Ultra-fast breakover diode
Granted: July 21, 2015
Patent Number:
9087809
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 another aspect of the invention, 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. Yet another aspect of the invention involves a…
Silver-to-silver bonded IC package having two ceramic substrates exposed on the outside of the package
Granted: July 14, 2015
Patent Number:
9082879
A packaged power device involves no soft solder and no wire bonds. The direct-bonded metal layers of two direct metal bonded ceramic substrate assemblies, such as Direct Bonded Aluminum (DBA) substrates, are provided with sintered silver pads. Silver nanoparticle paste is applied to pads on the frontside of a die and the paste is sintered to form silver pads. Silver formed by an evaporative process covers the backside of the die. The die is pressed between the two DBAs such that direct…
Super junction field effect transistor
Granted: July 14, 2015
Patent Number:
9082845
A split-body Super Junction FET is made using only seven masks. Thin oxide is disposed on an upper semiconductor surface of a super junction charge compensation region. A polysilicon gate is disposed on the thin oxide. An ILD (InterLayer Dielectric) layer is disposed on the upper surface of the thin oxide so that the ILD layer covers the polysilicon gate. A gate bus line metal structure and a field plate metal structure are disposed on the upper surface of the ILD. A portion of the upper…
Non-isolated AC-to-DC converter having a low charging current initial power up mode
Granted: June 9, 2015
Patent Number:
9054587
In a steady state operation mode, a charging circuit of a non-isolated AC-to-DC converter decouples an output voltage VO node from a VR node when the rectifier output signal VR on the VR node is greater than a first predetermined voltage VP and, 2) supplies a charging current from the VR node and onto the VO node when VR is less than VP provided that an output voltage VO on the VO node is less than a second predetermined voltage VO(MAX) and provided that VR is greater than VO. In an…
Controlling transmission power in an IrDA/RC transmitter circuit
Granted: June 2, 2015
Patent Number:
9048949
An infrared LED of an IrDA transceiver module is usable to transmit IrDA signals as well as RC control signals. When making an IrDA transmission, the IrDA LED is driven with a lower amount of current. When making an RC transmission, the IrDA LED is driven with an increased amount of current such that infrared emissions received by an RC receiver are of adequate power to be received as RC control signals. A current-limiting circuit allows more LED current to flow the longer current is…
Low forward voltage rectifier using capacitive current splitting
Granted: May 26, 2015
Patent Number:
9042143
A Low Forward Voltage Rectifier (LFVR) circuit includes a bipolar transistor, a parallel diode, and a capacitive current splitting network. The LFVR circuit, when it is performing a rectifying function, conducts the forward current from a first node to a second node provided that the voltage from the first node to the second node is adequately positive. The capacitive current splitting network causes a portion of the forward current to be a base current of the bipolar transistor, thereby…
Power semiconductor module with asymmetrical lead spacing
Granted: May 26, 2015
Patent Number:
9042103
A power semiconductor has power terminals arranged in a row at one side of the housing, with control terminals arranged in a row at the other side of the housing. The spacing between adjacent power terminals is greater than the spacing between adjacent control terminals.
Full bridge rectifier module
Granted: May 26, 2015
Patent Number:
9041075
A full bridge rectifier includes four bipolar transistors, each of which has an associated parallel diode. A first pair of inductors provides inductive current splitting and thereby provides base current to/from one pair of the bipolar transistors so that the collector-to-emitter voltages of the bipolar transistors are low. A second pair of inductors similarly provides inductive current splitting to provide base current to/from the other pair of bipolar transistors. In one embodiment,…
Solar cell charger with lens for portable applications
Granted: April 21, 2015
Patent Number:
9012764
A portable electronic device includes a housing including an outer surface and an inner surface. A core electronic component is configured to be provided inside of the housing. A transparent material is provided at the outer surface of the housing. A solar cell is provided on the inner surface of the housing and spaced apart from the transparent material by a predetermined distance. The transparent material is configured to receive light from an external source and direct the light to…
Silver-to-silver bonded IC package having two ceramic substrates exposed on the outside of the package
Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number:
8987911
A packaged power device involves no soft solder and no wire bonds. The direct-bonded metal layers of two direct metal bonded ceramic substrate assemblies, such as Direct Bonded Aluminum (DBA) substrates, are provided with sintered silver pads. Silver nanoparticle paste is applied to pads on the frontside of a die and the paste is sintered to form silver pads. Silver formed by an evaporative process covers the backside of the die. The die is pressed between the two DBAs such that direct…
Methods and apparatuses for converting carbon dioxide and treating waste material
Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number:
8986621
Methods and apparatuses for converting carbon dioxide and treating waste material using a high energy electron beam are disclosed. For example, carbon dioxide and an aqueous reaction solution having a reactant can be combined to form an aqueous reaction mixture, and the aqueous reaction mixture can then be subjected to a high energy electron beam that initiates a reaction between carbon dioxide and the reactant to form a reaction product. Solid or liquid waste material can be treated by,…
Loading a machine code API onto an 8-bit virtual machine to enable new functionality
Granted: February 10, 2015
Patent Number:
8952840
A compact, register-based, eight-bit virtual machine is realized on a resource-constrained device such as, for example, an IR remote control device. The IR remote control device includes a script interpreter, as well as loader API functionality and API functionality to support communication over a bidirectional link. The functionality of the remote control device is customized by loading either a machine code API routine and/or a script API routine onto the remote control device via the…
Electrically isolated power semiconductor package with optimized layout
Granted: December 2, 2014
Patent Number:
8901723
A packaged power semiconductor device is provided with voltage isolation between a metal backside and terminals of the device. The packaged power semiconductor device is arranged in an encapsulant defining a hole for receiving a structure for physically coupling the device to an object. A direct-bonded copper (“DBC”) substrate is used to provide electrical isolation and improved thermal transfer from the device to a heatsink. At least one power semiconductor die is mounted to a first…
Vertical power MOSFET and IGBT fabrication process with two fewer photomasks
Granted: December 2, 2014
Patent Number:
8900943
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…
High voltage breakover diode having comparable forward breakover and reverse breakdown voltages
Granted: November 4, 2014
Patent Number:
8878236
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…
Method for the manufacture of double-sided metalized ceramic substrates
Granted: November 4, 2014
Patent Number:
8876996
The invention relates to a method for the manufacture of double-sided metallized ceramic substrates according to the direct-bonding process. The method enables a ceramic substrate to be bonded to a metal plate or foil on the upper side and the underside in only one process sequence. The composite to be bonded is located on a specially designed carrier structured on the upper side with a plurality of contact points. After the bonding process the composite of metal plates and ceramic…
Sample and hold time stamp for sensing zero crossing of back electromotive force in 3-phase brushless DC motors
Granted: September 30, 2014
Patent Number:
8847531
A microcontroller determines the position of the rotor of a brushless, direct-current motor by determining the time of zero crossing of back electromotive force (EMF) emanating from the non-driven phase winding. The zero crossing point is determined by interpolating voltage differentials that are time stamped. Each voltage differential is the difference between the phase voltage of the phase winding and the motor neutral point voltage. The time of zero crossing is determined without…
Module and assembly with dual DC-links for three-level NPC applications
Granted: September 30, 2014
Patent Number:
8847328
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…
Ultra-fast breakover diode
Granted: September 16, 2014
Patent Number:
8835975
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…
Fast recovery switching diode with carrier storage area
Granted: September 16, 2014
Patent Number:
8836090
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…
