With Multiple Separately Connected Emitter, Collector, Or Base Regions In Same Transistor Structure Patents (Class 257/563)
  • Patent number: 9954013
    Abstract: This invention aims at reducing the probability of short-circuiting between terminals in a display device in which an IC driver is connected by COG. Terminals for connection with the IC driver are formed in a terminal region of a TFT substrate (100). The terminals are each comprised of a terminal metal (60), a first through-bole formed in a first insulation film (107), a second through-hole formed in a second insulation film (109), a first ITO (20) formed in the first through-hole and being in contact with the terminal metal (60), and a second ITO (30) formed over the first ITO (20). The second ITO (30) is formed within an area where the second ITO is in contact with the first ITO but is not formed outside the second through-hole. This ensures that the distance between the ITOs of the adjacent terminals can be enlarged, whereby the probability of short-circuiting between the terminals can be lowered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: Japan Display Inc.
    Inventors: Tomonori Nishino, Syou Yanagisawa, Kentaro Agata, Nobuyuki Ishige
  • Patent number: 9147759
    Abstract: A semiconductor device disclosed herein is configured such that a well region including a well layer is disposed between a main region of a semiconductor substrate and a current sense region of the semiconductor substrate, that a well region electrode is disposed above the well region, and that the well layer and the well region electrode are in contact with each other through a contact hole formed in an interlayer insulating film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tatsuji Nagaoka
  • Patent number: 8796730
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a power semiconductor module including: a circuit board having gate, emitter, and collector patterns formed thereon; a first semiconductor chip mounted on the circuit board, having gate and emitter terminals each formed on one surface thereof, and having a collector terminal formed on the other surface thereof; a second semiconductor chip mounted on the first semiconductor chip, having a cathode terminal formed on one surface thereof, and having an anode terminal formed on the other surface thereof; a first conductive connection member having one end disposed between the collector terminal of the first semiconductor chip and the cathode terminal of the second semiconductor chip and the other end contacting the collector pattern of the circuit board; and a second conductive connection member having one end contacting the anode terminal of the second semiconductor chip and the other end contacting the emitter pattern of the circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young Ki Lee, Dong Soo Seo, Kwang Soo Kim, Young Hoon Kwak
  • Patent number: 8378456
    Abstract: An array of vertically constructed, electronic switches is disclosed having three, four or more contacts and having a common bottom contact and a plurality of common middle contacts. This switch array will find use in memory devices or display devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Contour Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Robert Shepard
  • Patent number: 8212291
    Abstract: Disclosed is a device structure using an inverse-mode cascoded Silicon-Germanium (SiGe) Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT) beneficial in applications requiring radiation hardened circuitry. The device comprises a forward-mode common-emitter HBT cascoded with a common-base inverse-mode HBT, sharing a common sub-collector. An exemplary device was measured to have over 20 dB of current gain, and over 30 dB of power gain at 10 GHz, thus demonstrating the use of these circuits for high-frequency circuit applications. In addition, the radiation response and voltage limits were characterized and showed to have negligible performance effects in typical operating conditions. Due to the unique topology, the disclosed device has the benefit of being a more compact cascode design and the additional benefit of providing significantly improved radiation tolerance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corporation
    Inventors: Tushar K. Thrivikraman, Aravind Appaswamy, John D. Cressler
  • Patent number: 7859082
    Abstract: Emitter and collector regions of the bipolar transistor are formed by doped regions of the same type of conductivity, which are separated by doped semiconductor material of an opposite type of conductivity, the separate doped regions being arranged at a surface of a semiconductor body and being in electric contact with electrically conductive material that is introduced into trenches at the surface of the semiconductor body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Matthias Stecher
  • Patent number: 7622790
    Abstract: A transistor assembly having a transistor includes a plurality of transistor regions, each of which has a vertical transistor structure having a collector semiconductor region, a base semiconductor region and an emitter semiconductor region, emitter contacting regions arranged above the transistor regions and base contacting regions connected to the base semiconductor regions via a polycrystalline semiconductor layer, wherein the polycrystalline semiconductor layer is structured such that the base contacting regions of transistor regions which are not part of the transistor are electrically isolated from base contacting regions of transistor regions which are part of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Jakob Huber
  • Patent number: 7605047
    Abstract: A method for the integration of two bipolar transistors in a semiconductor body, wherein, for the first bipolar transistor, a first emitter semiconductor region, a first base semiconductor region, and a first collector semiconductor region are produced. A recombination layer is applied to the first bipolar transistor, which is adjacent to the first emitter semiconductor region or the first collector semiconductor region and is constructed in such a way that charge carriers recombine on the recombination layer, and next, the second bipolar transistor is placed on the recombination layer, wherein a second emitter semiconductor region, a second base semiconductor region, and a second collector semiconductor region are produced on the recombination layer, so that the second emitter semiconductor region or the second collector semiconductor region is adjacent to the recombination layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Atmel Automotive GmbH
    Inventor: Christoph Bromberger
  • Patent number: 7576409
    Abstract: A wafer comprising at least one high Ft HBT and at least one high BVceo HBT having various collector profiles on a common III-V compound semiconductor based wafer. The N+ implant in the collector varies the collector profiles of individual HBTs on the wafer. The method for preparing the device comprises forming of HBT layers up to and including collector layer on non-silicon based substrate, performing ion implantation, annealing for implant activation, and forming remaining HBT layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Mary Chen, Marko Sokolich
  • Patent number: 7492031
    Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises a first base layer of a first conductive type which has a first surface and a second surface; a second base layer of a second conductive type which is formed on the first surface; first and second gate electrodes which are formed by embedding an electrically conductive material into a plurality of trenches via gate insulating films, the plurality of trenches being formed such that bottoms of the trenches reach the first base layer; source layers of the first conductive type which are formed on a surface area of the second base layer so as to be adjacent to both side walls of the trench provided with the first gate electrode and one side wall of the trench provided with the second gate electrode, respectively; an emitter layer of the second conductive type which is formed on the second surface; emitter electrodes which are formed on the second base layer and the source layers; a collector electrode which is formed on the emitter layer; and first and second terminals which are e
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Koichi Sugiyama, Tomoki Inoue, Hideaki Ninomiya, Masakazu Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7456487
    Abstract: This disclosure concerns a semiconductor device that includes a first base layer; second base layers provided on a part of a first surface of the first base layer; trenches formed on each side of the second base layers; an emitter layer formed on a surface of the second base layers; a collector layer provided below a second surface of the first base layer, an insulating film formed on an inner wall of the trench, the insulating film being thicker on a bottom of the trench than on a side surface of the trench; a gate electrode formed within the trench, and isolated by the insulating film; and a space section provided between the second base layers adjacent to each other, the space section being electrically isolated from the emitter layer and the second base layers, wherein the space section includes a semiconductor layer being deeper than the second base layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tsuneo Ogura, Masakazu Yamaguchi, Tomoki Inoue, Hideaki Ninomiya, Koichi Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 7414298
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process of forming a compact bipolar junction transistor (BJT) that includes forming a self-aligned collector tap adjacent the emitter stack and an isolation structure. A base layer is formed from epitaxial silicon that is disposed in the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Shahriar Ahmed, Mark Bohr, Stephen Chambers, Richard Green
  • Patent number: 7355263
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same includes an n?-single crystal silicon substrate, with an oxide film selectively formed thereon. On the oxide film, gate polysilicon is formed. The surface of the gate polysilicon is covered with a gate oxide film whose surface is covered with a cathode film doped in an n-type with an impurity concentration higher than that of the substrate as an n?-drift layer. In the cathode film, a section in contact with the substrate becomes an n+-buffer region with a high impurity concentration, next to which a p-base region is formed. Next to the p-base region, an n+-source region is formed. On the cathode film, an interlayer insulator film is selectively formed on which an emitter electrode is formed. A semiconductor device such as an IGBT is obtained with a high rate of acceptable products, an excellent on-voltage to turn-off loss tradeoff and an excellent on-voltage to breakdown voltage tradeoff.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Manabu Takei
  • Patent number: 7323763
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having an improved voltage control oscillator circuit is provided. The voltage control oscillator circuit includes, in combination, a variable-capacitance element and at least one bipolar transistor on a single semiconductor substrate. The variable-capacitance element includes reversely serially connected PN junctions, and junctions are formed by a single common collector layer and separated base layers on the common collector layer. The capacitance of the variable-capacitance element is generated between respective base layers of the PN junctions with the common collector layer, and varies in correspondence with the voltage applied to the common collector layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Suzuki, Takayuki Matsuzuka, Kenichiro Chomei
  • Patent number: 7262478
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same includes an n?-single crystal silicon substrate, with an oxide film selectively formed thereon. On the oxide film, gate polysilicon is formed. The surface of the gate polysilicon is covered with a gate oxide film whose surface is covered with a cathode film doped in an n-type with an impurity concentration higher than that of the substrate as an n?-drift layer. In the cathode film, a section in contact with the substrate becomes an n+-buffer region with a high impurity concentration, next to which a p-base region is formed. Next to the p-base region, an n+-source region is formed. On the cathode film, an interlayer insulator film is selectively formed on which an emitter electrode is formed. A semiconductor device such as an IGBT is obtained with a high rate of acceptable products, an excellent on-voltage to turn-off loss tradeoff and an excellent on-voltage to breakdown voltage tradeoff.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Manabu Takei
  • Patent number: 7239007
    Abstract: A modified bipolar transistor defined for providing a larger emitter current than a basic emitter current from a basic bipolar transistor is provided. The modified transistor has an improved emitter structure comprising plural divided sub-emitter regions electrically isolated and spatially separated from each other. The plural divided sub-emitter regions may typically have a uniform emitter size identical with a basic emitter size of the basic bipolar transistor. A set of the plural divided sub-emitter regions provides an intended emitter current distinctly larger than the basic emitter current by a highly accurate direct current amplification factor corresponding to an intended emitter-size magnification factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Masaru Ohki
  • Patent number: 7235860
    Abstract: A modified bipolar transistor defined for providing a larger emitter current than a basic emitter current from a basic bipolar transistor is provided. The modified transistor has an improved emitter structure comprising plural divided sub-emitter regions electrically isolated and spatially separated from each other. The plural divided sub-emitter regions may typically have a uniform emitter size identical with a basic emitter size of the basic bipolar transistor. A set of the plural divided sub-emitter regions provides an intended emitter current distinctly larger than the basic emitter current by a highly accurate direct current amplification factor corresponding to an intended emitter-size magnification factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Masaru Ohki
  • Patent number: 7067898
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure having a self-aligned base contact and an emitter, where the base contact is electrically isolated from the emitter by a dielectric layer. The separation between the base contact and the emitter is determined by the thickness of the dielectric layer and the width of the emitter is determined by the minimum resolution provided by the fabrication techniques and tools used to define features within the dielectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen Thomas, III, Yakov Royter
  • Patent number: 6906410
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a power supply semiconductor chip that has a plurality of current passing electrodes and a plurality of control electrodes. Conductive plates are disposed on the current electrodes and the control electrodes, and extend to regions for external connections. The conductive plates also includes connecting regions that are suspended between the chip and the external connection regions and suppers vibration propagating to the chip. One conductive plate unit for the current passing electrodes and another conductive plate unit for the control electrodes are separately soldered on the corresponding electrodes. Alternatively, only one unit may be soldered on the semiconductor chip, and portions of the unit may be removed to fabricate the device. Because of the absence of wire-bonding steps, the semiconductor chip does not receive impact of wire-bonding during the manufacturing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Aono, Kikuo Okada
  • Patent number: 6870242
    Abstract: A method including a buried layer formed on a semiconductor substrate, an active region formed adjacent to at least a portion of the buried layer, an isolation structure formed adjacent to at least a portion of the active region, and a gate oxide formed adjacent to at least a portion of the active region. The method also includes a polysilicon layer formed adjacent to at least a portion of the gate oxide having a portion removed to form a polysilicon definition structure that substantially surrounds and defines an emitter contact region. The method also includes forming a self-aligned implant region of the emitter contact region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Xiaoju Wu
  • Patent number: 6864538
    Abstract: An ESD protection device encompassing a vertical bipolar transistor that is connected as a diode and has an additional displaced base area. The assemblage has a space-saving configuration and a decreased difference between snapback voltage and breakdown voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Stephan Mettler, Wolfgang Wilkening
  • Patent number: 6858917
    Abstract: A metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) bandgap voltage reference circuit with a plurality of dummy bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) coupled to the mismatched parasitic substrate BJTs for improving parasitic capacitance matching, thereby improving startup behavior of the bandgap reference circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Paul David Ranucci
  • Patent number: 6798040
    Abstract: An IGBT structure includes successive regions whose conductivities have alternating signs. The structure is dimensioned for punch-through and is provided with two buffer layers. As a result, the component becomes symmetrically blocking and is suitable as a semiconductor switch, e.g., for converters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Daniel Reznik
  • Patent number: 6787856
    Abstract: An ESD device and method using parasitic bipolar transistors that are silicided. The first embodiment is a parasitic Bipolar Junction Transistor comprised of n+/n−/p−/n−/n+ regions. The emitter is formed of the second N+ region and the second N− well. The parasitic base is formed by the p− substrate or well. The collector is formed of the first well and the first n+ region. The benefit of the first embodiment is the trigger voltage is lower because the junction between the n− well (emitter) and P− substrate (base) and the junction between P− substrate (base) and the n-well have lower cross over concentrations. The second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment with the addition of the first gate. The first gate is preferably connected to the first n+ region and the Vpad. The third embodiment contains the same elements as the second embodiment with the addition of a third n+ region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Nano Silicon Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: David Hu, Jun Cai
  • Patent number: 6777781
    Abstract: The operating temperature range for a vertical PNP transistor can be extended by applying cancellation techniques. The vertical PNP generates a first leakage current from the base-collector region. Another vertical PNP transistor is configured to generate a second leakage current, which is coupled to a current-mirror circuit. The output of the current-mirror circuit is configured to provide a cancellation effect on the first leakage current. The current-mirror circuit and vertical PNP may be configured such that the first leakage current is cancelled in a judicious amount, whereby the effects of leakage current and flare-out in the vertical PNP transistor are minimized or cancelled. The cancellation technique is applicable to temperature sensor circuits, thermal voltage generators, and bandgap circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventor: Perry Scott Lorenz
  • Patent number: 6770953
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor is provided in which the product of base-collector capacitance and collector resistance can be reduced through a layout optimization, which leads to an improvement of the critical transistor parameters. The bipolar transistor has an emitter formed from a plurality of emitter elements, a plurality of base contacts and a plurality of collector contacts, these elements being provided in a specific arrangement with respect to one another for the formation of the transistor layout. The invention provides for the emitter to have at least one closed emitter configuration, the at least one emitter configuration bounding at least one emitter inner space, which can in turn be divided into a plurality of partial spaces. At least one of the base contacts is arranged in the emitter inner space, while at least one other base contact and the collector contacts are arranged outside the emitter configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Josef Boeck, Klaus Aufinger, Markus Zeiler
  • Patent number: 6703647
    Abstract: A high gain phototransistor uses lateral and vertical transistor structures and a triple base. The base regions of two vertical structures are in the bulk of a semiconductor substrate while the base of a single lateral structure is adjacent a light receiving phototransistor surface. Minority carrier generation extends from the base region of the lateral transistor to the base regions of the vertical transistors and is present in the vertical regions within a diffusion length of the optically generated carriers of the lateral base. The bases of all three transistor structures are electrically connected. The collector electrodes of one of the vertical structures and the lateral structure are electrically connected, while the emitter electrodes of the other of the vertical structures and the lateral structures are electrically connected. Finally, the remaining vertical collector and emitter electrodes are electrically connected via a buried layer adjacent the phototransistor wafer substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Graham A. Garcia, George P. Imthurn
  • Patent number: 6703685
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process of forming a compact bipolar junction transistor (BJT) that includes forming a self-aligned collector tap adjacent the emitter stack and an isolation structure. A base layer is formed from epitaxial silicon that is disposed in the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Shahriar Ahmed, Mark Bohr, Stephen Chambers, Richard Green
  • Patent number: 6674147
    Abstract: Formed on the surface of an n-type semiconductor layer (21) taken as a collector region is a base region (22) consisting of a p-type region, and formed in the p-type region is an emitter region (23) consisting of an n+-type region. Further, provided in the base region is a base electrode connecting portion (24) consisting of an n+-type region, and a base electrode (26) is connected to the surface of the base electrode connecting portion, and an emitter electrode (27) and a collector electrode (28) are provided and connected electrically to the emitter region and the collector region (21), respectively. As a result, a semiconductor device is obtained which has the transistor in which the reduction in power consumption with a high withstand voltage can be achieved, and the fast switching speed is possible and the large current is obtained. Further a voltage-drive type bipolar transistor such as a digital transistor is obtained which is small in load capacity while establishing a desired drive voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuhisa Sakamoto
  • Publication number: 20030006483
    Abstract: A MOSFET that includes short channel regions for a reduced RDSON, and narrowly spaced, relatively deep base regions for an improved breakdown voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2002
    Publication date: January 9, 2003
    Applicant: International Rectifier Corp.
    Inventors: Kyle Spring, Jianjun Cao
  • Patent number: 6504184
    Abstract: The present invention provides semiconductor devices having at least one silicon region in a silicon carbide wafer in which is fabricated a low voltage semiconductor device such as for example, MOSFET devices, BiCMOS devices, Bipolar devices, etc., and on the same chip, at least one silicon carbide region in which is fabricated a high voltage (i.e., >1000V) semiconductor device using techniques well known in the art, such as for example, LDMOSFET, UMOSFET, DMOSFET, IGBT, MESFET, and JFET devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventor: Dev Alok
  • Patent number: 6424006
    Abstract: A semiconductor component, such as a high-frequency integrated circuit, includes a semiconductor substrate with one or more transistors formed thereon. First, second and third electrode terminals are respectively associated with the gate or base terminal, the source or emitter terminal, and with the drain or collector terminal of the transistors. Each electrode terminal is formed with one or more finger sections and one contact area section electrically connected to the associated finger section. The area of the contact section is considerably enlarged as compared with the area of the individual finger section of the electrode terminal. At least one electrode terminal, whose contact area section is disposed on one side of the finger sections, has a further contact area section electrically connected to the associated finger section. The further contact area section is disposed on the opposite side relative to the finger sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Frederik Ponse
  • Patent number: 6323538
    Abstract: An n-type first single crystal silicon layer is provided as collector region over a silicon substrate with a first insulating film interposed therebetween. A p-type first polysilicon layer is provided as an extension of a base region over the first single crystal silicon layer with a second insulating film interposed therebetween. A p-type second single crystal silicon layer is provided as intrinsic base region on a side of the first single crystal silicon layer, second insulating film and first polysilicon layer. An n-type third single crystal silicon layer is provided as emitter region on a side of the second single crystal silicon layer. And an n-type third polysilicon layer is provided on the first insulating film as extension of an emitter region and is connected to a side of the third single crystal silicon layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Fukuda, Daisuke Ueda, Kaoru Inoue, Katsunori Nishii, Toshinobu Matsuno
  • Patent number: 6316827
    Abstract: A semiconductor device of the present invention includes ohmic source plate electrodes, gate plate electrodes, and drain plate electrodes in parallel from each other in a heat generating region various designs are used to more evenly distribute heat generated in the semiconductor device. A first example has gold-plate electrodes formed on the respective source and drain plate electrodes in parallel with the ohmic plate electrodes. The gold-plate electrode arranged at the central portion of the heat generating region plate electrodes has the widest width and gold-plate electrodes arranged toward the center portion to the peripheral portion of the heat generating region narrow gradually. By the structure mentioned above, the semiconductor device of the present invention has uniform temperature distribution in a heat generating region. A second example uses a plurality of stripe plates perpendicular to the ohmic plate electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Kazunori Asano, Kouji Ishikura
  • Patent number: 6303973
    Abstract: A power transistor comprising a collector region formed in a semiconductor substrate, a base region formed within the collector region, and a hoop-shaped emitter region formed within the base region. The hoop-shaped emitter region divides the base region into an external section and at least one internal section surrounded by the emitter region on the substrate surface, the external and internal base sections being connected within the substrate. A base contact is formed on the surface of each internal base section surrounded by the emitter region. By this design, the electric current is more uniform within the emitter region, and safe operating area (SOA) destruction can be prevented. The invention is also directed to semiconductor integrated circuit devices using the above power transistor, and a method of forming the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji Nakagawa, Seiichi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 6281530
    Abstract: A lateral PNP transistor (LPNP) (102) having the low resistance base buried N+ region (114) removed from below the emitter region (118). This leaves a high resistance n-well (116) below the emitter. The resistance from the center of the emitter region (118) to the N+ buried region (114) is greater than the resistance at the periphery of the emitter region (118) to the N+ buried region (114). Debiasing will occur in the center of the emitter region (118) where the parasitic base current is generated. Thus, the ratio of parasitic current to active collector current and peak beta will improve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: F. Scott Johnson
  • Patent number: 6245609
    Abstract: A new design for a high voltage bipolar transistor is disclosed. Instead of a buried subcollector (which would be N+ in an NPN device), a buried P+ layer is used. The presence of this P+ layer results in pinch-off between itself and the bipolar base. This allows much higher breakdown voltages to be achieved. In particular, the device will not break down at the bottom of the base-collector junction which is the weak spot for conventional devices. A process for manufacturing this device is described. A particular feature of this new process is that the N type epitaxial layer that is grown over the P+ layer is only about half the thickness of its counterpart in the conventional device. The process is fully compatible with conventional BiCMOS processes and has lower cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Jun-Lin Tsai, Ruey-Hsin Liu, Jei-Feng Hwang, Kuo-Chio Liu
  • Patent number: 6236072
    Abstract: A power transistor includes a plurality of emitter regions and a plurality of base contacts. In order to decrease base resistance, each of the plurality of emitter regions is adjacent to at least four base contacts. The entire transistor includes multiple emitter regions, e.g., greater than or equal to about 1,000 with no upper limit wherein the actual number of emitter regions is dependent on the desired current carrying capacity. The emitter regions are directly connected in parallel to the high current carrying metal layer of the transistor through vias or metal contact studs. The size of the emitter regions should be made as small as the process design rules will allow in order to allow an increase in the perimeter to area ratio of the emitter region which, for a given current, decreases the peak current density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Lars Tilly, Per-Olof Magnus Brandt
  • Patent number: 6225679
    Abstract: A structure for the protection of a high-voltage pad includes a lateral bipolar transistor, an N-type diffusion of which, connected to the pad to be protected, is made in an N-type tub with a zone that extends laterally outside the tub in the base. A P-type implantation is made on the entire substrate outside the N-type tub except in the region in which the zone extends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.A.
    Inventors: Richard Fournel, Fabrice Marinet
  • Patent number: 6198154
    Abstract: A lateral PNP bipolar electronic device integrated monolithically on a semiconductor substrate together with other NPN bipolar devices capable of being operated at high frequencies. The PNP device is incorporated to an electrically insulated multilayer structure which comprises a semiconductor substrate, doped for conductivity of the P-type, a first buried layer, doped for conductivity of the N-type to provide a base region, and a second layer, overlying the first and having conductivity of the N-type, to provide an active area distinguishable by a P-doped emitter region within the active area being located peripherally and oppositely from a P-doped collector region. The lateral PNP device can be operated at high frequencies with suitable collector current values and good amplification, to provide a superior figure of merit compared to that typical of conventional lateral PNP devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, S.r.l.
    Inventors: Angelo Pinto, Carlo Alemanni
  • Patent number: 6087675
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a contact window structure having an insulation layer extending over an electrically conductive region. The insulation layer further has a plurality of contact windows which are filled with electrically conductive layers so that the electrically conductive layers are made into contact with the electrically conductive region so as to allow a contact portion of a probe to contact with at least one of the electrically conductive layers within the contact windows, wherein adjacent two of the contact windows are distanced from each other by a distance which is substantially equal to or narrower than a diameter of the contact portion of the probe, whereby the contact portion of the probe is necessarily made into contact with at least any one of the electrically conductive layers within the contact windows. There is no possibility that the contact portion of the probe is not made into contact with any electrically conductive layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Takasuke Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 6060761
    Abstract: A lateral transistor includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type having a major surface; an emitter region of a second conductivity type in the semiconductor substrate on the major surface of the semiconductor substrate; a collector region of a second conductivity type in the semiconductor substrate on the major surface of the semiconductor substrate, spaced from and surrounding the emitter region, and including sides and corners; an electrically insulating layer on the major surface of the semiconductor substrate and including a first penetrating hole extending to the collector region except at a first of the corners and a second penetrating hole extending to the emitter region; a collector electrode contacting the collector region through the first penetrating hole and surrounding the emitter region except at the first corner; an emitter electrode at the same level as the collector electrode and contacting the emitter region through the second penetrating hole; and an emitter wiring laye
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha, Mitsubishi Electric Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keisuke Kawakita, Takahiro Yashita
  • Patent number: 6060346
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same that forms a self-aligned contact hole between two gate lines. A substrate is provided that has a first gate line formed thereon. An insulator is formed on the first gate line and substrate. Then a portion of the insulator and a portion of the first gate line is selectively removed to split the first gate line into a second gate line and a third gate line and to concurrently expose the substrate. Thus, producing a self-aligned contact hole between the second and third gate lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: LG Semicon Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae Sung Roh, Woun S Yang
  • Patent number: 5986324
    Abstract: A bipolar transistor having a pair of transistor cells formed on a single crystal substrate. Each one of the cells including a collector electrode, an elongated emitter electrode and a base electrode disposed over a first surface of the substrate. The base electrode is adapted to control a flow of carriers between the collector and emitter electrodes. An emitter pad is disposed over the first surface of the substrate. A pair of conductive, air-bridge members is provided. First ends of the bridge members are connected to the emitter pad and second ends of the bridge members are connected along a length of the elongated emitter electrode. The substrate has an emitter contact disposed on a second surface of the substrate. The emitter pad and the emitter contact are electrically connected by an electrically conductive via passing through the substrate between the first and second surfaces of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Michael G. Adlerstein, Mark P. Zaitlin, Kamal Tabatabaie-Alavi
  • Patent number: 5850099
    Abstract: Generally, and in one form of the invention, a method for fabricating a transistor having a plurality of active regions comprising spacing or shaping the emitters 20 and 22, or gates, in a non-uniform manner to provide a substantially constant temperature over an active region of the transistor is disclosed. An advantage of the invention is that the occurrence of a thermal runaway condition between transistor current and temperature is generally avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1998
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: William Uei-Chung Liu
  • Patent number: 5821148
    Abstract: The present invention implements a novel emitter scheme that maximizes the emitter perimeter to emitter area ratio of an integrated circuit transistor, thereby achieving improved low noise characteristics over the prior art. Emitter regions are disposed in the transistor in discrete "dotted " segments. The dotted emitter segments may be realized by etching into emitter regions defined by an appropriately formed photoresistive overlay, which can be modified without fabrication process changes. The effect is to reduce the total emitter area by half, while maintaining the total emitter perimeter unchanged. As a result, the noise-capacitance product of the transistor is reduced, improving the overall performance of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Assignee: VTC Inc.
    Inventors: John Leighton, John Shier
  • Patent number: 5773873
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having a differential amplifier circuit portion made of two multi-emitter bipolar transistors (BPT). Each multi-emitter BPT has the same number of a plurality of transistor elements each having an independent emitter electrode. Each transistor element of one multi-emitter BPT and a corresponding transistor element of the other multi-emitter BPT form a transistor element pair, with the emitter electrodes thereof being electrically connected. Each transistor element pair is electrically independent from other transistor element pairs, and the emitter electrodes of each transistor element pair are connected to an emitter current source independently from other emitter current sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Yasuhiko Kuriyama
  • Patent number: 5747837
    Abstract: A semiconductor device with an expanded range of a recommended condition for an input voltage is disclosed. In embodiment, the semiconductor device having input protection on an input terminal thereto, includes: a semiconductor region having a first conducting type, first and second diffusion regions defined in the semiconductor region and respectively having a second conducting type, and a transistor formed by using the semiconductor region as a base, the first diffusion region as a collector, and the second diffusion region as an emitter. The first diffusion region is connected to one of a high-potential power supply and a low-potential power supply, the second diffusion region is connected to the input terminal, and the semiconductor region is connected to another power supply having a voltage high enough to reverse bias the junction between the semiconductor region and the first diffusion region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Akihiro Iwase, Tomio Nakano, Teruo Seki
  • Patent number: 5736755
    Abstract: Disclosed are devices having emitters having resistive emitter diffusion sections are in a radial pattern. Such devices include vertical PNP power devices. The radial pattern of holes defines resistive emitter diffusion sections between adjacent holes. The resistive emitter diffusion sections result in a lower emitter ballast resistance due to the higher emitter sheet resistance of PNP devices. This allows all the periphery of the emitter to be active, not just two sides. The device has improved emitter ballast resistance while at the same time remaining efficient with low saturation resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1998
    Assignee: Delco Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: John Rothgeb Fruth, John Kevin Kaszyca, Mark Wendell Gose
  • Patent number: 5723897
    Abstract: The present invention implements a novel emitter scheme that maximizes the emitter perimeter to emitter area ratio of an integrated circuit transistor, thereby achieving improved low noise characteristics over the prior art. Emitter regions are disposed in the transistor in discrete "dotted" segments. The dotted emitter segments may be realized by etching into emitter regions defined by an appropriately formed photoresistive overlay, which can be modified without fabrication process changes. The effect is to reduce the total emitter area by half, while maintaining the total emitter perimeter unchanged. As a result, the noise-capacitance product of the transistor is reduced, improving the overall performance of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: VTC Inc.
    Inventors: John Leighton, John Shier