Having Controllable Emitter Shunt Patents (Class 257/137)
  • Patent number: 11862584
    Abstract: A wafer-scale die packaging device is fabricated by providing a high-k glass carrier substrate having a ceramic region which includes a defined waveguide area and extends to a defined die attach area, and then forming, on a first glass carrier substrate surface, a differential waveguide launcher having a pair of signal lines connected to a radiating element that is positioned adjacent to an air cavity and surrounded by a patterned array of conductors disposed over the ceramic region in a waveguide conductor ring. After attaching a die to the glass carrier substrate to make electrical connection to the differential waveguide launcher, a molding compound is formed to cover the die, differential waveguide launcher, and air cavity, and an array of conductors is formed in the molding compound to define a first waveguide interface perimeter surrounding a first waveguide interface interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: NXP USA, INC.
    Inventor: Jinbang Tang
  • Patent number: 11450762
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is an IGBT of a trench-gate structure and has a storage region directly beneath a p?-type base region. The semiconductor device has gate trenches and dummy trenches as trenches configuring the trench-gate structure. An interval (mesa width) at which the trenches are disposed is in a range of 0.7 ?m to 2 ?m. In each of the gate trenches, a gate electrode of a gate potential is provided via a first gate insulating film. In each of the dummy trenches, a dummy gate electrode of an emitter potential is provided via a second gate insulating film. A total number of the gate electrode is in a range of 60% to 84% of a total number of the dummy electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tohru Shirakawa
  • Patent number: 10600894
    Abstract: A Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) comprises an emitter, a collector, and a base between the emitter and the collector. The BJT also comprises an emitter contact on a first side of the BJT, a base contact on the first side of the BJT, and a collector contact on a second side of the BJT. The BJT further comprises a Deep Trench Isolation (DTI) region extending from the first side of the BJT to the second side of the BJT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Sinan Goktepeli, Plamen Vassilev Kolev, Peter Graeme Clarke
  • Patent number: 10438947
    Abstract: A semiconductor device of the present invention achieves improved avoidance of a parasitic operation in a circuit region while achieving miniaturization of the semiconductor device and a reduction in the amount of time for manufacturing the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device according to the present invention includes an IGBT disposed on a first main surface of a semiconductor substrate provided with a drift layer of a first conductivity type; a thyristor disposed on the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate; a circuit region; a hole-current retrieval region separating the IGBT and the circuit region in a plan view; and a diffusion layer of a second conductivity type, the diffusion layer being disposed on a second main surface of the semiconductor substrate. The IGBT has an effective area equal to or less than an effective area of the thyristor in a plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Nishimura, Makoto Ueno, Masataka Mametuka
  • Patent number: 10411111
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a high-voltage insulated gate type bipolar semiconductor device by comparing to a reference structure of the same includes determining a width S of a mesa region in which the gate insulating film and the MOS transistor are formed, and a trench depth DT, based on a scaling ratio K, in comparison with a second width and a second trench depth of the reference structure, and setting a cell width 2W of the high-voltage insulated gate type bipolar semiconductor device to be equal in length to a second length of the reference structure, the scaling ratio K being defined as K=Y/X, where X indicates a size of a target portion to be miniaturized in the high-voltage insulated gate type bipolar semiconductor device, and Y indicates a size of a target portion to be miniaturized in the reference structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: KYUSHU INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Ichiro Omura, Masahiro Tanaka, Masanori Tsukuda, Yamato Miki
  • Patent number: 10100613
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a subwater heat exchanger that includes a duct, first coils, a first impeller and a second impeller. The duct is configured to receive a first fluid. The first coils are inside of the duct and are configured to receive a second fluid that is heated or cooled by the first fluid. The first impeller is inside of the duct that is configured to initiate flow of the first fluid around the first coils. The second impeller is inside of the duct and is substantially in line with the first impeller along a duct lateral axis of the duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Nicholas F. Urbanski, Robert D. Denton, Charles J. Mart, Tracy A. Fowler
  • Patent number: 10026832
    Abstract: A semiconductor substrate includes a drift region and a collector region. The drift region is provided across an active area, an interface area, and an edge termination area. The collector region is provided only in the active area and forms part of a second surface. An emitter electrode is provided in the active area and contacts a first surface of the semiconductor substrate. A collector electrode is provided on the second surface of the semiconductor substrate and contacts the collector region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Katsumi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9691713
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor substrate having an element; a front surface electrode connected to the element; a rear surface electrode connected to the element; a protective film disposed on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate in a separation region; and a temperature sensor disposed on a front surface side of the semiconductor substrate. The front surface electrode is divided into multiple pieces along at least two directions with the protective film. The separation region includes an opposing region located between opposing sides of divided pieces of the front surface electrode adjacent to each other, and an intersection region, at which the opposing region intersects. The temperature sensor is disposed in only the opposing region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shun Sugiura, Yasushi Ookura, Takeshi Fujii, Tetsutaro Imagawa
  • Patent number: 9620615
    Abstract: An insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) manufacturing method comprises the following steps: providing a semiconductor substrate of a first conducting type, the semiconductor substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface (100); forming a field-stop layer of a second conducting type on the first major surface of the semiconductor substrate (200); growing an oxide layer on the field-stop layer (300); removing the oxide layer from the field-stop layer (400); forming an epitaxial layer on the field-stop layer from which the oxide layer has been removed; and then manufacturing an IGBT on the epitaxial layer (600). Before regular manufacturing of an IGBT, the surface defects of a substrate material are eliminated as many as possible before epitaxy is formed, and the quality of an epitaxial layer is improved, thereby improving the quality of the whole IGBT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: CSMC TECHNOLOGIES FAB1 CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xiaoshe Deng, Qiang Rui, Shuo Zhang, Genyi Wang
  • Patent number: 9543349
    Abstract: Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors are provided. A CMOS image sensor includes a substrate including a pixel array and a peripheral circuit region, a photodiode and a floating diffusion region in the pixel array of the substrate, a transfer gate insulating layer and a transfer gate electrode on the substrate between the photodiode and the floating diffusion region, and a peripheral gate insulating layer and a peripheral gate electrode on the peripheral circuit region. The transfer gate electrode includes a first edge that is rounded to have a first radius of curvature, and the peripheral gate electrode includes a second edge that is rounded to have a second radius of curvature smaller than the first radius of curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-Sun Oh, Kyung-Ho Lee, Hee-Geun Jeong
  • Patent number: 9502401
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a first switching device including a first semiconductor region in a first section of a semiconductor portion and a second switching device including a second semiconductor region in a second section of the semiconductor portion. The first and second sections as well as electrode structures of the first and second switching devices outside the semiconductor portion are arranged along a vertical axis perpendicular to a first surface of the semiconductor portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Sylvain LĂ©omant, Martin Vielemeyer
  • Patent number: 9461152
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a first main electrode; a second main electrode; a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor region of the first conductivity type; a third semiconductor region of a second conductivity type arranged between the first semiconductor region and the second semiconductor region; and a depletion layer suppression region arranged inside of the third semiconductor region and being configured to suppress a spread of a depletion layer extending in the third semiconductor region when a reverse bias voltage is applied between the second semiconductor region and the third semiconductor region. The third semiconductor region includes a shortest region where a distance between a first boundary surface and a second boundary surface is shortest, and the shortest region includes a region where the depletion layer suppression region does not exist between the first boundary surface and the second boundary surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Okawa
  • Patent number: 9324701
    Abstract: Diode circuit layout topologies and methods are disclosed that exhibit reduced lateral parasitic bipolar characteristics at lateral parasitic bipolar circuit emitter edges during ESD or other voltage events as compared to conventional circuit layout topologies. The disclosed diode circuit layout topologies may be implemented to recess parasitic emitter ends relative to surrounding well ties, for example, to reduce or substantially eliminate parasitic bipolar action at lateral emitter edges of the circuitry during ESD events so as to provide higher current threshold for device failure, allowing for smaller device area and/or improved ESD robustness for a given circuit device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremy C. Smith, Anirudh Oberoi, William Moore, Michael Khazhinsky
  • Patent number: 9325164
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device is disclosed. The ESD protection device comprises a trigger circuit, a switch, and an output buffer. When an ESD event occurs, the trigger circuit turns on the switch. One part of the current of the electrostatic discharge (ESD) event may be routed to a ground through the switch from the output buffer coupled to the output pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
    Inventors: Lu-An Chen, Tien-Hao Tang
  • Patent number: 9082814
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type; a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type that is formed near a surface of the first semiconductor layer; a first main electrode that is electrically connected to the second semiconductor layer; a third semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type that neighbors the first semiconductor layer; a fourth semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type that is selectively disposed in an upper portion of the third semiconductor layer; a second main electrode that is electrically connected to the third semiconductor layer and the fourth semiconductor layer; a trench whose side face is in contact with the third semiconductor layer and the fourth semiconductor layer; a gate electrode that is formed along the side face of the trench by a sidewall of polysilicon; and a polysilicon electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi Power Semiconductor Device, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Shiraishi, Mutsuhiro Mori, Hiroshi Suzuki, So Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8884331
    Abstract: An encapsulation structure including at least one hermetically sealed cavity in which a device, an electronic component produced on a first substrate, and a getter material layer covering the electronic component in order to block the gases capable of being degassed by the electronic component, are enclosed. A top surface of the device is free of contact with the getter material layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives
    Inventors: Xavier Baillin, Jean-Louis Pornin
  • Publication number: 20140054643
    Abstract: The invention discloses an ESD protection circuit, including a P-type substrate; an N-well formed on the P-type substrate; a P-doped region formed on the N-well, wherein the P-doped region is electrically connected to an input/output terminal of a circuit under protection; a first N-doped region formed on the P-type substrate, the first N-doped region is electrically connected to a first node, and the P-doped region, the N-well, the P-type substrate, and the first N-doped region constitute a silicon controlled rectifier; and a second N-doped region formed on the N-well and electrically connected to a second node, wherein a part of the P-doped region and the second N-doped region constitute a discharging path, and when an ESD event occurs at the input/output terminal, the silicon controlled rectifier and the discharging path bypass electrostatic charges to the first and second nodes respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2013
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Applicant: Nanya Technology Corp.
    Inventor: Wei-Fan Chen
  • Publication number: 20140027811
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), in which parasitic silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) equivalent circuits are formed in the MOSFET, and the MOSFET further includes a drain region. The drain region includes P-type heavily doped regions which are different from each other, in which the P-type heavily doped regions are respectively operated as anodes of the SCR equivalent circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Applicant: Nuvoton Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Po-An CHEN, MD Imran SIDDIQUI
  • Patent number: 8519432
    Abstract: A semiconductor switch comprises a PNPN structure arranged to provide an SCR-like functionality, and a MOS gate structure, preferably integrated on a common substrate. The switch includes ohmic contacts for the MOS gate, and for the cathode and gate regions of the PNPN structure; the anode contact is intrinsic. A fixed voltage is typically applied to an external node. The MOS gate structure allows current to be conducted between the external node and the intrinsic anode when on, and the PNPN structure conducts the current from the anode to the cathode when an appropriate voltage is applied to the gate contact. Regenerative feedback keeps the switch on once it begins to conduct. The MOS gate inhibits the flow of current between the external node and anode—and thereby turns off the switch—when off. When on, the MOS gate's channel resistance serves as a ballast resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey G. Barrow, Javier A. Salcedo, A. Paul Brokaw
  • Publication number: 20130050887
    Abstract: Circuits, integrated circuits, apparatuses, and methods, such as those for protecting circuits against electrostatic discharge events are disclosed. In an example method, a thyristor is triggered to conduct current from a signal node to a reference voltage node using leakage currents provided by a transistor formed in a semiconductor doped well shared with the base of the thyristor. The leakage currents are responsive to a noise event (e.g., electrostatic discharge (ESD) event) at the signal node, and increase the voltage of the semiconductor doped well to forward bias the base and the collector of the thyristor. The triggered thyristor conducts the current resulting from the ESD event to the reference voltage node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaofeng Fan, Michael D. Chaine
  • Patent number: 8178409
    Abstract: The invention is related to a semiconductor device with alternately arranged P-type and N-type thin semiconductor layers and method for manufacturing the same. For P-type device, the method includes trench formation, thermal oxide formation on trench sidewalls, N-type silicon formation in trenches, N-type impurity diffusion through thermal oxide into P-type epitaxial layer, oxidation of N-type silicon in trenches and oxide removal. In the semiconductor device, N-type thin semiconductor layers are formed by N-type impurity diffusion through oxide to P-type epitaxial layers, and trenches are filled with oxide. With this method, relatively low concentration impurity in high voltage device can be realized by current mass production process, and the device development cost and manufacturing cost are decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Shanghai Hua Hong Nec Electronics Company, Limited
    Inventors: Shengan Xiao, Feng Han
  • Patent number: 7968888
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a small solid-state image sensor which realizes significant improvement in sensitivity. The solid-state image sensor of the present invention includes a semiconductor substrate in which photoelectric conversion units are formed, a light-blocking film which is formed above the semiconductor substrate and has apertures formed so as to be positioned above respective photoelectric conversion units, and a high refractive index layer formed in the apertures. Here, each aperture has a smaller aperture width than a maximum wavelength in a wavelength of light in a vacuum converted from a wavelength of the light entering the photoelectric conversion unit through the apertures, and the high refractive index is made of a high refractive index material having a refractive index which allows transmission of light having the maximum wavelength through the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takumi Yamaguchi, Takahiko Murata, Shigetaka Kasuga
  • Patent number: 7961540
    Abstract: A dynamically-operating restoration circuit is used to apply a voltage or current restore pulse signal to thyristor-based memory cells and therein restore data in the cell using the internal positive feedback loop of the thyristor. In one example implementation, the internal positive feedback loop in the thyristor is used to restore the conducting state of a device after the thyristor current drops below the holding current. A pulse and/or periodic waveform are defined and applied to ensure that the thyristor is not released from its conducting state. The time average of the periodic restore current in the thyristor may be lower than the holding current threshold. While not necessarily limited to memory cells that are thyristor-based, various embodiments of the invention have been found to be the particularly useful for high-speed, low-power memory cells in which a thin capacitively-coupled thyristor is used to provide a bi-stable storage element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: T-RAM Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Farid Nemati, Hyun-Jin Cho, Robert Homan Igehy
  • Patent number: 7948005
    Abstract: A fourth semiconductor region of a first conduction type is provided in a partial region of a third semiconductor region of a second conduction type. This configuration enhances the blocking voltage at the time when the sheet carrier concentration of a fifth semiconductor region is enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mutsuhiro Mori, Taiga Arai
  • Publication number: 20110079818
    Abstract: A semiconductor circuit includes a first pad for a first power source, a second pad for a second power source, a third pad for an input/output signal, a protection element arranged between the first pad and the third pad, and a transistor functioning as a trigger element for use in passing a trigger current through the protection element. The transistor includes source connected to the third pad, a gate and a backgate commonly connected to the second pad.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2010
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Applicant: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuyuki Morishita
  • Patent number: 7915678
    Abstract: In an NLDMOS, DMOS and NMOS device, the ability is provided for withstanding snapback conditions by providing one or more p+ emitter regions interdigitated between drain regions having drain contacts and electrically connecting the drain contacts to contacts of the emitter regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Vladislav Vashchenko
  • Patent number: 7863644
    Abstract: NPN and PNP bipolar junction transistors are formed on a wafer in a fabrication process that eliminates the heavily-doped buried layers and the lightly-doped epitaxial layer by forming back side collector contacts that are electrically connected to an interconnect structure on the top side of the wafer with through-the-wafer contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Visvamohan Yegnashankaran, Hengyang Lin
  • Publication number: 20100301385
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge protection device including a substrate, a first doped region, a first gate electrode, a second doped region, a second gate electrode, and a third doped region is disclosed. The substrate has a first conductive type. The first doped region has a second conductive type and is formed in the substrate. The first gate electrode is formed on the substrate. The second doped region has the second conductive type and is formed in the substrate. A transistor is constituted by the first doped region, the first gate electrode, and the second doped region. The second gate electrode is formed on the substrate. The first and the second gate electrodes are separated. The third doped region has the first conductive type and is formed in the substrate. A discharge element is constituted by the first doped region, the second gate electrode, and the third doped region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Applicant: VANGUARD INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shang-Hui Tu, Hung-Shern Tsai
  • Publication number: 20100289058
    Abstract: A lateral bipolar junction transistor includes an emitter region; a base region surrounding the emitter region; a gate disposed at least over a portion of the base region; a collector region surrounding the base region with an offset between an edge of the gate and the collector region; a lightly doped drain region between the edge of the gate and the collector region; a salicide block layer disposed on or over the lightly doped drain region; and a collector salicide formed on at least a portion of the collector region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2009
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Inventors: Ming-Tzong Yang, Ching-Chung Ko, Tung-Hsing Lee, Zheng Zeng
  • Patent number: 7795637
    Abstract: The present invention relates a technique using a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) in a rail based non-breakdown (RBNB) ESD protection device that protects a micro chip from ESD stress.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: MagnaChip Semiconductor, Ltd.
    Inventor: Jeong Sik Hwang
  • Publication number: 20100187566
    Abstract: Insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection devices are presented. An IGBT-ESD device includes a semiconductor substrate and patterned insulation regions disposed on the semiconductor substrate defining a first active region and a second active region. A high-V N-well is formed in the first active region of the semiconductor substrate. A P-body doped region is formed in the second active region of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the high-V N-well and the P-body doped region are separated with a predetermined distance exposing the semiconductor substrate. A P+ doped drain region is disposed in the high-V N-well. A P+ diffused region and an N+ doped source region are disposed in the P-body doped region. A gate structure is disposed on the semiconductor substrate with one end adjacent to the N+ doped source region and the other end extending over the insulation region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2009
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Applicant: VANGUARD INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yeh-Ning Jou, Shang-Hui Tu, Jui-Chun Chang, Chen-Wei Wu
  • Patent number: 7714353
    Abstract: A trench-type insulated-gate semiconductor device is disclosed that includes unit cells having a trench gate structure that are scattered uniformly throughout the active region of the device. The impurity concentration in the portion of a p-type base region, sandwiched between an n+-type emitter region and an n-type drift layer and in contact with a gate electrode formed in the trench via a gate insulator film, is the lowest in the portion thereof sandwiched between the bottom plane of n+-type emitter regions and the bottom plane of p-type base region and parallel to the major surface of a silicon substrate. The trench-type insulate-gate semiconductor device according to the invention minimizes the variation of the gate threshold voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Device Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuichi Onozawa
  • Patent number: 7705368
    Abstract: An insulated gate type thyristor includes: a first current terminal semiconductor region of a first conductivity type having a high impurity concentration; a first base semiconductor region of a second conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type having a low impurity concentration and formed on the first current terminal semiconductor region; a second base semiconductor region of the first conductivity type having a low impurity concentration and formed on the first base semiconductor region; a second current terminal semiconductor region of the second conductivity type having a high impurity concentration and formed on the second base semiconductor region; a trench passing through the second current terminal semiconductor region and entering the second base semiconductor region leaving some depth thereof, along a direction from a surface of the second current terminal semiconductor region toward the first base semiconductor region; and an insulated gate electrode structure formed in the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Vladimir Rodov, Hidenori Akiyama
  • Publication number: 20090268357
    Abstract: A circuit for protecting a semiconductor from electrostatic discharge events includes a Zener diode (21) in series with a resistor (22) between a power line HV VDD and a ground fine HV VSS. A gate of a DMOS device (23) is connected to a node between the diode and the resistor. The drain and source of the DMOS are connected between the power lines. During an ESD event, the gate voltage of the DMOS increases and the ESD current will be discharged through the DMOS to ground. When the current exceeds the capacity of the channel of the DMOS, a parasitic bipolar transistor or transistors associated with the DMOS device acts in a controlled snapback to discharge the current to ground. The use of a vertical DMOS (VDMOS) instead of a lateral DMOS (LDMOS), can reduce the area of the device and improve the protection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2005
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Inventors: Koen Reynders, Peter Moens
  • Publication number: 20090166671
    Abstract: The present invention relates a technique using a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) in a rail based non-breakdown (RBNB) ESD protection device that protects a micro chip from ESD stress.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventor: Jeong Sik Hwang
  • Publication number: 20090114946
    Abstract: A semiconductor has an IGBT active section and a control circuit section for detecting an IGBT abnormal state. A collector region is formed on the back surface side (i.e., on the IGBT collector side) in a selective manner, namely right under the IGBT active section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Applicant: FUJI ELECTRIC DEVICE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Katsunori UENO
  • Publication number: 20090101937
    Abstract: The invention describes a structure and a process for providing ESD semiconductor protection with reduced input capacitance. The structure consists of heavily doped P+ guard rings surrounding the I/O ESD protection device and the Vcc to Bss protection device. In addition, there is a heavily doped N+ guard ring surrounding the I/O protection device its P+ guard ring. The guard rings enhance structure diode elements providing enhanced ESD energy discharge path capability enabling the elimination of a specific conventional Vss to I/O pad ESD protection device. This reduces the capacitance seen by the I/O circuit while still providing adequate ESD protection for the active circuit devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Applicant: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jian-Hsing Lee, Shui-Hunyi Chen
  • Patent number: 7433229
    Abstract: A shunt activation signal is transmitted by an external control terminal through an external transmission interface to switch a flash memory controller in a shunt mode. The shunt activation signal of the external transmission interface can set up a switch as shunt. When the flash memory controller is defective due to errors or damage, the shunt mode enables the external control terminal to directly process data saving/retrieving to the flash memory chip or testing through the external transmission interface. Thus, the user need not purchase a new flash memory to replace the defective flash memory with the damaged flash memory controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Phison Electronics Corp.
    Inventor: Kuo-Yi Cheng
  • Patent number: 7405963
    Abstract: A dynamically-operating restoration circuit is used to apply a voltage or current restore pulse signal to thyristor-based memory cells and therein restore data in the cell using the internal positive feedback loop of the thyristor. In one example implementation, the internal positive feedback loop in the thyristor is used to restore the conducting state of a device after the thyristor current drops below the holding current. A pulse and/or periodic waveform are defined and applied to ensure that the thyristor is not released from its conducting state. The time average of the periodic restore current in the thyristor may be lower than the holding current threshold. While not necessarily limited to memory cells that are thyristor-based, various embodiments of the invention have been found to be the particularly useful for high-speed, low-power memory cells in which a thin capacitively-coupled thyristor is used to provide a bi-stable storage element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2008
    Assignee: T-RAM Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Farid Nemati, Hyun-Jin Cho, Robert Homan Igehy
  • Patent number: 7183591
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a thyristor body having at least one region in a substrate. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a trench is in a substrate and adjacent to a thyristor body region in the substrate. The trench is lined with an insulative material and further includes conductive material that is insulated from the thyristor body region in the substrate by the liner material. A conductive thyristor control port is located in the trench and adapted for capacitively coupling to the thyristor body region in the substrate and to control current in the thyristor body by causing an outflow of minority carriers in the thyristor. With this approach, conductive material can be used to fill a portion of the trench while using the trench portion including the conductive material to electrically isolate a portion of the thyristor body in the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: T-RAM Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Horch, Scott Robins
  • Patent number: 7170106
    Abstract: A power semiconductor device includes trenches disposed in a first base layer of a first conductivity type at intervals to partition main and dummy cells, at a position remote from a collector layer of a second conductivity type. In the main cell, a second base layer of the second conductivity type, and an emitter layer of the first conductivity type are disposed. In the dummy cell, a buffer layer of the second conductivity type is disposed. A gate electrode is disposed, through a gate insulating film, in a trench adjacent to the main cell. A buffer resistor having an infinitely large resistance value is inserted between the buffer layer and emitter electrode. The dummy cell is provided with an inhibiting structure to reduce carriers of the second conductivity type to flow to and accumulate in the buffer layer from the collector layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Masakazu Yamaguchi, Hideaki Ninomiya, Ichiro Omura, Tomoki Inoue
  • Patent number: 7109097
    Abstract: A method for void free filling with in-situ doped amorphous silicon of a deep trench structure is provided in which a first fill is carried out in at a temperature, pressure and dopant to silane ratio such that film deposition occurs from the bottom of the trench upwards. By way of this first fill, step coverages well in excess 100% are achieved. In the second fill step, deposition is carried out under changed conditions so as to reduce the impact of dopant on deposition rate, whereby trench fill is completed at a deposition rate which exceeds the deposition rate of the first fill. In an application of this method to the formation of deep trench capacitor structures, the intermediate steps further including the capping of the void free filled trench with a thick layer of amorphous silicon, planarization of the wafer thereafter, followed by a thermal anneal to re-distribute the dopant within the filled trench. Thereafter, additional steps can be performed to complete the formation of the capacitor structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Ajit Paranjpe, Somnath Nag
  • Patent number: 7078740
    Abstract: A power semiconductor device includes trenches disposed in a first base layer of a first conductivity type at intervals to partition main and dummy cells, at a position remote from a collector layer of a second conductivity type. In the main cell, a second base layer of the second conductivity type, and an emitter layer of the first conductivity type are disposed. In the dummy cell, a buffer layer of the second conductivity type is disposed. A gate electrode is disposed, through a gate insulating film, in a trench adjacent to the main cell. A buffer resistor having an infinitely large resistance value is inserted between the buffer layer and emitter electrode. The dummy cell is provided with an inhibiting structure to reduce carriers of the second conductivity type to flow to and accumulate in the buffer layer from the collector layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Masakazu Yamaguchi, Hideaki Ninomiya, Ichiro Omura, Tomoki Inoue
  • Patent number: 7042759
    Abstract: A dynamically-operating restoration circuit is used to apply a voltage or current restore pulse signal to thyristor-based memory cells and therein restore data in the cell using the internal positive feedback loop of the thyristor. In one example implementation, the internal positive feedback loop in the thyristor is used to restore the conducting state of a device after the thyristor current drops below the holding current. A pulse and/or periodic waveform are defined and applied to ensure that the thyristor is not released from its conducting state. The time average of the periodic restore current in the thyristor may be lower than the holding current threshold. While not necessarily limited to memory cells that are thyristor-based, various embodiments of the invention have been found to be the particularly useful for high-speed, low-power memory cells in which a thin capacitively-coupled thyristor is used to provide a bi-stable storage element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: T-RAM Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Farid Nemati, Hyun-Jin Cho, Robert Homan Igehy
  • Patent number: 6998652
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a thyristor body having at least one region in a substrate. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a trench is in a substrate and adjacent to a thyristor body region in the substrate. The trench is lined with an insulative material and further includes conductive material that is insulated from the thyristor body region in the substrate by the liner material. A conductive thyristor control port is located in the trench and adapted for capacitively coupling to the thyristor body region in the substrate and to control current in the thyristor body by causing an outflow of minority carriers in the thyristor. With this approach, conductive material can be used to fill a portion of the trench while using the trench portion including the conductive material to electrically isolate a portion of the thyristor body in the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: T-Ram, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Horch, Scott Robins
  • Patent number: 6980457
    Abstract: A thyristor-based semiconductor device is formed having a thyristor, a pass device and an emitter region buried in a substrate and below at least one other vertically-arranged contiguous region of the thyristor that is at least partially below an upper surface of the substrate. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a conductor, such as a polysilicon pillar formed in a trench, extends through the substrate and to the buried emitter region of the thyristor. In one implementation, a portion of the conductor includes a reduced-resistance material, such as a salicide, that is adapted to reduce the resistance of an electrical connection made to the buried emitter region via the conductor. This is particularly useful, for example, in connecting the buried emitter region to a power supply at a reduced resistance (e.g., as compared to the resistance that would be exhibited, were the reduced-resistance material not present).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: T-RAM, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Horch, Scott Robins
  • Patent number: 6965131
    Abstract: A semiconductor switch includes a thyristor and a current shunt, preferably a transistor in parallel with and controlled by the thyristor, which shunts thyristor current at turn-off. The thyristor includes a portion of a drift layer, with a p-n junction formed below a gate adjacent to the drift layer to establish a depletion region with a high potential barrier to thyristor current flow at turn-off. The drift layer also provides the transistor base, as well as a current path allowing the transistor base current to be controlled by the thyristor. The switch is voltage controlled using an insulated gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: Rockwell Scientific Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Hsueh-Rong Chang
  • Patent number: 6911679
    Abstract: In an ESD protection device making use of a LVTSCR, at least one contacted drain and at least one emitter are formed, and are arranged laterally next to each other to be substantially equidistant from the gate of the LVTSCR, to improve holding voltage and decrease size. The ratio of emitter width to contacted drain width is adjusted to achieve the desired characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corp.
    Inventors: Vladislav Vashchenko, Ann Concannon, Marcel ter Beek, Peter J. Hopper
  • Patent number: 6891205
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a thyristor-based memory device exhibits improved stability under adverse operating conditions related to temperature, noise, electrical disturbances and light. In one particular example embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device includes a thyristor-based memory device that uses a shunt that effects a leakage current in the thyristor. The thyristor includes a capacitively-coupled control port and anode and cathode end portions. Each of the end portions has an emitter region and an adjacent base region. In one implementation, the current shunt is located between the emitter and base region of one of the end portions of the thyristor and is configured and arranged to shunt low-level current therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: T-Ram, Inc.
    Inventors: Hyun-Jin Cho, Farid Nemati, Scott Robins
  • Patent number: RE47198
    Abstract: A power semiconductor device includes trenches disposed in a first base layer of a first conductivity type at intervals to partition main and dummy cells, at a position remote from a collector layer of a second conductivity type. In the main cell, a second base layer of the second conductivity type, and an emitter layer of the first conductivity type are disposed. In the dummy cell, a buffer layer of the second conductivity type is disposed. A gate electrode is disposed, through a gate insulating film, in a trench adjacent to the main cell. A buffer resistor having an infinitely large resistance value is inserted between the buffer layer and emitter electrode. The dummy cell is provided with an inhibiting structure to reduce carriers of the second conductivity type to flow to and accumulate in the buffer layer from the collector layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Masakazu Yamaguchi, Hideaki Ninomiya, Ichiro Omura, Tomoki Inoue