SILICON-CARBIDE TRENCH GATE MOSFETS AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE
Granted: May 24, 2018
Application Number:
20180145168
In a general aspect, an apparatus can include a semiconductor substrate, a drift region disposed in the semiconductor substrate; a body region disposed in the drift region and a source region disposed in the body region. The apparatus can also include a gate trench disposed in the semiconductor substrate. The apparatus can further include a gate dielectric disposed on a sidewall and a bottom surface of the gate trench, the gate dielectric on the sidewall defining a first interface with…
SELF IDENTIFICATION AND POLLUTION DETECTION IN USB TYPE-C
Granted: May 24, 2018
Application Number:
20180143674
A paddle board includes an electronic marker circuit configured to indicate at least one capability of a cable assembly to a device coupled to the cable assembly and to select the device as one of a source or a sink, the paddle board being powered by the device, a register configured to store at least one variable value associated with at least one of the cable assembly and the paddle board, and a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the paddle board and configured to…
LOW-VOLTAGE, HIGH-CURRENT CHARGING WITH OVER-VOLTAGE SENSING
Granted: April 5, 2018
Application Number:
20180097378
A power converter includes a load detector a processor and a power control block. The load detector is configured to determine a change in a load value of an electronic device coupled to the power converter without receiving a message communicated from the electronic device indicating the change in the load value, and determine if the change in the load value exceeds a threshold value. The processor, in response to determining the change in the load value exceeds the threshold value, is…
REDUCTION OF ELECTRICAL SIZE OF BULK CAPACITORS IN MOBILE POWER SUPPLIES
Granted: March 29, 2018
Application Number:
20180091042
A capacitor input circuit for a mobile power supply includes a bulk capacitor and a switch. The switch connects the bulk capacitor to receive a rectified AC voltage from a rectifier when an AC line voltage input to the mobile power supply is lower than a threshold voltage. When the AC line voltage is greater than the threshold voltage, the switch electrically floats the bulk capacitor.
BALANCER FOR MULTIPLE FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS ARRANGED IN A PARALLEL CONFIGURATION
Granted: March 22, 2018
Application Number:
20180083611
In at least one general aspect, an apparatus can include a first field effect transistor (FET) device and a second FET device. The apparatus can include a characterization circuit coupled to the first FET device and the second FET device where the characterization circuit can be configured to characterize a responsiveness of each of the first FET device and the second FET device. The apparatus can include a balancer configured to produce a modified gate drive signal for the first FET…
CLAMP VOLTAGE DETECTION AND OVER-VOLTAGE PROTECTION FOR POWER SUPPLY TOPOLOGIES
Granted: March 8, 2018
Application Number:
20180069480
An active clamp flyback controller includes first and second input terminals, a clamp voltage detection circuit, and an overvoltage protection circuit. The first input terminal is adapted to be coupled to a terminal of a clamp capacitor. The second input terminal receives a feedback signal proportional to a voltage across an auxiliary winding of a flyback transformer. The clamp voltage detection circuit is coupled to the first and second input terminals, and detects a clamp voltage as a…
VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL CIRCUIT ASSEMBLIES
Granted: March 8, 2018
Application Number:
20180068935
In a general aspect, an apparatus can include a leadframe including a plurality of leads configured to be coupled with a printed circuit board. The plurality of leads can be disposed along a single edge of the apparatus. The apparatus can also include an assembly including a substrate and a plurality of semiconductor die disposed on the substrate. The assembly can being mounted on the leadframe. The apparatus can further include an inductor having a first terminal and a second terminal.…
RESONANT IGNITION CIRCUIT
Granted: March 8, 2018
Application Number:
20180066626
In a general aspect, an ignition circuit can include a control circuit configured to receive a command signal from an engine control unit, and a driving circuit coupled with the control circuit. The driving circuit can be configured to be coupled with a resonant circuit that includes a primary winding of an ignition coil. The control circuit and the driving circuit can be configured, in response to a command signal, to drive the resonant circuit at a first frequency to generate a voltage…
HIGH CONTACT RESISTANCE DETECTION
Granted: March 1, 2018
Application Number:
20180062326
A device includes an interface configured to couple a power source to the device. The interface includes a plurality of contacts including at least one first contact configured to couple a voltage bus of the power source to a voltage bus of the device, and at least one second contact configured to couple the voltage bus of the power source to a secondary bus of the device. The device further includes a detector configured to determine a contact resistance of the at least one first…
DIFFERENTIAL LEVEL SHIFT CIRCUIT
Granted: March 1, 2018
Application Number:
20180062653
In a general aspect, a circuit can include a comparison stage including a plurality of transistors and a current mirror stage including a current mirror. The comparison stage can be configured to produce a cancelling signal before a main signal is produced by the current mirror stage.
USB TYPE-C TO LEGACY USB CABLE DETECTION
Granted: March 1, 2018
Application Number:
20180060201
A port controller includes an advertise block configured to determine a cable assembly coupled to the port controller is not compliant with a standard used by the port controller, a comparator configured to determine a current drawn from a power converter coupled to the cable assembly exceeds a capability of the power converter based on comparing a bus voltage to a threshold voltage, and a protection block configured to, in response to determining the current drawn from the power…
MULTIPLE PULSE IGNITION SYSTEM CONTROL
Granted: March 1, 2018
Application Number:
20180058414
In a general aspect, an ignition circuit can include a control circuit that is coupled with an engine control unit (ECU) to receive a command signal from the ECU. The control circuit can include a multi-pulse generator configured to, in response to the command signal, generate a multi-pulse drive signal. The multi-pulse drive signal can include a first pulse cycle having a first duty cycle, a second pulse cycle having a second duty cycle, and a dwell period during which the multi-pulse…
POWER FACTOR CORRECTION CIRCUIT AND METHOD
Granted: February 22, 2018
Application Number:
20180054113
A Power Factor Correction (PFC) circuit comprises an oscillator circuit. The oscillator circuit receives a valley detect signal indicating a zero current condition, determines a blanking time according to an operational cycle of the PFC circuit, and determines to initiate the operational cycle according to the valley detect signal and the blanking time. Determining the blanking time comprises selecting one of a plurality of predetermined blanking times according to a count of operational…
ADAPTIVE TURN-OFF TRIGGER BLANKING FOR SYNCHRONOUS RECTIFICATION
Granted: February 15, 2018
Application Number:
20180048241
A switching converter includes a synchronous rectifier and a synchronous rectifier driver that controls conduction of the synchronous rectifier. The synchronous rectifier driver turns OFF the synchronous rectifier in response to a turn-off trigger. The synchronous rectifier driver prevents the turn-off trigger from turning OFF the synchronous rectifier during a turn-off trigger blanking time that is adaptively set based on a conduction time of the synchronous rectifier.
MAGNETIC SENSOR UTILIZING MAGNETIZATION RESET FOR SENSE AXIS SELECTION
Granted: February 1, 2018
Application Number:
20180031647
In one general aspect, a system includes a material including a surface, and a magnetic sensor configured to sense a first component and a second component of a magnetic field. The first component of the magnetic field may be orthogonal to the second component of the magnetic field. The magnetic sensor may include a first sense element included on a first angled surface sloping in a first direction relative to the surface of the material, a second sense element included on a second…
TRENCH-BASED POWER SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES WITH INCREASED BREAKDOWN VOLTAGE CHARACTERISTICS
Granted: January 11, 2018
Application Number:
20180012958
Exemplary power semiconductor devices with features providing increased breakdown voltage and other benefits are disclosed.
ISOLATION BETWEEN SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS
Granted: December 28, 2017
Application Number:
20170373008
In some general aspects, an apparatus may include a first semiconductor die, a second semiconductor die, and a capacitive isolation circuit being coupled to the first semiconductor die and the second semiconductor die. The capacitive isolation circuit may be disposed outside of the first semiconductor die and the second semiconductor die. The first semiconductor die, the second semiconductor die, and the capacitive circuit may be included in a molding of a semiconductor package.
POWER SUPPLY CIRCUIT WITH SECONDARY SIDE TO PRIMARY SIDE COMMUNICATION
Granted: December 21, 2017
Application Number:
20170366044
An electrical circuit for a power supply includes a primary-side controller integrated circuit (IC) that outputs a drive signal on a switch pin to control a switching operation of a switch that is coupled to a primary winding of a transformer. The primary-side controller IC places the switch pin at high impedance during a sense window and turns on the switch in response to sensing a dynamic detection signal on the switch pin during the sense window. The dynamic detection signal is…
SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE AND RELATED METHODS
Granted: December 21, 2017
Application Number:
20170365583
Implementations of semiconductor packages may include: a first substrate having a first dielectric layer coupled between a first metal layer and a second metal layer; a second substrate having a second dielectric layer coupled between a third metal layer and a fourth metal layer. A first die may be coupled with a first electrical spacer coupled in a space between and coupled with the first substrate and the second substrate and a second die may be coupled with a second electrical spacer…
DIFFERENTIAL THERMISTOR CIRCUIT
Granted: December 7, 2017
Application Number:
20170350768
In a general aspect, a circuit can include a first resistor configured to be coupled to a first terminal of a temperature-sensitive resistance, a second resistor configured to be coupled to a second terminal of the temperature-sensitive resistance and a temperature information circuit. The temperature information circuit can be configured to: receive a first voltage from the first terminal of the temperature-sensitive resistance; receive a second voltage from the second terminal of the…
