positioned within the substrate, and the transistor well region is positioned above the buried layer. The first trench extends from the top surface to penetrate the buried layer, and the first trench has a first trench depth. The second trench extending from the top surface to penetrate the buried layer. The second trench is interposed between the first trench and the transistor well region. The second trench has a second trench depth that is less than the first trench depth.

Abstract: A transistor device includes a field plate extending from a source contact layer and defining an opening above a gate metal layer. Coplanar with the source contact layer, the field plate is positioned close to the channel region, which helps reduce its parasitic capacitance. Meanwhile, the opening allows a gate runner layer above the field plate to access and connect to the gate metal layer, which helps reduce the resistance of the gate structure. By vertically overlapping the metal gate layer, the field plate, and the gate runner layer, the transistor device may achieve fast switching performance without incurring any size penalty.

Abstract: A High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) includes an active layer on a substrate, and a Group IIIA-N barrier layer on the active layer. An isolation region is through the barrier layer to provide at least one isolated active area including the barrier layer on the active layer. A gate is over the barrier layer. A drain includes at least one drain finger including a fingertip having a drain contact extending into the barrier layer to contact to the active layer and a source having a source contact extending into the barrier layer to contact to the active layer. The source forms a loop that encircles the drain. The isolation region includes a portion positioned between the source and drain contact so that there is a conduction barrier in a length direction between the drain contact of the fingertip and the source.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a GaN FET with an overvoltage clamping component electrically coupled to a drain node of the GaN FET and coupled in series to a voltage dropping component. The voltage dropping component is electrically coupled to a terminal which provides an off-state bias for the GaN FET. The overvoltage clamping component conducts insignificant current when a voltage at the drain node of the GaN FET is less than the breakdown voltage of the GaN FET and conducts significant current when the voltage rises above a safe voltage limit. The voltage dropping component is configured to provide a voltage drop which increases as current from the overvoltage clamping component increases. The semiconductor device is configured to turn on the GaN FET when the voltage drop across the voltage dropping component reaches a threshold value.

Abstract: A power transistor is provided with at least one transistor finger that lies within a semiconductor material. The gate oxide is segmented into a set of segments with thick field oxide between each segment in order to reduce gate capacitance and thereby improve a resistance times gate charge figure of merit.

Abstract: Impurity atoms of a first type are implanted through a gate and a thin gate dielectric into a channel region that has substantially only the first type of impurity atoms at a middle point of the channel region to increase the average dopant concentration of the first type of impurity atoms in the channel region to adjust the threshold voltage of a transistor.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a vertical drain extended MOS transistor may be formed by forming deep trench structures to define vertical drift regions of the transistor, so that each vertical drift region is bounded on at least two opposite sides by the deep trench structures. The deep trench structures are spaced so as to form RESURF regions for the drift region. Trench gates are formed in trenches in the substrate over the vertical drift regions. The body regions are located in the substrate over the vertical drift regions.