Shield wrap for a heterostructure field effect transistor
Granted: June 19, 2018
Patent Number:
10002957
Devices are disclosed for providing heterojunction field effect transistor (HFETs) having improved performance and/or reduced noise generation. A gate electrode is over a portion of the active region and is configured to modulate a conduction channel in the active region of an HFET. The active region is in a semiconductor film between a source electrode and a drain electrode. A first passivation film is over the active region. An encapsulation film is over the first passivation film. A…
Clamp for a hybrid switch
Granted: June 12, 2018
Patent Number:
9998115
A cascode switch circuit includes a normally-on device cascode coupled to a normally-off device between first and second terminals of the cascode switch circuit. A leakage clamp circuit is coupled between first and second terminals of the normally-off device. The leakage clamp circuit is coupled to clamp a voltage at an intermediate terminal between the normally-on device and the normally-off device at a threshold voltage level. The leakage clamp circuit is further coupled to clamp a…
Controller IC with zero-crossing detector and capacitor discharge switching element
Granted: May 29, 2018
Patent Number:
9985542
An integrated circuit (IC) for controlling the discharge of a capacitor coupled across first and second input terminals of a power converter circuit, wherein the first and second terminals for receiving an ac line voltage. The IC includes a switching element coupled across the first and second input terminals and a detector circuit. The detector circuit including first and second comparators that produce first and second output signals responsive to a zero-crossing event of the ac line…
Integrated linear current sense circuitry for semiconductor transistor devices
Granted: May 29, 2018
Patent Number:
9983239
An integrated circuit (IC) for sensing a current flowing through a transistor device includes a substrate and a current scaling circuit that includes first and second MOSFET devices. The first MOSFET device has a drain coupled to the switched FET at a first node and a source coupled to the substrate. The second MOSFET device has a source coupled to the substrate and a drain coupled to a second node. The first MOSFET device has a channel size that is K times larger than the second MOSFET…
Load responsive jitter
Granted: May 22, 2018
Patent Number:
9979296
A controller for use in a power converter includes a comparator to compare a current sense signal with a current limit to generate a comparator output signal representative of whether a switch current has reached the current limit. A drive circuit controls switching of a power switch to regulate an output of the power converter in response to a feedback signal and the comparator output signal. The drive circuit turns off the power switch in response to the comparator output signal. A…
Field-effect transistor device with partial finger current sensing FETs
Granted: May 15, 2018
Patent Number:
9973183
A lateral semiconductor field-effect transistor (FET) device fabricated on a substrate includes a high-voltage main FET having interdigitated, elongated source and drain electrode fingers each of which is electrically connected to a respective interdigitated, elongated source and drain region disposed in the substrate. The FET device further includes first and second sense FETs each having a drain region in common with the high-voltage main FET. The sense FETS also include respective…
High voltage vertical semiconductor device with multiple pillars in a racetrack arrangement
Granted: May 15, 2018
Patent Number:
9972681
A semiconductor device including a dummy pillar and a plurality of racetrack pillars. The dummy pillar of semiconductor material extends in a first lateral direction. The plurality of racetrack pillars, including the semiconducting material, surrounds the dummy pillar. Each of the plurality of racetrack pillars has a first linear section, which extends in the first lateral direction, and a first rounded section to form a racetrack shape. The plurality of racetrack pillars includes a…
Multiple stage gate drive for cascode current sensing
Granted: April 24, 2018
Patent Number:
9954461
A controller for use in a power converter includes a current sense circuit to generate a current limit signal and an overcurrent signal in response to a source signal, a first sense finger signal, and a second sense finger signal. A control circuit is coupled to generate a control signal in response to the current limit signal and the overcurrent limit signal. A drive circuit is coupled to generate a drive signal with a multiple stage gate drive in response to the control signal. The…
Communicating across galvanic isolation, for example, in a power converter
Granted: April 17, 2018
Patent Number:
9948294
A signal transmission system for communicating across galvanic isolation. The signal transmission system includes first circuitry referenced to a first potential, the first circuitry comprising signal transmission circuitry, second circuitry referenced to a second potential and galvanically isolated from the first circuitry, the second circuitry comprising signal reception circuitry, and a magnetic coupling between the first circuitry to the second circuitry across the galvanic…
Power converter using multiple controllers
Granted: March 27, 2018
Patent Number:
9929656
A power converter controller includes a primary controller and a secondary controller. The primary controller is coupled to receive one or more request signals from the secondary controller and transition a power switch from an OFF state to an ON state in response to the received request signals. The secondary controller is coupled to transmit the request signals to the primary controller and control the amount of time between the transmission of each of the request signals. The…
Ballast compatibility buffer circuit for LED lamps
Granted: March 13, 2018
Patent Number:
9918361
A light-emitting diode (LED) tube including a ballast compatible buffer circuit for interfacing with a ballast circuit and for driving a light-emitting diode LED tube. The LED tube includes an LED driver circuit with first and second input terminals coupled to receive an ac input signal from the ballast circuit, an input rectifier circuit coupled to receive the ac input signal and output a rectified voltage signal, a switching regulator including a regulator switch controlled by a…
Method and apparatus for sensing multiple voltage values from a single terminal of a power converter controller
Granted: March 6, 2018
Patent Number:
9912242
A method for regulating an output of a power converter includes receiving a signal at a single terminal of an integrated circuit controller. The signal at the single terminal represents a line input voltage of the power converter during at least a portion of an on time of a power switch. The signal at the single terminal represents an output voltage of the power converter during at least a portion of an off time of the power switch. The power switch is switched in response to the signal…
Reduction of audible noise in a power converter
Granted: February 13, 2018
Patent Number:
9893630
A power converter controller includes a drive circuit that generates a drive signal to switch a power switch to control a transfer of energy to an output of the power converter in response to a current sense signal, a feedback signal, and a current limit signal. A current limit generator generates the current limit signal in response to a load coupled to the output. An audible noise detection circuit generates a frequency skip signal in response to the drive signal to indicate when an…
Reduction of audible noise in a power converter
Granted: January 23, 2018
Patent Number:
9876433
A controller for use in a power converter includes a drive circuit coupled to generate a drive signal to control switching of a power switch of the power converter in response to a feedback signal to control a transfer of energy from an input to an output of the power converter. An audible noise window circuit is coupled to generate a frequency skip signal in response to the feedback signal. The frequency skip signal is activated in response to a frequency of a feedback request signal…
Clamp for a hybrid switch
Granted: January 16, 2018
Patent Number:
9871510
A cascode switch circuit includes a normally-on device cascode coupled to a normally-of device between first and second terminals of the cascode switch circuit. A leakage clamp circuit is coupled between first and second terminals of the normally-off device. The leakage clamp circuit is coupled to clamp a voltage at an intermediate terminal between the normally-on device and the normally-off device at a threshold voltage level. The leakage clamp circuit is further coupled to clamp a…
Input voltage sensor responsive to load conditions
Granted: January 9, 2018
Patent Number:
9866125
An ac-dc power converter controller includes a switch driver circuit coupled to generate a drive signal to control switching of a power switch to control a transfer of energy from an input of the power converter to an output of the power converter. An input sense circuit is coupled to receive an input sense signal representative of the input of a power converter. A sense enable circuit is coupled to generate a sense enable signal in response to the drive signal. The sense enable signal…
Hybrid boost-bypass function in two-stage converter
Granted: January 9, 2018
Patent Number:
9866122
A boost-bypass converter includes a boost inductor coupled between an input and an output of the boost-bypass converter. A bypass diode is coupled between the input the output of the boost-bypass converter. A boost switching element is coupled to the boost inductor, and is coupled to be activated during a first interval in each line half cycle of an input voltage to boost an output voltage at the output of the boost-bypass converter. The boost switching element is coupled to be…
Programming controller parameters through external terminals of a power converter
Granted: December 26, 2017
Patent Number:
9853552
A method of operating a power converter includes applying a first signal sequence to one or more terminals of the power converter to unlock a controller of the power converter and cause the controller to enter a programming mode, applying a second signal sequence to the one or more terminals of the power converter to program a controller parameter of the power converter, and applying a third signal sequence to the one or more terminals to lock the controller of the power converter and…
Synchronous rectification
Granted: December 19, 2017
Patent Number:
9847732
A controller for a use with a power converter includes a sensor coupled to sense a signal on a secondary side of the power converter. The sensor is coupled to detect a turn off of a power switch on a primary side of the power converter. A charge source is coupled to charge a control terminal of a synchronous rectifier on the secondary side of the power converter in response to said detection of the turn off of the power switch to a voltage beyond a threshold voltage of the synchronous…
Switched mode power converter controller with ramp time modulation
Granted: December 5, 2017
Patent Number:
9837911
A controller for use in a power converter includes a drive circuit coupled to generate a drive signal to control switching of a power switch to control a transfer of energy from a power converter input to a power converter output. An input for receiving an enable signal including enable events is responsive to the power converter output. The drive circuit is coupled to turn ON the power switch in response to the enable events and turn OFF the power switch in response to a power switch…
