System power monitor
Granted: April 6, 2021
Patent Number:
10969848
A system power monitor circuit and method implemented in a system including multiple power supplies measures and scales the power supply output current value at each power supply as a ratio of the power supply output voltage and a reference voltage. Scaled power supply output current values are combined to provide a single system current signal that is referenced to the same reference voltage value being the system voltage signal. The system power is determined from the system current…
Fast transient response in DC-to-DC converters
Granted: March 23, 2021
Patent Number:
10958170
A computer program product and DC-to-DC converter comprising, an electronic switching device, an inductor coupled to the electronic switching device, a capacitor coupled to the inductor wherein the inductor and capacitor are chosen such that the resistance of the load line is greater than a gain minus the equivalent series resistance. A transient controller is communicatively coupled to the electronic switching device, wherein the transient controller has adaptive voltage positioning and…
Voltage regulator with piecewise linear loadlines
Granted: March 16, 2021
Patent Number:
10948934
Apparatus and associated methods relate to providing a piecewise loadline having a number of segments with different slopes and selecting a segment of the piecewise loadline based on an output current of a power supply. In an illustrative example, the piecewise loadline may include a segment that has a negative slope. When the output current is less than a predetermined threshold, the segment with the negative slope may be selected to improve power efficiency. In some embodiments, the…
Low capacitance bidirectional transient voltage suppressor
Granted: March 2, 2021
Patent Number:
10937780
A bidirectional transient voltage suppressor (TVS) circuit for data pins of electronic devices includes two sets of steering diodes and a diode triggered clamp device in some embodiment. In other embodiments, a bidirectional transient voltage suppressor (TVS) circuit for data pins of electronic devices includes two sets of steering diodes with a clamp device merged with a steering diode in each set. The TVS circuit is constructed to realize low capacitance at the protected nodes and…
Combined IGBT and superjunction MOSFET device with tuned switching speed
Granted: February 23, 2021
Patent Number:
10931276
An apparatus comprising an insulated gate bipolar transistor; and a super-junction metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor wherein the insulated gate bipolar transistor wherein the super-junction metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor are structurally coupled and wherein the super-junction metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor is configured to switch to an ‘on’ state from an ‘off’ state and an ‘off’ state from an ‘on’ state.
Switching regulator controller dynamic output voltage adjustment
Granted: February 16, 2021
Patent Number:
10924014
A controller for a switching regulator includes an error amplifier configured to receive a feedback voltage indicative of the regulated output voltage and a reference voltage, and to generate an error signal indicative of the difference between the feedback voltage and the reference voltage; a loop calculator configured to generate an output signal in response to the error signal, the output signal being used by the switching regulator to generate the regulated output voltage having a…
Voltage-controlled oscillator for current mode hysteretic modulator
Granted: February 16, 2021
Patent Number:
10924013
A voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) generates a clock signal in response to an input feedback signal by applying tuning to a control loop error signal related to the input feedback signal and generating the clock signal using a voltage ramp signal that is ground referenced. The VCO includes an input tuning circuit applying tuning to a difference signal to generate a tuned voltage signal, a comparator to compare the tuned voltage signal to the ground-based ramp signal, an one-shot…
Device structure and manufacturing method using HDP deposited source-body implant block
Granted: January 19, 2021
Patent Number:
10896968
This invention discloses a semiconductor power device. The trenched semiconductor power device includes a trenched gate, opened from a top surface of a semiconductor substrate, surrounded by a source region encompassed in a body region near the top surface above a drain region disposed on a bottom surface of a substrate. The semiconductor power device further includes an implanting-ion block disposed above the top surface on a mesa area next to the body region having a thickness…
System and method for extending the maximum duty cycle of a step-down switching converter without maximum duty control
Granted: November 10, 2020
Patent Number:
10833586
The invention proposes a system and method for extending the maximum duty cycle of a step-down switching converter to nearly 100% while maintaining a constant switching frequency. The system includes a voltage mode or current mode step-down converter driven by a leading edge blanking (LEB) signal, which operates at the desired switching frequency. More particularly, the LEB signal is connected to a slope generator and/or a current sensing network. In each switching cycle, the LEB signal…
Slope compensation for peak current mode control modulator
Granted: November 10, 2020
Patent Number:
10833661
A ramp signal generator generates a slope compensated ramp signal with optimal slope compensation for a current mode control modulator. In some embodiments, the ramp signal generator generates a ramp signal for the current control loop having a first ramp portion with slope compensation and a second ramp portion that matches the expected current mode signal. In some embodiments, the ramp signal generator is implemented using a switched capacitor circuit with charge scaling to generate…
OR-fet body brake in phase redundant scheme
Granted: November 10, 2020
Patent Number:
10833577
A method, system and computer program product for improving inductor current ramp down times in a DC-to-DC converter having an inductor conductively coupled to a low side transistor on a first side and an or-ing transistor coupled to a second side, where the DC-to-DC converter is in a phase redundant power supply. The method comprises turning off the low side transistor and turning off the or-ing transistor in response to an unloading transient.
Method for precisely aligning backside pattern to frontside pattern of a semiconductor wafer
Granted: November 10, 2020
Patent Number:
10833021
A method comprises the steps of providing a semiconductor device wafer; forming a first plurality of alignment marks on a first side of the semiconductor device wafer; forming a first pattern of a first conductivity type; forming a second plurality of alignment marks on a second side of the semiconductor device wafer; forming a bonded wafer by bonding a carrier wafer to the semiconductor device wafer; forming a third plurality of alignment marks on a free side of the carrier wafer;…
Temperature and Vcompensation for current sensing using Rin MOSFETS
Granted: November 10, 2020
Patent Number:
10830799
A power MOSFET Rdson compensation device comprising analog circuitry receives an input signal proportional to a voltage drop across a power MOSFET, one or more base reference voltages, a voltage-dependent reference voltage, and a temperature-dependent reference voltage. The analog circuitry is configured to produce an output current corresponding to the input signal with compensation for voltage and temperature variation of a drain-source on resistance of the power MOSFET.
Low capacitance transient voltage suppressor including a punch-through silicon controlled rectifier as low-side steering diode
Granted: November 3, 2020
Patent Number:
10825805
A transient voltage suppressor (TVS) device uses a punch-through silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) structure for the high-side steering diode and/or the low-side steering diode where the punch-through SCR structure realizes low capacitance at the protected node. In some embodiments, the breakdown voltage of the TVS device is tailored by connecting two or more forward biased diodes in series. The low capacitance TVS device can be configured for unidirectional or bidirectional…
Schottky diode integrated into superjunction power MOSFETs
Granted: October 27, 2020
Patent Number:
10818788
A trench metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) device comprises an active cell area including a plurality of superjunction trench power MOSFETs, and a Schottky diode area including a plurality of Schottky diodes formed in the drift region having the superjunction structure. Each of the integrated Schottky diodes includes a Schottky contact between a lightly doped semiconductor layer and a metallic layer.
Silicon carbide MOSFET with source ballasting
Granted: October 27, 2020
Patent Number:
10818662
An integrated device and a method for making said integrated device. The integrated device includes a plurality of planar MOSFETs that have a first contact region formed in a first source region of a plurality of source regions and a second contact region formed in a second source region of the plurality of source regions. The first and second contact regions have respective portions of the source region doped with the second conductivity type, and the first and second contact regions…
Super-fast transient response (STR) AC/DC converter for high power density charging application
Granted: October 27, 2020
Patent Number:
10818568
A charger comprises a housing, a first multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB), a second multi-layer PCB, and a third multi-layer PCB. The first PCB comprises at least a portion of a primary side circuit. The second PCB comprises at least a portion of a secondary side circuit. The third PCB is perpendicular to the first PCB and the second PCB. An isolation coupling element is disposed on the third PCB. The isolation coupling element comprises a multi-layer PCB. The first PCB comprises a…
Dual-gate trench IGBT with buried floating P-type shield
Granted: October 13, 2020
Patent Number:
10804355
A method of manufacturing an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) device comprising 1) preparing a semiconductor substrate with an epitaxial layer of a first conductivity type supported on the semiconductor substrate of a second conductivity type; 2) applying a gate trench mask to open a first trench and second trench followed by forming a gate insulation layer to pad the trench and filling the trench with a polysilicon layer to form the first trench gate and the second trench gate;…
DC resistance sense temperature compensation
Granted: October 6, 2020
Patent Number:
10795390
A circuit for providing temperature compensation to a sense signal having a first temperature coefficient includes a temperature compensation circuit receiving a temperature sense signal indicative of a temperature associated with the sense signal where the temperature compensation circuit is digitally configurable by at least one digital signal to generate a compensating impedance signal having a second temperature coefficient. The compensating impedance signal provides an impedance…
Detection circuit, switching regulator having the same and control method
Granted: October 6, 2020
Patent Number:
10797580
A detection circuit for detecting an inductor current flowing through an inductor is provided. The inductor is coupled to a switch. The detection circuit includes a comparison circuit and a signal generating circuit. The comparison circuit, having a first node, is configured to compare a conduction time of a diode of the switch with a time threshold to provide a first voltage at the first node. The signal generating circuit, coupled to the first node, is configured to output a first…
