Patents by Inventor Steven L. Merchant

Steven L. Merchant 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: 6423991
    Abstract: A field effect transistor (30) has an array of transistors (31) made up of bonding pads (45-47) and sub-arrays of transistors (41-43). The bonding pads (45-47) are distributed between the sub-arrays of transistors (41-43) to reduce the maximum temperature that any portion of the FET (30) is exposed to while the FET (30) is in a conducting state. A similar effect can be appreciated by adjusting the threshold voltage or pinch-off resistance of the transistors in a portion (101) of an array of transistors (95).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Phillipe Dupuy, Steven L. Merchant, Robert W. Baird
  • Publication number: 20020036329
    Abstract: A field effect transistor (30) has an array of transistors (31) made up of bonding pads (45-47) and sub-arrays of transistors (41-43). The bonding pads (45-47) are distributed between the sub-arrays of transistors (41-43) to reduce the maximum temperature that any portion of the FET (30) is exposed to while the FET (30) is in a conducting state. A similar effect can be appreciated by adjusting the threshold voltage or pinch-off resistance of the transistors in a portion (101) of an array of transistors (95).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2001
    Publication date: March 28, 2002
    Inventors: Phillipe Dupuy, Steven L. Merchant, Robert W. Baird
  • Patent number: 6150200
    Abstract: A semiconductor device (10) is formed in a semiconductor substrate (11) and an epitaxial layer (14). The semiconductor device includes a p-type body region (16), a source region (17), a channel region (19), and a drain region (34) formed in the epitaxial layer (14). A doped region (13) is formed in the semiconductor substrate (11) to reduce the drift resistance of the semiconductor device (10). The drain region (34) is formed from a plurality of doped regions (30-33) that can be formed with high energy implants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven L. Merchant
  • Patent number: 6140184
    Abstract: A field effect transistor (30) has an array of transistors (31) made up of bonding pads (45-47) and sub-arrays of transistors (41-43). The bonding pads (45-47) are distributed between the sub-arrays of transistors (41-43) to reduce the maximum temperature that any portion of the FET (30) is exposed to while the FET (30) is in a conducting state. A similar effect can be appreciated by adjusting the threshold voltage or pinch-off resistance of the transistors in a portion (101) of an array of transistors (95).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Phillipe Dupuy, Steven L. Merchant, Robert W. Baird
  • Patent number: 6096606
    Abstract: A semiconductor device (10) is formed in a semiconductor substrate (11) and an epitaxial layer (14). The semiconductor device includes a p-type body region (16), a source region (17), a channel region (19), and a drain region (102) formed in the epitaxial layer (14). Doped regions (20,22) are formed in the epitaxial layer (14) that contain dopant of a conductivity type that is opposite to the epitaxial layer (14). The doped regions (20,22) divide the epitaxial layer (14) to provide or define doped regions (21,23). The doped regions (20,22) are formed from a plurality of doped regions (30,31,32,33) that can be formed with high energy implants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2000
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven L. Merchant
  • Patent number: 5767547
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a thin film transistor having a linear doping profile between the gate and drain regions. This is constructed in a particular manner in order to achieve a thin film transistor having a significantly high breakdown voltage of the order of 700 to 900 volts, much greater than that achieved in the prior art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Steven L. Merchant, Emil Arnold
  • Patent number: 5710451
    Abstract: A Semiconductor-On-Insulator (SOI) device includes a semiconductor substrate, a buried insulating layer on the substrate, and a lateral MOSFET on the buried insulating layer. The MOSFET includes a semiconductor surface layer on the buried insulating layer and has a source region of a first conductivity type, a channel region of a second conductivity type opposite to that of the first, an insulated gate electrode over the channel region and insulated therefrom, a lateral drift region of the second conductivity type, and a drain region of the first conductivity type laterally spaced apart from the channel region by the drift region. A semiconductor linkup region of the first conductivity type is provided between the channel region and the drift region and extends substantially through the semiconductor surface layer, and the source region of the device is electrically coupled to the drift region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1998
    Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation
    Inventor: Steven L. Merchant
  • Patent number: 5648671
    Abstract: A lateral thin-film silicon-on-insulator (SOI) device includes a lateral semiconductor device such as a diode or MOSFET provided in a thin semiconductor film on a thin buried oxide. The lateral semiconductor device structure includes at least two semiconductor regions separated by a lateral drift region. By providing a substantially linear lateral doping profile in the lateral drift region, and by providing a conductive field plate on a linearly-graded top oxide insulating layer, a device structure is obtained in which conduction losses can be reduced without reducing breakdown voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: U S Philips Corporation
    Inventor: Steven L. Merchant
  • Patent number: 5412241
    Abstract: This application is directed to an improved thin film SOI device in which a gate region extends over a thin layer of silicon having a lateral linear doping region on a buried oxide layer. The gate region of this invention includes a gate electrode and a field plate extending laterally from the gate electrode over the lateral linear doping region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1995
    Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corp.
    Inventor: Steven L. Merchant
  • Patent number: 5362979
    Abstract: The present application is directed to an improved arrangement for a thin silicon SOI transistor having improved source-high performance especially for bridge type circuits. This structure prevents forward current saturation during such source-high operations, and is made by forming the laterally extending silicon layer with a region of thinner thickness over 1/3 to 2/3 of the length of the drift region, or the lateral linear doping region. The field plate is formed with a separation from the gate electrode, and only extends over the thinned portion of the drift region. The gate electrode and field plate are short-circuited by a metal interconnect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1994
    Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation
    Inventor: Steven L. Merchant
  • Patent number: 5300448
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and thin film transistor having a linear doping profile between the gate and drain regions. This is constructed in a particular manner in order to achieve a thin film transistor having a significantly high breakdown voltage of the order of 700 to 900 volts, much greater than that achieved in the prior art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 5, 1994
    Assignee: North American Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Steven L. Merchant, Emil Arnold
  • Patent number: 5246870
    Abstract: An improvement in a self-passivated high voltage semiconductor device is set forth with a thinned SOI layer having a linear lateral doping region coated with an oxide layer and a field plate being a part of the gate electrode layer. A high voltage SOI semiconductor device is formed having freedom from external electric fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1993
    Assignee: North American Philips Corporation
    Inventor: Steven L. Merchant
  • Patent number: 5213986
    Abstract: A very thin silicon film SOI device can be made utilizing a bond and etch-back process. In the presently claimed invention, boron dopant is introduced into a surface of a silicon device wafer and the doped surface is bonded onto another silicon wafer at an oxide surface. The device wafer is thinned by etching down to the doped region and, by subsequent annealing in hydrogen, boron is diffused out of the silicon surface layer to produce very thin SOI films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1993
    Assignee: North American Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald D. Pinker, Steven L. Merchant, Arnold, Emil
  • Patent number: 5113236
    Abstract: A silicon on insulator of integrated circuit comprising a plurality of components typically adopted for high voltage application having a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, an insulating layer provided on the substrate, a semiconductor layer provided on the insulating layer, a number of laterally separated circuit elements forming parts of a number of subcircuits provided in the semiconductor layer, a diffusion layer of a second conductivity type opposite to that of the first conductivity type provided in the substrate and laterally separated from all the other circuit elements and means for holding the diffusion layer at a voltage at least equal to that of the highest potential of any of the subcircuits present in the integrated device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1992
    Assignee: North American Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Emil Arnold, Steven L. Merchant, Peter W. Shackle