Edge Feature (e.g., Beveled Edge) Patents (Class 257/171)
  • Patent number: 11152465
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an n-type base substrate; a p-type first region; a p-type surface region having a plurality of second corner portions and a plurality of second side portions surrounding the first region. The p-type surface region has a dopant concentration lower than a dopant concentration of the first region. The semiconductor device further includes a field plate in a region overlapping with the surface region in a plan view by way of an insulation film. The field plate has a plurality of field plate corner portions and a plurality of field plate side portions. A relationship of L1>L2 is established at least at a portion of the surface region or a relationship of FP1>FP2 is established at least at a portion of the field plate is satisfied. A withstand voltage of the second side portion is lower than a withstand voltage of the second corner portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: SHINDENGEN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideyuki Nakamura, Yoshifumi Matsuzaki, Hirokazu Ito
  • Patent number: 10964780
    Abstract: The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate of first conductivity type including a cell area and a peripheral area surrounding cell area on a principal surface thereof, a first diffusion layer which is disposed in peripheral area, surrounds the cell area and has a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type, an electrode which is disposed in the peripheral area, is in contact with the principal surface through an opening provided in an insulating member and is connected to the first diffusion layer, and a second diffusion layer of the first conductivity type which is formed on the principal surface of a region enclosed in the electrode distant from the first diffusion layer when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the principal surface and includes a linear portion having a first width and a curved portion having a portion with a second width greater than the first width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: LAPIS Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Furuta, Toshifumi Kobe, Toshiyuki Orita, Tsuyoshi Inoue, Tomoko Yonekura, Masahiro Haraguchi, Yoshinobu Takeshita, Kiyofumi Kondo
  • Patent number: 10297447
    Abstract: Examples of a high electron mobility transistor manufacturing method includes forming a buffer layer including a nitride semiconductor doped with any one of carbon, iron, and magnesium on a substrate, forming a Schottky layer on the buffer layer, and irradiating the Schottky layer and the buffer layer with electrons or protons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 9437439
    Abstract: A wafer processing method for reducing the thickness of a wafer to a predetermined thickness, the wafer having a chamfered portion along the outer circumference thereof. The wafer processing method includes a stacked wafer forming step of attaching a support substrate to the front side of the wafer to thereby form a stacked wafer, and a chamfered portion removing step of positioning a cutting blade having a rotation axis parallel to the stacking direction of the stacked wafer formed by the stacked wafer forming step so that the outer circumference of the cutting blade faces the chamfered portion of the wafer, and then making the cutting blade cut into the wafer from the outer circumference toward the center thereof to thereby partially remove the chamfered portion in the range corresponding to the predetermined thickness from the front side of the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Disco Corporation
    Inventor: Karl Priewasser
  • Patent number: 9355858
    Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device capable of preventing the deterioration of electrical characteristics. A p-type collector region is provided on a surface layer of a backside surface of an n-type drift region. A p+-type isolation layer for obtaining reverse blocking capability is provided at the end of an element. In addition, a concave portion is provided so as to extend from the backside surface of the n-type drift region to the p+-type isolation layer. A p-type region is provided and is electrically connected to the p+-type isolation layer. The p+-type isolation layer is provided so as to include a cleavage plane having the boundary between the bottom and the side wall of the concave portion as one side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroki Wakimoto, Kenichi Iguchi, Koh Yoshikawa, Tsunehiro Nakajima, Shunsuke Tanaka, Masaaki Ogino
  • Patent number: 8946867
    Abstract: A semiconductor component includes a two-sided semiconductor body, an inner zone with a basic doping of a first conduction type, and two semiconductor zones. The first zone, disposed between the first side and inner zone, is of the first conduction type with a doping concentration higher than that of the inner zone. The second zone, disposed between the second side and inner zone, is of a second conduction type complementary to the first type with a doping concentration higher than that of the inner zone. At least one first edge chamfer extends at a first angle to the extension plane of the transition from the second zone to the inner zone at least along the edge of the second zone and inner zone. At least one buried zone of the second conduction type is provided between the first zone and inner zone, and extends substantially parallel to the first zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Bipolar GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Reiner Barthelmess, Hans-Joachim Schulze, Uwe Kellner-Werdehausen, Josef Lutz, Thomas Basler
  • Patent number: 8933483
    Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor device capable of reducing a temperature-dependent variation of a current sense ratio and accurately detecting current In the semiconductor device, at least one of an impurity concentration and a thickness of each semiconductor layer is adjusted such that a value calculated by a following equation is less than a predetermined value: [ ? i = 1 n ? ( R Mi × k Mi ) - ? i = 1 n ? ( R Si × k Si ) ] / ? i = 1 n ? ( R Mi × k Mi ) where a temperature-dependent resistance changing rate of an i-th semiconductor layer (i=1 to n) of the main element domain is RMi; a resistance ratio of the i-th semiconductor layer of the main element domain relative to the entire main element domain is kMi; a temperature-dependent resistance changing rate of the i-th semiconductor layer of the sense element domain is RSi; and a resistance ratio of the i-th semiconductor layer of the sense element domain to the entire sense element domain is kSi.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidefumi Takaya, Kimimori Hamada, Yuji Nishibe
  • Patent number: 8847278
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an active section for a main current flow and a breakdown withstanding section for breakdown voltage. An external peripheral portion surrounds the active section on one major surface of an n-type semiconductor substrate. The breakdown withstanding section has a ring-shaped semiconductor protrusion, with a rectangular planar pattern including a curved section in each of four corners thereof, as a guard ring. The ring-shaped semiconductor protrusion has a p-type region therein, is sandwiched between a plurality of concavities deeper than the p-type region, and has an electrically conductive film across an insulator film on the surface thereof. Because of this, it is possible to manufacture at low cost a breakdown withstanding structure with which a high breakdown voltage is obtained in a narrow width, wherein there is little drop in breakdown voltage, even when there are variations in a patterning process of a field oxide film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Manabu Takei, Yusuke Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 8836131
    Abstract: A semiconductor module is disclosed, including a substrate and at least one semiconductor component in bottom contact with the substrate. The semiconductor component including a main current branch sandwiched between the bottom and top of the semiconductor component. The side edges of a barrier layer zone coincide with the side edge portions of the semiconductor component between the top and the bottom. The space above the substrate and to the side of the semiconductor component is packed with an insulating compound at least up to the level of the top of the semiconductor component. Topping the semiconductor component and parallel thereto is a patterned or unpatterned metallization connected to a contact pad on the top of the semiconductor component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Peter Kanschat, Indrajit Paul
  • Patent number: 8803192
    Abstract: An exemplary bipolar non-punch-through power semiconductor device includes a semiconductor wafer and a first electrical contact on a first main side and a second electrical contact on a second main side. The wafer has an inner region with a wafer thickness and a termination region that surrounds the inner region, such that the wafer thickness is reduced at least on the first main side with a negative bevel. The semiconductor wafer has at least a two-layer structure with layers of different conductivity types, which can include a drift layer of a first conductivity type, a first layer of a second conductivity type at a first layer depth and directly connected to the drift layer on the first main side and contacting the first electrical contact, and a second layer of the second conductivity type arranged in the termination region on the first main side up to a second layer depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: ABB Technology AG
    Inventors: Jan Vobecky, Munaf Rahimo
  • Patent number: 8723219
    Abstract: Technology of making freestanding gallium nitride (GaN) wafers has been matured at length. Gallium nitride is rigid but fragile. Chamfering of a periphery of a GaN wafer is difficult. At present edges are chamfered by a rotary whetstone of gross granules with weak pressure. Minimum roughness of the chamfered edges is still about Ra 10 ?m to Ra 6 ?m. The large edge roughness causes scratches, cracks, splits or breaks in transferring process or wafer process. A wafer of the present invention is bevelled by fixing the wafer to a chuck of a rotor, bringing an edge of the wafer into contact with an elastic whetting material having a soft matrix and granules implanted on the soft matrix, rotating the wafer and feeding the whetting material. Favorably, several times of chamfering edges by changing the whetting materials of smaller granules are given to the wafer. The chamfering can realize small roughness of Ra10 nm and Ra5 ?m at edges of wafers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Nakayama, Masato Irikura
  • Patent number: 8669166
    Abstract: One illustrative method disclosed herein includes forming a plurality of die above a crystalline semiconducting substrate, irradiating and cooling an edge region of the substrate to form an amorphous region in the edge region of the substrate and, after forming the amorphous region, performing at least one process operation to reduce the thickness of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc.
    Inventors: Rahul Agarwal, Ramakanth Alapati, Jon Greenwood
  • Patent number: 8587023
    Abstract: A guard ring system is disclosed for protecting an integrated circuit comprising. It has a first guard ring area formed by a well in the substrate, a capacitor area formed within the first guard ring area which further includes two well contacts formed into the well and biased by a first supply voltage, and a dielectric layer placed between the two contacts on the well with its first side in contact with the well. A second supply voltage complementary to the first supply voltage is applied to a second side of the dielectric layer so that a voltage difference across the dielectric layer provides a local capacitance embedded therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Cheng Hung Lee
  • Patent number: 8513703
    Abstract: The Si substrate of a group III-N HEMT is formed in layers that define a p-n junction which electrically isolates an upper region of the Si substrate from a lower region of the Si substrate. As a result, the upper region of the Si substrate can electrically float, thereby obtaining a full buffer breakdown voltage, while the lower region of the Si substrate can be attached to a package by way of a conductive epoxy, thereby significantly improving the thermal conductivity of the group III-N HEMT and minimizing undesirable floating-voltage regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Sandeep Bahl, Constantin Bulucea
  • Patent number: 8482032
    Abstract: Technology of making freestanding gallium nitride (GaN) wafers has been matured at length. Gallium nitride is rigid but fragile. Chamfering of a periphery of a GaN wafer is difficult. At present edges are chamfered by a rotary whetstone of gross granules with weak pressure. Minimum roughness of the chamfered edges is still about Ra 10 ?m to Ra 6 ?m. The large edge roughness causes scratches, cracks, splits or breaks in transferring process or wafer process. A wafer of the present invention is bevelled by fixing the wafer to a chuck of a rotor, bringing an edge of the wafer into contact with an elastic whetting material having a soft matrix and granules implanted on the soft matrix, rotating the wafer and feeding the whetting material. Favorably, several times of chamfering edges by changing the whetting materials of smaller granules are given to the wafer. The chamfering can realize small roughness of Ra 10 nm and Ra 5 ?m at edges of wafers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Nakayama, Masato Irikura
  • Patent number: 8466492
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor body including a first surface, an inner region and an edge region, a first doped device region of a first doping type in the inner region and the edge region, a second device region forming a device junction in the inner region with the first device region, and a plurality of at least two dielectric regions extending from the first surface into the semiconductor body. Two dielectric regions that are adjacent in a lateral direction of the semiconductor body are separated by a semiconductor mesa region. The semiconductor device further includes a resistive layer connected to the second device region and connected to at least one semiconductor mesa region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Anton Mauder, Hans-Joachim Schulze, Franz Hirler
  • Patent number: 8350366
    Abstract: A power semiconductor component having a pn junction, a body with a first basic conductivity, a well-like region with a second conductivity which is arranged horizontally centrally in the body, has a first two-level doping profile and has a first penetration depth from the first main surface into the body. In addition, this power semiconductor component has an edge structure which is arranged between the well-like region and the edge of the power semiconductor component and which comprises a plurality of field rings with a single-level doping profile, a second conductivity and a second penetration depth, wherein the first penetration depth is no more than about 50% of the second penetration depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Semikron Elektronik GmbH & Co., KG
    Inventor: Bernhard Koenig
  • Patent number: 8120059
    Abstract: A nitride semiconductor substrate includes a front surface, a rear surface on an opposite side to the front surface, and a first edge portion including a chamfered edge on the front surface. A ratio of an average surface roughness of the front surface to an average surface roughness of the first edge portion is not more than 0.01.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Cable, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazutoshi Watanabe, Takehiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8093676
    Abstract: A semiconductor component includes a semiconductor body having a first side, a second side, an edge delimiting the semiconductor body in a lateral direction, an inner region and an edge region. A first semiconductor zone of a first conduction type is arranged in the inner region and in the edge region. A second semiconductor zone of a second conduction type is arranged in the inner region and adjacent to the first semiconductor zone. A trench is arranged in the edge region and has first and second sidewalls and a bottom, and extends into the semiconductor body. A doped first sidewall zone of the second conduction type is adjacent to the first sidewall of the trench. A doped second sidewall zone of the second conduction type is adjacent to the second sidewall of the trench. A doped bottom zone of the second conduction type is adjacent to the bottom of the trench. Doping concentrations of the sidewall zones are lower than a doping concentration of the bottom zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventor: Gerhard Schmidt
  • Patent number: 8022438
    Abstract: Technology of making freestanding gallium nitride (GaN) wafers has been matured at length. Gallium nitride is rigid but fragile. Chamfering of a periphery of a GaN wafer is difficult. At present edges are chamfered by a rotary whetstone of gross granules with weak pressure. Minimum roughness of the chamfered edges is still about Ra 10 ?m to Ra 6 ?m. The large edge roughness causes scratches, cracks, splits or breaks in transferring process or wafer process. A wafer of the present invention is bevelled by fixing the wafer to a chuck of a rotor, bringing an edge of the wafer into contact with an elastic whetting material having a soft matrix and granules implanted on the soft matrix, rotating the wafer and feeding the whetting material. Favorably, several times of chamfering edges by changing the whetting materials of smaller granules are given to the wafer. The chamfering can realize small roughness of Ra 10 nm and Ra 5 ?m at edges of wafers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Nakayama, Masato Irikura
  • Patent number: 7939905
    Abstract: According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electrostatic breakdown protection method protects a semiconductor device from a surge current impressed between a first terminal and a second terminal, the semiconductor device including: a diode impressing a forward-bias current from the first terminal to the second terminal; and a bipolar transistor impressing a current in a direction from the second terminal to the first terminal under an ON state, a continuity between a collector terminal and an emitter terminal of the bipolar transistor being attained before a potential difference between the first terminal and the second terminal reaches such a level that the diode is broken down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Takayuki Nagai
  • Patent number: 7880260
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an active region with a vertical drift path of a first conduction type and with a near-surface lateral well of a second, complementary conduction type. In addition, the semiconductor device has an edge region surrounding the active region. This edge region has a variable lateral doping material zone of the second conduction type, which adjoins the well. A transition region in which the concentration of doping material gradually decreases from the concentration of the well to the concentration at the start of the variable lateral doping material zone is located between the lateral well and the variable lateral doping material zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Infineon Technology Austria AG
    Inventors: Elmar Falck, Josef Bauer, Gerhard Schmidt
  • Patent number: 7859076
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has active region (30) and edge termination region (32) which includes a plurality of floating field regions (46). Field plates (54) extend in the edge termination region (32) inwards from contact holes (56) towards the active region (30) over a plurality of floating field regions (46). Pillars (40) may be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Rob Van Dalen, Maarten J. Swanenberg
  • Publication number: 20100314681
    Abstract: A structure of power semiconductor device integrated with clamp diodes sharing same gate metal pad is disclosed. This improved structure can prevent the degradation of breakdown voltage due to electric field in termination region blocked by polysilicon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: FORCE MOS TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Fu-Yuan Hsieh
  • Patent number: 7772677
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has a semiconductor substrate including an n-type high impurity concentration layer inhibiting a depletion layer from spreading, an n-type low impurity concentration drift layer, and a p-type high impurity concentration layer forming a p-n main junction between the drift layer. In the active region, an effective current flows in the direction of the thickness of the substrate. The device has an inclined trench that cuts the p-n main junction at a positive bevel angle from the semiconductor substrate surface on the side of the n-type high impurity concentration layer to penetrate through the substrate for separating it into chips. In the device, along the sidewall of the inclined trench in the n-type drift layer, an n-type surface region is formed with an impurity concentration lower than that in the n-type drift layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koh Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 7700970
    Abstract: An integrated power device includes a semiconductor body of a first conductivity type comprising a first region accommodating a start-up structure, and a second region accommodating a power structure. The two structures are separated from one another by an edge structure and are arranged in a mirror configuration with respect to a symmetry line of the edge structure. Both the start-up structure and the power structure are obtained using MOSFET devices. Both MOSFET devices are multi-drain MOSFET devices, having mesh regions, source regions and gate regions separated from one another. In addition, both MOSFET devices have drain regions delimited by columns that repeat periodically at a fixed distance. Between the two MOSFET devices there is an electrical insulation of at least 25 V.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.r.l., STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventors: Mario Giuseppe Saggio, Antonino Longo Minnolo, Rosalia Germana'
  • Patent number: 7675088
    Abstract: A thin film transistor array substrate and the manufacturing method thereof are disclosed herein. A first patterned metal layer, an insulating layer, a patterned layer, and a second patterned metal layer are sequentially formed on a substrate. Then, a number of scan lines and a number of source lines are disposed on the substrate and define a number of pixel regions. A number of the storage capacitance lines are disposed on the substrate in a direction extending along the scan lines and across the pixel regions, wherein each of the storage capacitance lines is essentially perpendicular to each of the source lines and to form a cross portion. A number of patterned thin films are disposed on the storage capacitance lines and above the cross portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun-Yao Huang, Kuang-Cheng Fu, Jen-Chieh Lin, Chin-Lung Yeh
  • Patent number: 7645689
    Abstract: A gallium nitride-based light emitting device, and a method for manufacturing the same are disclosed. The light emitting device comprises an n-type GaN-based clad layer, an active layer, a p-type GaN-based clad layer and a p-side electrode sequentially stacked on a substrate. The device further comprises an n-side electrode formed on one region of the n-type GaN-based clad layer, and two or more MIM type tunnel junctions formed on the other regions of the n-type GaN-based clad layer. Each of the MIM type tunnel junctions comprises a lower metal layer formed on the GaN-based clad layer so as to contact the n-type GaN-based clad layer, an insulating film formed on the lower metal layer, and an upper metal layer formed on the insulating film. The device is protected from reverse ESD voltage, so that tolerance to reverse ESD voltage can be enhanced, thereby improving reliability of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Ho Seo, Suk Kil Yoon, Seung Wan Chae
  • Patent number: 7550780
    Abstract: Technology of making freestanding gallium nitride (GaN) wafers has been matured at length. Gallium nitride is rigid but fragile. Chamfering of a periphery of a GaN wafer is difficult. At present edges are chamfered by a rotary whetstone of gross granules with weak pressure. Minimum roughness of the chamfered edges is still about Ra 10 ?m to Ra 6 ?m. The large edge roughness causes scratches, cracks, splits or breaks in transferring process or wafer process. A wafer of the present invention is bevelled by fixing the wafer to a chuck of a rotor, bringing an edge of the wafer into contact with an elastic whetting material having a soft matrix and granules implanted on the soft matrix, rotating the wafer and feeding the whetting material. Favorably, several times of chamfering edges by changing the whetting materials of smaller granules are given to the wafer. The chamfering can realize small roughness of Ra 10 nm and Ra 5 ?m at edges of wafers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Nakayama, Masato Irikura
  • Patent number: 7525178
    Abstract: A termination region of a semiconductor die is provided, which includes one or more field rings arranged in the termination region, one or more metal field plates, and an insulation layer disposed to prevent direct electrical contact between the field rings and the field plate such that the at least one field ring is capacitively coupled with the at least one field plate. Such a termination region may also include a polysilicon plate capacitively coupled with a diffusion region laterally spaced from the field rings, the polysilicon plate being located at an outer surface or directly under a passivation layer at an outer surface of the die. The termination region may also include floating field rings. The insulation layer may be a field oxide layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: International Rectifier Corporation
    Inventor: Lawrence Kulinsky
  • Patent number: 7462888
    Abstract: The temperature of a bipolar semiconductor element using a wide-gap semiconductor is raised using heating means, such as a heater, to obtain a power semiconductor device being large in controllable current and low in loss. The temperature is set at a temperature higher than the temperature at which the decrement of the steady loss of the wide-gap bipolar semiconductor element corresponding to the decrement of the built-in voltage lowering depending on the temperature rising of the wide-gap bipolar semiconductor element is larger than the increment of the steady loss corresponding to the increment of the ON resistance increasing depending on the temperature rising.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sugawara
  • Patent number: 7291899
    Abstract: A semiconductor component suitable for use as a power semiconductor component and method of making a semiconductor component is disclosed. In one embodiment, the semiconductor component includes a semiconductor body having a first surface, a second surface, a third surface, a first conduction type region and a second conduction type region adjoining the first conduction type region at the third surface. A trench extending from the first surface into the semiconductor body, the trench defined by a trench bottom and an arcuately shaped sidewall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Elmar Falck, Anton Mauder
  • Patent number: 7288828
    Abstract: A metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor device is provided. The MOS transistor device includes a substrate, a gate structure, a spacer, a source/drain region and a barrier layer. The gate structure is disposed on the substrate. The gate structure includes a gate and a gate dielectric layer disposed between the gate and the substrate. The spacer is disposed on the sidewall of the gate structure. The source/drain region is disposed in the substrate on two sides of the spacer. The barrier layer is disposed around the source/drain region. The source/drain region and the barrier layer are fabricated using an identical material. However, the doping concentration of the source/drain region is larger than the doping concentration of the barrier layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Huan-Shun Lin, Chen-Hua Tsai, Wei-Tsun Shiau, Hsien-Liang Meng, Hung-Lin Shih
  • Patent number: 7154129
    Abstract: A semiconductor system (200), particularly a diode, having a p-n junction is proposed, that is formed as a chip having an edge area, which includes a first layer (2) of a first conductivity type and a second layer (1, 3) of a second conductivity type; the second layer (1, 3) including at least two sublayers (1, 3); both sublayers (1, 3) forming a p-n junction with the first layer (2); the p-n junction of the first layer (2) with the first sublayer (3) being provided exclusively in the interior of the chip, and the p-n junction between the first layer (2) and the second sublayer (1) being provided in the edge area of the chip; for each cross-section of the chip area parallel to the chip plane, the first sublayer (3) corresponding only to a part of such a cross-section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Alfred Goerlach
  • Patent number: 6967356
    Abstract: The invention concerns a vertical component with a four-layered structure comprising a thick lightly-doped zone (1) of a first type of conductivity providing the component voltage strength, enclosed with a peripheral wall (2) of a second type of conductivity extending vertically from one surface to the other of the component, and highly doped layer (3) of the second type of conductivity extending over the entire rear surface of the component. A lightly-doped layer (21) of the second type of conductivity extends over the entire surface of the component at the interface between the lightly-doped thick zone of the first type of conductivity and the highly-doped layer of the second type of conductivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.A.
    Inventor: Gérard Auriel
  • Patent number: 6727527
    Abstract: A power device includes a semiconductor substrate of first conductivity type. The semiconductor substrate includes a front-side surface, a backside surface, and a scribe region. The substrate has a first well of second conductivity type whereon an active cell is defined. The first well has a first impurity type of a first mobility. A continuous diffusion region of second conductivity type extends from the front-side surface to the backside surface. The continuous diffusion region includes a second impurity type of a second mobility that has been diffused vertically into the substrate from a selected location of the backside surface. The second mobility is higher than the first mobility. A lower portion of the continuous diffusion region corresponds to the selected location of the continuous diffusion region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: IXYS Corporation
    Inventor: Nathan Zommer
  • Patent number: 6696705
    Abstract: A power semiconductor component having a mesa edge termination is described. The component has a semiconductor body with first and second surfaces. An inner zone of a first conductivity type is disposed in the semiconductor body. A first zone is disposed in the semiconductor body and is connected to the inner zone. An edge area outside of the first zone has areas etched out. A second zone of a second conductivity type is disposed in the semiconductor body and is connected to the inner zone, and a boundary area between the second zone and the inner zone defines a pn junction. A field stop zone is adjacent the first surface in the edge area. The field stop zone is formed of the first conductivity type and is embedded in the semiconductor body, and the field stop zone is connected to the first zone and to the inner zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Eupec Europaeische Gesellschaft fuer Leistungshalbleiter mbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Reiner Barthelmess, Gerhard Schmidt
  • Patent number: 6649960
    Abstract: An MRAM cell includes a bottom electrode layer, a magnetic reference layer, an insulating layer, a synthetic free layer, and a top electrode layer. The synthetic free layer includes a first magnetic layer, a ruthenium anti-ferromagnetic coupling layer, and a second magnetic layer. The magnetic reference layer and the first and second magnetic layers are fabricated using magnetic materials such as CoFeB, CoFe, or a bilayer of NiFe and CoFe. The first magnetic layer of the synthetic free layer is made thicker than the second magnetic layer of the synthetic free layer for proper operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventor: Ralph William Cross
  • Patent number: 6600213
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure with greatly reduced backside chipping and cracking, as well as increased die strength, accommodation of compact assembly with a carrier such as another semiconductor chip, and resistance to package damage is provided by dicing chips from a wafer in a manner that chamfers edges of the chips. Similar advantages are obtained in multi-chip structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Donald W. Brouillette, Robert F. Cook, Thomas G. Ference, Wayne J. Howell, Eric G. Liniger, Ronald L. Mendelson
  • Publication number: 20020195609
    Abstract: A semiconductor light emitting device is disclosed in which a semiconductor multilayer structure including a light emitting layer is formed on a substrate and light is output from the opposite surface of the semiconductor multilayer structure from the substrate. The light output surface is formed with a large number of protrusions in the form of cones or pyramids. To increase the light output efficiency, the angle between the side of each protrusion and the light output surface is set to between 30 and 70 degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2002
    Publication date: December 26, 2002
    Inventors: Shunji Yoshitake, Hideki Sekiguchi, Atsuko Yamashita, Kazuhiro Takimoto, Koichi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6459102
    Abstract: A peripheral structure for a monolithic power device, preferably planar, includes front and rear surfaces, connected respectively to a cathode and an anode, two junctions respectively reverse-biased and forward-biased when a direct and adjacent voltage is respectively applied to the two surfaces and at least an insulating box connecting the front and rear surfaces. The structure is such that when a direct voltage or a reverse voltage is applied, generating equipotential voltage lines, the insulating box enables to distribute the equipotential lines in the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
    Inventors: Patrick Austin, Jean-Louis Sanchez, Olivier Causse, Marie Breil, Jean-Pierre Laur, Jean Jalade
  • Publication number: 20020024052
    Abstract: A substrate has first and second edges disposed in parallel and a principal surface connecting the first and second edges. An active layer is formed on the principal surface. A ridge-like region is disposed on the active layer along a path interconnecting a point on the first edge and a point on the second edge. The ridge-like region is made of semiconductor material having a refraction index smaller than a refraction index of the active layer, and defines a waveguide. The path is disposed along the principal surface and includes a first region on the side of the first edge and a second region on the side of the second edge. A first angle is taken between a normal to the first edge directing toward the principal surface and the first region. A second angle smaller than the first angle is taken between a normal to the second edge directing toward the principal surface and the second region. Electrodes inject current in a region of the active layer along the path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2001
    Publication date: February 28, 2002
    Applicant: Stanley Electric Co., Ltd
    Inventors: J. H. Liang, Yoshihiro Ogawa, Ken Sasakura, Tsuyoshi Maruyama
  • Patent number: 6054727
    Abstract: A power semiconductor component includes a semiconductor body having a beed peripheral surface, a cathode electrode and an anode electrode. A materially joined connection between at least the anode electrode and the semiconductor body is not produced by alloying. The anode electrode has a diameter being greater than the cathode electrode and smaller than the semiconductor body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Assignee: Eupec Europaische Gesellschaft fuer Leistungshalbleiter mbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Peter Voss
  • Patent number: 6020603
    Abstract: A high voltage semiconductor device such as a gate turn-off thyristor, reduces surface field concentration of a main P-N junction part and attains withstand voltage increase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Futoshi Tokunoh, Yasuo Tanaka, Tokumitsu Sakamoto, Nobuhisa Nakasima
  • Patent number: 5773874
    Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises a monocrystalline silicon wafer having a major surface lying in the <100> crystal plane. Disposed on the surface is a mesa having a generally square cross-section with generally rounded corners. The mesa has four main side walls each having a slope of around 45 degrees with respect to the base plane of the mesa, and the horizontal edges of the main side walls are disposed at an angle of at least around 12 degrees to the <110> directions on the wafer surface. The corners of the mesa each comprises a number of surfaces also having slopes of around 45 degrees and one surface having a slope of around 54 degrees. A high-low (N.sup.+ N.sup.- or P.sup.+ P.sup.-) junction is disposed within the mesa and makes a continuous line intercept with the mesa side walls around the entire periphery of the mesa. Except for exceptionally small deviations of no great significance, the high low junction intercept is at a constant height location entirely around the mesa periphery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventor: Willem Gerard Einthoven
  • Patent number: 5710442
    Abstract: A semiconductor device sets an impurity density of a p base layer in a bevel end-face region to a density lower than that in an operating region and has a parasitic channel preventive region provided between the bevel end-face region and the operating region. Since the blocking-voltage and the current-carrying capacity can be adjusted independently from each other, the blocking voltage and the current-carrying capacity can be both improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1998
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsuo Watanabe, Katsuaki Saito
  • Patent number: 5587594
    Abstract: To provide thermal relief, particularly of the edge of disk-shaped gate-turn-off GTO thyristors (GTO) as are used in converters in power electronics, at least one cooling segment which is isolated from a GTO cathode metallization of the GTO thyristor segment (GTO) by a gate electrode metallization of a gate electrode is arranged on the edge and laterally adjacent to the GTO thyristor segment (GTO). An insulation layer is provided between a cooling segment metallization and the gate electrode metallization. Cooling segments in an lo outer annular zone can be alternately arranged with GTO thyristor segments (GTO) or offset towards the outside in the radial direction or perpendicular direction thereto. Instead of cooling segments, a p.sup.+ -type GTO emitter layer of the GTO thyristor segments (GTO) can be shortened at the edge in the outer annular zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Assignee: ABB Management AG
    Inventors: Andre Jaecklin, Ezatollah Ramezani, Peter Roggwiller, Andreas Ruegg, Thomas Stockmeier, Peter Streit, Jurg Waldmeyer
  • Patent number: 5475243
    Abstract: An insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is connected in reverse-parallel with a current-regenerative diode which, for economy of manufacture, is integrated with the IGBT. Such a diode may extend laterally on an IGBT chip, with two conductivity regions forming the diode respectively connected to emitter and collector electrodes of the IGBT. Alternatively, the diode may be formed by short-circuiting a buffer layer and a collector layer. By such integration, greater device packing density can be realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 12, 1995
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ryu Saito
  • Patent number: 5284780
    Abstract: For increasing the electric strength of a semiconductor component that comprises a sequence of semiconductor layers of alternating conductivity type and which is adapted to be charged with a voltage that biases at least one of the p-n junctions that separate the layers from one another in the non-conducting direction, the carrier life is reduced only in the lateral region of the edge termination of this p-n junction. The carrier life is reduced by irradiation with electrons or protons or by introducing atoms having recombination properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 8, 1994
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hans-Joachim Schulze, Heinz Mitlehner
  • Patent number: 5233209
    Abstract: An avalanche photodiode having a beryllium guard ring. The beryllium is implanted at a dosage of at least 5.times.10.sup.14 per cm.sup.2 and subsequently annealed to provide a guard ring profile with a p+core and a superlinearly graded tail. The doping profile of the guard ring immediately adjacent the core is superlogarithmic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1993
    Assignee: BT&D Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Paul M. Rodgers, Michael J. Robertson, Julie J. Rimington