METHOD AND APPARATUS TO REDUCE AUDIO FREQUENCIES IN A SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY
Granted: December 19, 2013
Application Number:
20130336020
An example power supply regulator includes an energy transfer element, a switch, and a controller. The controller includes a switch signal generator, a modulation circuit, and a multi-cycle modulator circuit. The modulation circuit modulates the period of a modulation switching signal when an equivalent switching frequency is greater than a reference frequency and fixes the switching period when the equivalent switching frequency is less than the reference frequency. The multi-cycle…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING ZERO-CROSSING OF AN AC INPUT VOLTAGE TO A POWER SUPPLY
Granted: December 19, 2013
Application Number:
20130336019
An example controller for a power supply includes a first circuit and a drive signal generator. The first circuit receives a first signal representative of a switch current flowing through a switch of the power supply and then generates a second signal in response the switch current not reaching a current threshold within an amount of time. The second signal indicates when a dimming circuit at an input of the power supply is utilized. The drive signal generator generates a drive signal…
IN SITU GROWN GATE DIELECTRIC AND FIELD PLATE DIELECTRIC
Granted: December 12, 2013
Application Number:
20130330888
Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for providing heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs) with high-quality gate dielectric and field plate dielectric. The gate dielectric and field plate dielectric are in situ deposited on a semiconductor surface. The location of the gate electrode may be defined by etching a first pattern in the field plate dielectric and using the gate dielectric as an etch-stop. Alternatively, an additional etch-stop layer may be in situ deposited between…
POWER LIMITING BY MODULATING CLOCK
Granted: December 12, 2013
Application Number:
20130329462
A clock generation circuit for use in a power converter controller includes a modulation signal generator that is coupled to generate a modulation signal in response to an input sense signal representative of an input voltage of a power converter. The modulation signal is responsive to the input sense signal when the input sense signal is greater than a first input threshold. A clock modulator circuit is coupled to receive the modulation signal and a first clock signal from an…
Integrated Transistor and Anti-Fuse as Programming Element for a High-Voltage Integrated Circuit
Granted: December 12, 2013
Application Number:
20130328114
A semiconductor device includes an N type well region in a P type substrate. A source region of a MOSFET is laterally separated from a boundary of the well region, which includes the drain of the MOSFET. An insulated gate of the MOSFET extends laterally from the source region to at least just past the boundary of the well region. A polysilicon layer, which forms a first plate of a capacitive anti-fuse, is insulated from an area of the well region, which forms the second plate of the…
LAYOUT DESIGN FOR A HIGH POWER, GaN-BASED FET
Granted: December 12, 2013
Application Number:
20130328060
A FET includes a first and second set of finger arrays that each include a source, gate and drain. A first source pad is electrically coupled to source electrodes in the first set of finger arrays. A second source pad is electrically coupled to the source electrodes in the second set of finger arrays. A common drain pad is electrically coupled to drain electrodes in the first and second set of finger arrays. A first gate pad is electrically coupled to gate electrodes in the first set of…
INTEGRATED ON-TIME EXTENSION FOR NON-DISSIPATIVE BLEEDING IN A POWER SUPPLY
Granted: December 5, 2013
Application Number:
20130320882
An example controller for a switched mode power supply includes a zero crossing detector, drive logic, and a logic gate. The zero-crossing detector generates a zero-crossing signal indicating a zero-crossing condition in the power supply. The drive logic generates a drive logic output signal in response to the zero-crossing signal and in response to a feedback signal, where the drive logic output signal is representative of an on-time of a switch to regulate an output of the power…
High-Voltage Monolithic Schottky Device Structure
Granted: December 5, 2013
Application Number:
20130320482
A semiconductor device includes a pillar formed on a substrate of the same conductivity type. The pillar has a vertical thickness that extends from a top surface down to the substrate. The pillar extends in first and second lateral directions in a loop shape. First and second dielectric regions are disposed on opposite lateral sides of the pillar, respectively. First and second conductive field plates are respectively disposed in the first and second dielectric regions. A metal layer is…
OPTICALLY CONTROLLED SILICON CARBIDE AND RELATED WIDE-BANDGAP TRANSISTORS AND THYRISTORS
Granted: December 5, 2013
Application Number:
20130320199
An optically active material is used to create power devices and circuits having significant performance advantages over conventional methods for affecting optical control of power electronics devices and circuits. A silicon-carbide optically active material is formed by compensating shallow donors with the boron related D-center. The resulting material can be n-type or p-type but it is distinguished from other materials by the ability to induce persistent photoconductivity in it when…
METHOD AND APPARATUS TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY IN A POWER FACTOR CORRECTION CIRCUIT
Granted: November 21, 2013
Application Number:
20130307495
A power factor correction (PFC) controller includes a capacitor, an error amplifier, a switching frequency adjuster, a comparator, and a drive signal generator. The current source generates a current that is representative of an instantaneous input voltage of a PFC converter to charge the capacitor when a power switch of the PFC converter is off. The switching frequency adjuster generates an adjusted error signal in response to an error signal generated by the error amplifier. The…
BLEEDER CIRCUIT FOR USE IN A POWER SUPPLY
Granted: October 24, 2013
Application Number:
20130278159
A bleeder circuit for use in a power supply of a lighting system includes a first terminal to be coupled to a first input of the power supply. A second terminal is to be coupled to a second input of the power supply. An edge detection circuit is coupled between the first and second terminals of the bleeder circuit. The edge detection circuit is coupled to output an edge detection signal in response to an input signal between the first and second inputs. A variable current circuit is…
ADJACENT TERMINAL FAULT DETECTION
Granted: September 26, 2013
Application Number:
20130250457
This relates to detecting unwanted couplings between a protected terminal and other terminals in an integrated controller of a power supply. Offset and clamp circuitry may apply a positive or negative offset voltage and clamp current to one or more terminals of the controller. In the event that a terminal having the offset voltage and clamp current is accidentally coupled to the protected terminal, the offset voltage and clamp current may be applied to the protected terminal. The…
RESET VOLTAGE CIRCUIT FOR A FORWARD POWER CONVERTER
Granted: September 19, 2013
Application Number:
20130242619
An example method includes controlling a duty ratio of a switch to regulate an output of a forward power converter and storing a first voltage. The first voltage is equal to an input voltage of the forward power converter when the input voltage is at a steady-state value. The method also includes resetting a transformer of the forward power converter when the switch is in an OFF state by setting a voltage across a primary winding of the transformer to the stored first voltage in response…
PHASE ANGLE MEASUREMENT OF A DIMMING CIRCUIT FOR A SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY
Granted: September 19, 2013
Application Number:
20130241440
An example switched mode power supply includes a timer, a threshold adjust circuitry, a comparator, and a control circuitry. The timer times a duration between crossings of a phase-dimmed signal across a first threshold. The threshold adjust circuitry adjusts a second threshold representative of a desired output of the switched mode power supply, where the second threshold is adjusted responsive to the timed duration between crossings. The comparator compares a feedback signal with the…
Checkerboarded High-Voltage Vertical Transistor Layout
Granted: September 12, 2013
Application Number:
20130234243
In one embodiment, a transistor fabricated on a semiconductor die is arranged into sections of elongated transistor segments. The sections are arranged in rows and columns substantially across the semiconductor die. Adjacent sections in a row or a column are oriented such that the length of the transistor segments in a first one of the adjacent sections extends in a first direction, and the length of the transistor segments in a second one of the adjacent sections extends in a second…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE POWER CAPABILITY OF A POWER SUPPLY
Granted: September 5, 2013
Application Number:
20130232358
One controller for a power supply includes an oscillator, a first circuit, a counter, and a pause circuit. The first circuit generates a drive signal to control switching of a switch to regulate an output of the power supply. The first circuit initiates an on time period of the switch in response to both a clock signal of the oscillator and an enable signal that is generated in response to a feedback signal of the power supply. The counter receives the enable signal and generates an…
ASYMMETRIC SWITCH FORWARD CONVERTER
Granted: August 29, 2013
Application Number:
20130223106
A switching circuit for use in a power converter includes a first active switch coupled between a first terminal of an input of the power converter and a first terminal of a primary winding of a transformer. A second active switch is coupled between a second terminal of the input and a second terminal of the primary winding. An output capacitance of the first active switch is greater than an output capacitance of the second active switch. A first passive switch is coupled between the…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A POWER SUPPLY CONTROLLER RESPONSIVE TO A FEEDFORWARD SIGNAL
Granted: August 29, 2013
Application Number:
20130223105
An example power converter includes an energy transfer element, a switch, a feedback circuit, a feedforward circuit, and an integrated circuit controller. The integrated circuit controller includes a gain selector circuit and a switch duty cycle controller. The gain selector circuit selects a gain multiplier according to a value of a feedforward signal generated by the feedforward circuit and applies the gain multiplier to the feedforward signal to generate a duty cycle adjust signal.…
POWER CONVERTER WITH COMPENSATION CIRCUIT FOR ADJUSTING OUTPUT CURRENT PROVIDED TO A CONSTANT LOAD
Granted: August 22, 2013
Application Number:
20130214702
A method for use in a power converter includes generating a peak input voltage signal that is representative of a peak value of the input voltage for phase angles less than a phase angle threshold and is representative of a value that is less than the peak value of the input voltage for phase angles greater than the phase angle threshold. The method also includes controlling a switching of a switch to regulate an output current of the power converter in response to the peak input voltage…
VARIABLE TIME CLAMP FOR A POWER SUPPLY CONTROLLER
Granted: August 22, 2013
Application Number:
20130215650
An example integrated circuit for use in a power supply includes a feedback terminal, a controller and a clamp. The feedback terminal is to be coupled to receive a feedback signal that is representative of a bias voltage across a bias winding of the power supply. The controller is to be coupled to control switching of a power switch included in the power supply in response to the feedback signal. The clamp is coupled to clamp the feedback terminal to a voltage for at least a time that…
