Patents by Inventor Thomas Grebs

Thomas Grebs 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: 20250048721
    Abstract: Described examples include an integrated circuit having first and second transistors. The first transistor includes a plurality of trenches extending into a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of source regions, each source region located between a pair of adjacent trenches. A first source terminal is connected to the plurality of source regions. The second transistor includes a central source region between a pair of the trenches and a second source terminal connected to the central source region. The second source terminal is conductively isolated from the first source terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2023
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Inventors: Eung Jung Kim, Thomas Grebs, Sunglyong Kim, Sungho Beck, Wei Fu, Xiaochun Zhao, Arjun Pankaj
  • Publication number: 20240113217
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes first and second trenches in a semiconductor substrate and a semiconductor mesa between the first and second trenches. A source region having a first conductivity type and a body region having an opposite second conductivity type are located within the semiconductor mesa. A trench shield is located within the first trench, and a gate electrode is over the trench shield between first and second sidewalls of the first trench. A gate dielectric is on a sidewall of the first trench between the gate electrode and the body region, and a pre-metal dielectric (PMD) layer is over the gate electrode. A gate contact through the PMD layer touches the gate electrode between the first and second sidewalls, and a trench shield contact through the PMD layer touches the trench shield between the first and second sidewalls.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Hong Yang, Thomas Grebs, Yunlong Liu, Sunglyong Kim, Lindong Li, Peng Li, Seetharaman Sridhar, Yeguang Zhang, Sheng pin Yang
  • Publication number: 20230087151
    Abstract: A trench gate metal oxide semiconductor (MOSFET) device includes a substrate with a semiconductor surface layer doped a first conductivity type. At least one trench gate MOSFET cell is located in or over the semiconductor surface layer, and includes a body region in the semiconductor surface layer doped a second conductivity type, and a source region on top of the body region doped the first conductivity type. A trench extends down from a top side of the semiconductor surface layer, the trench abutting the body region and being lined with a dielectric material. A field plate that includes polysilicon is located in the trench, and a gate electrode is located over the field plate. The field plate has a bottom portion, a middle portion, and a top portion, wherein the bottom portion is narrower than the middle portion, and the middle portion is narrower than the top portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2021
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventors: Thomas Grebs, Meng-Chia Lee, Hong Yang, Ya ping Chen, Sunglyong Kim
  • Publication number: 20070155104
    Abstract: A trench-gated field effect transistor (FET) is formed as follows. Using one mask, a plurality of active gate trenches and at least one gate runner trench are defined and simultaneously formed in a silicon region such that (i) the at least one gate runner trench has a width greater than a width of each of the plurality of active gate trenches, and (ii) the plurality of active gate trenches are contiguous with the at least one gate runner trench.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Publication date: July 5, 2007
    Inventors: Bruce Marchant, Thomas Grebs, Rodney Ridley, Nathan Kraft
  • Publication number: 20070082441
    Abstract: A field effect transistor is formed as follows. Trenches are formed in a semiconductor region of a first conductivity type. Each trench is partially filled with one or more materials. A dual-pass angled implant is carried out to implant dopants of a second conductivity type into the semiconductor region through an upper surface of the semiconductor region and through upper trench sidewalls not covered by the one or more material. A high temperature process is carried out to drive the implanted dopants deeper into the mesa region thereby forming body regions of the second conductivity type between adjacent trenches. Source regions of the first conductivity type are then formed in each body region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2006
    Publication date: April 12, 2007
    Inventors: Nathan Kraft, Ashok Challa, Steven Sapp, Hamza Yilmaz, Daniel Calafut, Dean Probst, Rodney Ridley, Thomas Grebs, Christopher Kocon, Joseph Yedinak, Gary Dolny
  • Publication number: 20070032020
    Abstract: A field effect transistor is formed as follows. A trench is formed in a semiconductor region. A dielectric layer lining the trench sidewalls and bottom is formed. The trench is filled with a conductive material. The conductive material is recessed into the trench to thereby form a shield electrode in a bottom portion of the trench. The recessing of the conductive material includes isotropic etching of the conductive material. An inter-electrode dielectric (IED) is formed over the recessed shield electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2006
    Publication date: February 8, 2007
    Inventors: Thomas Grebs, Nathan Kraft, Rodney Ridley, Gary Dolny, Joseph Yedinak, Christopher Kocon, Ashok Challa
  • Publication number: 20060273386
    Abstract: A field effect transistor includes a body region of a first conductivity type over a semiconductor region of a second conductivity type. A gate trench extends through the body region and terminates within the semiconductor region. At least one conductive shield electrode is disposed in the gate trench. A gate electrode is disposed in the gate trench over but insulated from the at least one conductive shield electrode. A shield dielectric layer insulates the at lease one conductive shield electrode from the semiconductor region. A gate dielectric layer insulates the gate electrode from the body region. The shield dielectric layer is formed such that it flares out and extends directly under the body region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2006
    Publication date: December 7, 2006
    Inventors: Hamza Yilmaz, Daniel Calafut, Christopher Kocon, Steven Sapp, Dean Probst, Nathan Kraft, Thomas Grebs, Rodney Ridley, Gary Dolny, Bruce Marchant, Joseph Yedinak
  • Publication number: 20060214221
    Abstract: Various embodiments for improved power devices as well as their methods of manufacture, packaging and circuitry incorporating the same for use in a wide variety of power electronic applications are disclosed. One aspect of the invention combines a number of charge balancing techniques and other techniques for reducing parasitic capacitance to arrive at different embodiments for power devices with improved voltage performance, higher switching speed, and lower on-resistance. Another aspect of the invention provides improved termination structures for low, medium and high voltage devices. Improved methods of fabrication for power devices are provided according to other aspects of the invention. Improvements to specific processing steps, such as formation of trenches, formation of dielectric layers inside trenches, formation of mesa structures and processes for reducing substrate thickness, among others, are presented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Publication date: September 28, 2006
    Inventors: Ashok Challa, Alan Elbanhawy, Thomas Grebs, Nathan Kraft, Dean Probst, Rodney Ridley, Steven Sapp, Qi Wang, Chongman Yun, J.G. Lee, Peter Wilson, Joseph Yedinak, J.Y. Jung, H.C. Jang, Babak Sani, Richard Stokes, Gary Dolny, John Mytych, Becky Losee, Adam Selsley, Robert Herrick, James Murphy, Gordon Madson, Bruce Marchant, Christopher Rexer, Christopher Kocon, Debra Woolsey
  • Publication number: 20060214222
    Abstract: Various embodiments for improved power devices as well as their methods of manufacture, packaging and circuitry incorporating the same for use in a wide variety of power electronic applications are disclosed. One aspect of the invention combines a number of charge balancing techniques and other techniques for reducing parasitic capacitance to arrive at different embodiments for power devices with improved voltage performance, higher switching speed, and lower on-resistance. Another aspect of the invention provides improved termination structures for low, medium and high voltage devices. Improved methods of fabrication for power devices are provided according to other aspects of the invention. Improvements to specific processing steps, such as formation of trenches, formation of dielectric layers inside trenches, formation of mesa structures and processes for reducing substrate thickness, among others, are presented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Publication date: September 28, 2006
    Inventors: Ashok Challa, Alan Elbanhawy, Thomas Grebs, Nathan Kraft, Dean Probst, Rodney Ridley, Steven Sapp, Qi Wang, Chongman Yun, J. Lee, Peter Wilson, Joseph Yedinak, J. Jung, H. Jang, Babak Sani, Richard Stokes, Gary Dolny, John Mytych, Becky Losee, Adam Selsley, Robert Herrick, James Murphy, Gordon Madson, Bruce Marchant, Christopher Rexer, Christopher Kocon, Debra Woolsey
  • Publication number: 20060030142
    Abstract: A semiconductor power device includes a substrate of a first conductivity type and an epitaxial layer of the first conductivity type over and in contact with the substrate. A first trench extends into and terminates within the epitaxial layer. A sinker trench extends from the top surface of the epitaxial layer through the epitaxial layer and terminates within the substrate. The sinker trench is laterally spaced from the first trench, and is wider and extends deeper than the first trench. The sinker trench is lined with an insulator only along the sinker trench sidewalls so that a conductive material filling the sinker trench makes electrical contact with the substrate along the bottom of the trench and makes electrical contact with an interconnect layer along the top of the trench.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Publication date: February 9, 2006
    Inventors: Thomas Grebs, Gary Dolny
  • Publication number: 20050167742
    Abstract: Various embodiments for improved power devices as well as their methods of manufacture, packaging and circuitry incorporating the same for use in a wide variety of power electronic applications are disclosed. One aspect of the invention combines a number of charge balancing techniques and other techniques for reducing parasitic capacitance to arrive at different embodiments for power devices with improved voltage performance, higher switching speed, and lower on-resistance. Another aspect of the invention provides improved termination structures for low, medium and high voltage devices. Improved methods of fabrication for power devices are provided according to other aspects of the invention. Improvements to specific processing steps, such as formation of trenches, formation of dielectric layers inside trenches, formation of mesa structures and processes for reducing substrate thickness, among others, are presented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2004
    Publication date: August 4, 2005
    Applicant: Fairchild Semiconductor Corp.
    Inventors: Ashok Challa, Alan Elbanhawy, Thomas Grebs, Nathan Kraft, Dean Probst, Rodney Ridley, Steven Sapp, Qi Wang, Chongman Yun, J.G. Lee, Peter Wilson, Joseph Yedinak, J.Y. Jung, H.C. Jang, Babak Sani, Richard Stokes, Gary Dolny, John Mytych, Becky Losee, Adam Selsley, Robert Herrick, James Murphy, Gordon Madson, Bruce Marchant, Christopher Rexer, Christopher Kocon, Debra Woolsey
  • Patent number: 6573569
    Abstract: A trench MOS-gated device has an upper surface and includes a substrate having an upper layer of doped monocrystalline semiconductor material of a first conduction type. A gate trench in the upper layer has sidewalls and a floor lined with a first dielectric material and a centrally disposed core formed of a second dielectric material extending upwardly from the first dielectric material on the trench floor and having lateral and top surfaces. The remainder of the trench is substantially filled with a conductive material that encompasses and contacts the lateral and top surfaces of the core of second dielectric material. A doped well region of a second conduction type overlies a drain zone of the first conduction type in the upper layer, and a heavily doped source region of the first conduction type contiguous to the gate trench and a heavily doped body region of the second conduction type are disposed in the well region at the upper surface of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Jifa Hao, Thomas Grebs, Rodney S. Ridley, Louise Skurkey, Chris Gasser
  • Publication number: 20030085430
    Abstract: A trench MOS-gated device has an upper surface and includes a substrate having an upper layer of doped monocrystalline semiconductor material of a first conduction type. A gate trench in the upper layer has sidewalls and a floor lined with a first dielectric material and a centrally disposed core formed of a second dielectric material extending upwardly from the first dielectric material on the trench floor and having lateral and top surfaces. The remainder of the trench is substantially filled with a conductive material that encompasses and contacts the lateral and top surfaces of the core of second dielectric material. A doped well region of a second conduction type overlies a drain zone of the first conduction type in the upper layer, and a heavily doped source region of the first conduction type contiguous to the gate trench and a heavily doped body region of the second conduction type are disposed in the well region at the upper surface of the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2001
    Publication date: May 8, 2003
    Inventors: Jifa Hao, Thomas Grebs, Rodney S. Ridley, Louise Skurkey, Chris Gasser