ELECTRICAL CONTACT FOR SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE
Granted: March 17, 2022
Application Number:
20220085525
Provided herein are semiconductor packages with improved electrical contacts (e.g. pins). In some embodiments, an assembly may include a substrate and an electrical contact coupled to the substrate, the electrical contact consisting of a first component defined by a complex 3D designed receiving pin. The electrical contact may further include a second component defined by another complex 3D designed penetrating pin, wherein the first component engages the second component to deform…
DISCRETE POWER TRANSISTOR PACKAGE HAVING SOLDERLESS DBC TO LEADFRAME ATTACH
Granted: September 24, 2020
Application Number:
20200303281
A packaged power transistor device includes a Direct-Bonded Copper (“DBC”) substrate. Contact pads of a first lead are attached with solderless welds to a metal layer of the DBC substrate. In a first example, the solderless welds are ultrasonic welds. In a second example, the solderless welds are laser welds. A single power transistor realized on a single semiconductor die is attached to the DBC substrate. In one example, a first bond pad of the die is wire bonded to a second lead,…
FAST RECOVERY INVERSE DIODE
Granted: September 10, 2020
Application Number:
20200287058
An inverse diode die has a high reverse breakdown voltage, a short reverse recovery time Trr, and is rugged in terms of reverse breakdown voltage stability over long term use in hard commutation applications. The die has an unusually lightly doped bottomside P type anode region and also has an N? type drift region above it. Both regions are of bulk wafer material. An N+ type contact region extends down into the drift region. A topside metal electrode is on the contact region. A P type…
Thin Profile Power Semiconductor Device Package Having Face-To-Face Mounted Dice And No Internal Bondwires
Granted: June 20, 2019
Application Number:
20190189797
A packaged semiconductor device has a thin profile, two face-to-face mounted power semiconductor device dice, and no internal bond wires. A first semiconductor device die is mounted so that a gate pad is bonded to the bottom of a first lead, and so that a source pad is bonded to the bottom of a second lead. A second semiconductor device die identical to the first is mounted so that a gate pad is bonded to the top of the first lead, and so that a source pad is bonded to the top of the…
FAST RECOVERY INVERSE DIODE
Granted: April 18, 2019
Application Number:
20190115480
An inverse diode die has a high reverse breakdown voltage, a short reverse recovery time Trr, and is rugged in terms of reverse breakdown voltage stability over long term use in hard commutation applications. The die has an unusually lightly doped bottomside P type anode region and also has an N? type drift region above it. Both regions are of bulk wafer material. An N+ type contact region extends down into the drift region. A topside metal electrode is on the contact region. A P type…
Self-Powered Electronic Fuse With Storage Capacitor That Charges With Minimal Disturbance Of Load Current Through The Fuse
Granted: April 11, 2019
Application Number:
20190109454
A two-terminal electronic fuse device involves two switches, four diodes, switch control circuitry, and a storage capacitor, connected in a particular topology. When AC current flows through the fuse, a charging current charges the storage capacitor. Energy stored in the storage capacitor is then used to power the switch control circuitry. If the voltage on the storage capacitor drops, then the switches are opened briefly and at the correct time. Opening the switches allows the charging…
DISCRETE POWER TRANSISTOR PACKAGE HAVING SOLDERLESS DBC TO LEADFRAME ATTACH
Granted: March 21, 2019
Application Number:
20190088571
A packaged power transistor device includes a Direct-Bonded Copper (“DBC”) substrate. Contact pads of a first lead are attached with solderless welds to a metal layer of the DBC substrate. In a first example, the solderless welds are ultrasonic welds. In a second example, the solderless welds are laser welds. A single power transistor realized on a single semiconductor die is attached to the DBC substrate. In one example, a first bond pad of the die is wire bonded to a second lead,…
Charge Carrier Extraction Inverse Diode
Granted: February 28, 2019
Application Number:
20190067493
An inverse diode die is “fast” (i.e., has a small peak reverse recovery current) due to the presence of a novel topside P+ type charge carrier extraction region and a lightly-doped bottomside transparent anode. During forward conduction, the number of charge carriers in the N-type drift region is reduced due to holes being continuously extracted by an electric field set up by the P+ type charge carrier extraction region. Electrons are extracted by the transparent anode. When the…
BUCK CONVERTER HAVING SELF-DRIVEN BJT SYNCHRONOUS RECTIFIER
Granted: June 4, 2015
Application Number:
20150155785
A switching converter has a self-driven bipolar junction transistor (BJT) synchronous rectifier. The BJT rectifier includes a BJT and a parallel-connected diode, and has a low forward voltage drop. In a first portion of a switching cycle, a main switch is on and the BJT rectifier is off. Current flows from an input, through the main switch, through the first inductor, to an output. Current also flows through the main switch, through the second inductor, to the output. In a second portion…
FORWARD CONVERTER WITH SELF-DRIVEN BJT SYNCHRONOUS RECTIFIER
Granted: May 21, 2015
Application Number:
20150138839
An AC-to-DC converter circuit includes DC-to-DC converter that in turn includes a secondary side circuit. The secondary side circuit includes a secondary winding, a pair of bipolar transistor-based self-driven synchronous rectifiers, a pair of current splitting inductors, and an output capacitor. Each of the synchronous rectifiers includes a bipolar transistor and a diode whose anode is coupled to the transistor collector and whose cathode is coupled to the transistor emitter. The…
SINTERED BACKSIDE SHIM IN A PRESS PACK CASSETTE
Granted: April 16, 2015
Application Number:
20150102481
Within a cassette of a press pack module, a conductive shim is bonded to the backside of a device die by a layer of sintered metal. The die, sintered metal, and shim together form a sintered assembly. The cassette is compressed between a metal top plate member and a metal bottom plate member such that the backside of the assembly is pressed against the top plate member, and such that the frontside of the assembly is pressed against another shim. A central portion of the frontside surface…
POWER DEVICE CASSETTE WITH AUXILIARY EMITTER CONTACT
Granted: April 16, 2015
Application Number:
20150102383
A press pack module includes a collector module terminal, an emitter module terminal, a gate module terminal, and an auxiliary module terminal. Each IGBT cassette within the module includes a set of shims, two contact pins, and an IGBT die. The first contact pin provides part of a first electrical connection between the gate module terminal and the IGBT gate pad. The second contact pin provides part of a second electrical connection between the auxiliary module terminal and a shim that…
PACKAGED OVERVOLTAGE PROTECTION CIRCUIT FOR TRIGGERING THYRISTORS
Granted: November 13, 2014
Application Number:
20140332842
In a first embodiment, an ultra-fast breakover diode has a turn on time TON that is less than 0.3 microseconds, where the forward breakover voltage is greater than +400 volts and varies less than one percent per ten degrees Celsius change. In a second embodiment, a breakover diode has a reverse breakdown voltage that is greater, in absolute magnitude, than the forward breakover voltage, where the forward breakover voltage is greater than +400 volts. In a third embodiment, a string of…
HIGH VOLTAGE BREAKOVER DIODE HAVING COMPARABLE FORWARD BREAKOVER AND REVERSE BREAKDOWN VOLTAGES
Granted: November 13, 2014
Application Number:
20140332841
In a first embodiment, an ultra-fast breakover diode has a turn on time TON that is less than 0.3 microseconds, where the forward breakover voltage is greater than +400 volts and varies less than one percent per ten degrees Celsius change. In a second embodiment, a breakover diode has a reverse breakdown voltage that is greater, in absolute magnitude, than the forward breakover voltage, where the forward breakover voltage is greater than +400 volts. In a third embodiment, a string of…
POWER TRANSISTOR WITH INCREASED AVALANCHE CURRENT AND ENERGY RATING
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140273384
A field-effect transistor involves a drain electrode, a drift region, a body region, a source region, a gate insulator layer, and a gate electrode. The drift region is disposed above the drain electrode. The body region extends down into the drift region from a first upper semiconductor surface. The source region is ladder-shaped and extends down in the body region from a second upper semiconductor surface. The first and second upper semiconductor surfaces are substantially planar and…
Vertical Power MOSFET And IGBT Fabrication Process With Two Fewer Photomasks
Granted: September 18, 2014
Application Number:
20140273357
A process for fabrication of a power semiconductor device is disclosed in which a single photomask is used to define each of p-conductivity well regions and n-conductivity type source regions. In the process a single photomask is deposited on a layer of polysilicon on a wafer, the polysilicon layer is removed from first regions of the power semiconductor device where the p-conductivity well regions and the n-conductivity type source regions are to be formed, and both p-conductivity type…
Module and Assembly with Dual DC-Links for Three-Level NPC Applications
Granted: September 11, 2014
Application Number:
20140252410
A power semiconductor module has four power terminals. An IGBT has a collector connected to the first power terminal and an emitter coupled to the third power terminal. An anti-parallel diode is coupled in parallel with the IGBT. A DC-link is connected between the second and fourth power terminals. The DC-link may involve two diodes and two IGBTs, where the IGBTs are connected in a common collector configuration. The first and second power terminals are disposed in a first line along one…
FAST RECOVERY SWITCHING DIODE WITH CARRIER STORAGE AREA
Granted: September 4, 2014
Application Number:
20140246761
A power device (such as a power diode) has a peripheral die area and a central area. The main PN junction of the device is formed by a P+ type region that extends down into an N? type layer. The central portion of the P+ type region has a plurality of openings so mesa structures of the underlying N? type material extend up to the semiconductor surface through the openings. Due to the mesa structures being located in the central portion of the die, there are vertically extending…
Solderless Die Attach to a Direct Bonded Aluminum Substrate
Granted: August 14, 2014
Application Number:
20140225267
A DBA-based power device includes a DBA (Direct Bonded Aluminum) substrate. An amount of silver nanoparticle paste of a desired shape and size is deposited (for example by micro-jet deposition) onto a metal plate of the DBA. The paste is then sintered, thereby forming a sintered silver feature that is in electrical contact with an aluminum plate of the DBA. The DBA is bonded (for example, is ultrasonically welded) to a lead of a leadframe. Silver is deposited onto the wafer back side and…
Blank Bit and Processor Instructions Employing the Blank Bit
Granted: August 7, 2014
Application Number:
20140223146
Reading a value into a register, checking to see if the value is a NULL, and then jumping out of a loop if the value is a NULL is a common task that processors perform. To speed performance of such a task, a novel “blank bit” is added to the flag register of a processor. When a first instruction (arithmetic, logic or load) is executed, the instruction operands are checked to see if any is a NULL character value. Information on the result of the check is stored in the blank bit.…
