METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VARYING CURRENT LIMIT TO LIMIT AN OUTPUT POWER OF A POWER SUPPLY
Granted: June 23, 2011
Application Number:
20110149619
A power supply controller is disclosed. An example power supply controller includes an input voltage sense input coupled to sense an input voltage sense signal representative of an input voltage of a power supply. An output voltage sense input is coupled to sense an output voltage sense signal representative of an output voltage of the power supply. A current limit circuit is coupled to generate a current limit signal. The current limit signal is varied relative to a first ratio…
Method of fabricating a deep trench insulated gate bipolar transistor
Granted: June 16, 2011
Application Number:
20110140166
In one embodiment, a method comprises forming an epitaxial layer over a substrate of an opposite conductivity type, the epitaxial layer being separated by a buffer layer having a doping concentration that is substantially constant in a vertical direction down to the buffer layer. A pair of spaced-apart trenches is formed in the epitaxial layer from a top surface of the epitaxial layer down at least into the buffer layer. A dielectric material is formed in the trenches over the first and…
CONTROL ARRANGEMENT FOR A PFC POWER CONVERTER
Granted: June 9, 2011
Application Number:
20110134670
In a PFC (power factor correction) control unit for controlling a PFC converter, a transconductance amplifier is coupled to receive a feedback signal representative of an output voltage of the PFC converter. The transconductance amplifier is coupled to generate an output error signal in response to the feedback signal. A PWM (pulse width modulated) converter is coupled to receive the output error signal, the PWM converter is coupled to generate a PWM signal in response to the output…
Temperature independent reference circuit
Granted: May 26, 2011
Application Number:
20110121889
A temperature independent reference circuit includes first and second bipolar transistors with commonly coupled bases. First and second resistors are coupled in series between the emitter of the second bipolar transistor and ground. The first and second resistors have first and second resistance values, R1 and R2, and third and second temperature coefficients, TC3 and TC2, respectively. The resistance values being such that a temperature coefficient of a difference between the…
Package for a power semiconductor device
Granted: May 12, 2011
Application Number:
20110108963
A package for a semiconductor die includes a die attach pad that provides an attachment surface area for the semiconductor die, and tie bars connected to the die attach pad. The die attach pad is disposed in a first general plane and the tie bars are disposed in a second general plane offset with respect to the first general plane. A molding compound encapsulates the semiconductor die in a form having first, second, third and fourth lateral sides, a top and a bottom. The tie bars are…
METHOD AND APPARATUS TO LIMIT MAXIMUM SWITCH CURRENT IN A SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY
Granted: May 12, 2011
Application Number:
20110110125
An example integrated circuit for use in a power supply includes a switch, a terminal and a controller. The controller is coupled to control switching of the switch to regulate the output of the power supply in response to a feedback signal received at the terminal. The controller includes a comparator and an oscillator. The comparator is coupled to detect when a switch current through the switch exceeds a current limit and the oscillator is coupled to extend an off time of the switch in…
CONTROLLER COMPENSATION FOR FREQUENCY JITTER
Granted: May 12, 2011
Application Number:
20110110126
An example controller for use in a power supply in accordance with the present teachings includes a drive signal generator, a jitter signal generator and a compensator signal generator. The drive signal generator is coupled to output a drive signal having a switching period and a duty ratio to control switching of a switch that is to be coupled to the controller. The jitter signal generator is coupled to provide a jitter signal, where the switching period of the drive signal varies in…
Gallium nitride semiconductor
Granted: May 5, 2011
Application Number:
20110101371
A gallium nitride based semiconductor Schottky diode fabricated from a n+ doped GaN layer having a thickness between one and six microns disposed on a sapphire substrate; an n? doped GaN layer having a thickness greater than one micron disposed on said n+ GaN layer patterned into a plurality of elongated fingers and a metal layer disposed on the n? doped GaN layer and forming a Schottky junction therewith. The layer thicknesses and the length and width of the elongated fingers are…
CASCADED PFC AND RESONANT MODE POWER CONVERTERS
Granted: April 28, 2011
Application Number:
20110095734
A power supply includes a PFC (power factor correction) converter that has an input and an output. The PFC converter input is coupled to an input of the power supply. The power supply also includes a resonant mode converter that has an input and an output. The resonant mode converter input is coupled to the PFC converter output and the resonant mode output is coupled to an output of the power supply. A control unit is also included in the power supply and is coupled to receive a feedback…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING A CIRCUIT WITH A HIGH VOLTAGE SENSE DEVICE
Granted: April 21, 2011
Application Number:
20110089482
A control circuit with a high voltage sense device. In one embodiment, a circuit includes a first transistor disposed in a first substrate having first, second and third terminals. A first terminal of the first transistor is coupled to an external voltage. A voltage provided at a third terminal of the first transistor is substantially proportional to a voltage between the first and second terminals of the first transistor when the voltage between the first and second terminals of the…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PULSE WIDTH MODULATION
Granted: April 21, 2011
Application Number:
20110089986
An apparatus and method of providing a pulse width modulated signal that is responsive to a current are disclosed. A circuit according to aspects of the present invention includes a capacitor to convert a first current to a first voltage on the capacitor during a first time duration and to discharge a second current from the capacitor to change the first voltage to a second voltage during a second time duration. A comparator is also included and is coupled to an output of the capacitor…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR POWER CONVERSION AND REGULATION
Granted: April 21, 2011
Application Number:
20110089761
Techniques are disclosed to control a power converter with multiple output voltages. One example regulated power converter includes a an energy transfer element coupled between a power converter input and first and second power converter outputs. A switch is coupled between the power converter input and the energy transfer element such that switching of the switch causes a first output voltage to be generated at the first power converter output and a second output voltage to be generated…
Checkerboarded high-voltage vertical transistor layout
Granted: April 21, 2011
Application Number:
20110089476
In one embodiment, a transistor fabricated on a semiconductor die includes a first section of transistor segments disposed in a first area of the semiconductor die, and a second section of transistor segments disposed in a second area of the semiconductor die adjacent the first area. Each of the transistor segments in the first and second sections includes a pillar of a semiconductor material that extends in a vertical direction. First and second dielectric regions are disposed on…
METHOD AND APPARATUS PROVIDING FINAL TEST AND TRIMMING FOR A POWER SUPPLY CONTROLLER
Granted: April 14, 2011
Application Number:
20110084679
A power supply controller having final test and trim circuitry. In one embodiment, a power supply controller for switched mode power supply includes a selector circuit, a trim circuit, a shutdown circuit and a disable circuit. The trim circuit includes a programmable circuit connection that can be selected by the selector circuit by toggling a voltage on an external terminal such as for example a power supply terminal, a control terminal or a function terminal of the power supply…
FLYBACK POWER SUPPLY WITH FORCED PRIMARY REGULATION
Granted: April 14, 2011
Application Number:
20110085357
A flyback converter controller with forced primary regulation is disclosed. An example flyback converter controller includes a secondary control circuit to be coupled to a switched element coupled to a second winding of a coupled inductor of a flyback converter. The secondary control circuit is to be coupled across an output of the second winding to switch the switched element in response to a difference between an actual output value at the output of the second winding and a desired…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HIGH-SIDE INPUT WINDING REGULATION
Granted: April 14, 2011
Application Number:
20110085358
A power supply control circuit for use in a power supply is disclosed. An example power supply control circuit includes a power switch coupled between first and second terminals. The first terminal is to be coupled to a positive input supply rail of the power supply. The second terminal is to be coupled to an energy transfer element input of the power supply. A sampling circuit is coupled to a third terminal. The sampling circuit coupled to sample a signal across the energy transfer…
METHOD AND APPARATUS PROVIDING A MULTI-FUNCTION TERMINAL FOR A POWER SUPPLY CONTROLLER
Granted: April 14, 2011
Application Number:
20110085360
A power supply controller circuit is disclosed. An example power supply controller circuit includes a control circuit coupled to generate a switching waveform to be used to regulate an output of a power supply. A current input circuit is coupled to receive a current representative of an input of the power supply. The current input circuit is to generate a sense signal in response to the current representative of the input of the power supply. A first comparator is coupled to the current…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IMPLEMENTING SLEW RATE CONTROL USING BYPASS CAPACITOR
Granted: April 7, 2011
Application Number:
20110080209
A circuit to control the slew rate of charging a capacitance using the capacitance is disclosed. An example circuit includes a regulator circuit to regulate a supply voltage during a normal operation mode of the circuit. A capacitance circuit is coupled to the regulator circuit. The regulator circuit is coupled to charge a capacitance between a first node and a second node of the capacitance circuit with a charge current. A slew rate control circuit is coupled to the regulator circuit…
Monolithic AC/DC converter for generating DC supply voltage
Granted: April 7, 2011
Application Number:
20110080761
An integrated circuit (IC) comprises a rectifier/regulator circuit coupled to receive an ac source voltage and output a regulated dc voltage. The rectifier/regulator circuit includes first and second switching elements that provide charging current when enabled. The first and second switching elements do not provide charging current when disabled. A sensor circuit is coupled to sense the regulated dc voltage and generate a feedback control signal coupled to the rectifier/regulator…
High-voltage transistor structure with reduced gate capacitance
Granted: March 31, 2011
Application Number:
20110073942
In one embodiment, a high voltage field-effect transistor (HVFET) includes a field oxide layer that covers a first well region, the field oxide layer having a first thickness and extending in a second lateral direction from a drain region to near a second well region. A gate oxide covers a channel region and has a second dimension in a first lateral direction. A gate extends in the second lateral direction from the source region to over a portion of the field oxide layer, the gate being…
