Volterra Semiconductor Patent Grants

Dual gate lateral double-diffused MOSFET (LDMOS) transistor

Granted: March 5, 2013
Patent Number: 8390057
Method and apparatus for providing a lateral double-diffused MOSFET (LDMOS) transistor having a dual gate. The dual gate includes a first gate and a second gate. The first gate includes a first oxide layer formed over a substrate, and the second gate includes a second oxide layer formed over the substrate. The first gate is located a pre-determined distance from the second gate. A digitally implemented voltage regulator is also provided that includes a switching circuit having a dual…

Semiconductor package with under bump metallization routing

Granted: February 5, 2013
Patent Number: 8368212
A semiconductor package includes a semiconductor substrate a semiconductor substrate having source and drain regions formed therein, an intermediate routing structure to provide electrical interconnects to the source and drain regions, a dielectric layer formed over the intermediate routing structure, and an under-bump-metallization (UBM) stack. The intermediate routing structure includes an outermost conductive layer, and the dielectric layer has an opening positioned over a portion of…

Lateral double-diffused MOSFET

Granted: January 15, 2013
Patent Number: 8354717
A LDMOS transistor is implemented in a first impurity region on a substrate. The LDMOS transistor has a source that includes a second impurity region. The second impurity region is implanted into the surface of the substrate within the first impurity region. Additionally, the LDMOS transistor has a drain that includes a third impurity region. The third impurity region is implanted into the surface of the substrate within the first impurity region. The third impurity region is spaced a…

Method for making magnetic components with N-phase coupling, and related inductor structures

Granted: January 8, 2013
Patent Number: 8350658
Methods and structures for constructing a magnetic core of a coupled inductor. The method provides for constructing N-phase coupled inductors as both single and scalable magnetic structures, where N is an integer greater than 1. The method additionally describes how such a construction of the magnetic core may enhance the benefits of using the scalable N-phase coupled inductor. The first and second magnetic cores may be formed into shapes that, when coupled together, may form a single…

Asymmetrical coupled inductors and associated methods

Granted: December 11, 2012
Patent Number: 8330567
An asymmetrical coupled inductor includes a first and a second winding and a core. The core is formed of a magnetic material and magnetically couples together the windings. The core is configured such that a leakage inductance value of the first winding is greater than a leakage inductance value of the second winding. The coupled inductor is included, for example, in a multi-phase DC-to-DC converter. A DC-to-DC converter including a symmetrical coupled inductor includes at least one…

Semicoductor device having a lateral double diffused MOSFET transistor with a lightly doped source and a CMOS transistor

Granted: November 20, 2012
Patent Number: 8314461
Methods and systems for monolithically fabricating a lateral double-diffused MOSFET (LDMOS) transistor having a source, drain, and a gate on a substrate, with a process flow that is compatible with a CMOS process flow are described.

Low profile inductors for high density circuit boards

Granted: October 30, 2012
Patent Number: 8299882
An inductor includes a core formed of a magnetic material and a foil winding wound at least partially around or through at least a portion of the core. A first end of the winding extends away from the core to form an extended output tongue configured and arranged to supplement or serve as a substitute for a printed circuit board foil trace. A second end of the winding forms a solder tab. At least a portion of the extended output tongue and the solder tab are formed at a same height…

Method for making magnetic components with M-phase coupling, and related inductor structures

Granted: October 30, 2012
Patent Number: 8299885
An M phase coupled inductor includes a magnetic core including a first end magnetic element, a second end magnetic element, and M legs disposed between and connecting the first and second end magnetic elements. M is an integer greater than one. The coupled inductor further includes M windings, where each winding has a substantially rectangular cross section. Each one of the M windings is at least partially wound about a respective leg.

Method for making magnetic components with M-phase coupling, and related inductor structures

Granted: October 23, 2012
Patent Number: 8294544
An M-phase coupled inductor including a magnetic core and M windings, where M is an integer greater than one. The magnetic core is formed of a core material, and the magnetic core includes a first outer leg forming a first gap. The first gap includes a first gap material having lower magnetic permeability than the core material. Each winding is wound at least partially around at least a portion of the magnetic core, and each winding has a respective leakage inductance. The first gap…

Error amplification for current mode control switching regulation

Granted: October 9, 2012
Patent Number: 8283902
A voltage regulator has a switch configured to alternately couple and decouple a voltage source through an inductor to a load, feedback circuitry to generate a feedback current, a current sensor configured to measure the feedback current, and a controller configured to receive the feedback current measurement from the current sensor and, in response thereto, to control a duty cycle of the switch. The feedback circuitry includes an amplifier having a first input configured to receive a…

Integrated electrical circuit and test to determine the integrity of a silicon die

Granted: August 28, 2012
Patent Number: 8253420
A detection circuit and one or more wires or circuit traces are included in a die. The combination is used to detect mechanical failure of the substrate, e.g. silicon after singulation of the dice from the wafer. Failures may be detected at different regions or planes within the die, and the tests may be performed during operation of the packaged die and integrated circuit, even after installation and during operation of a larger electronic device in which it is incorporated. This is…

Coupled inductor with improved leakage inductance control

Granted: August 7, 2012
Patent Number: 8237530
An M-winding coupled inductor includes a first end magnetic element, a second end magnetic element, M connecting magnetic elements, and M windings. M is an integer greater than one. Each connecting magnetic element is disposed between and connects the first and second end magnetic elements. Each winding is wound at least partially around a respective one of the M connecting magnetic elements. The coupled inductor further includes at least one top magnetic element adjacent to and…

Memory program circuit

Granted: July 31, 2012
Patent Number: 8233306
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products for programming memory. In one aspect, a program circuit includes a first transistive element; a second transistive element coupled to a first end of the first transistive element; a burn subcircuit, the burn subcircuit including a third transistive element coupled to a fourth transistive element, where the drain of the third transistive element is coupled to a second end of the first transistive element, and the source…

Two-phase coupled inductors which promote improved printed circuit board layout

Granted: May 8, 2012
Patent Number: 8174348
Two-phase coupled inductors including a magnetic core, at least a first winding, and at least three solder tabs. Power supplies including a printed circuit board, a two-phase coupled inductor affixed to the printed circuit board, and first and second switching circuits affixed to the printed circuit board. Each of the first and second switching circuits are electrically coupled to a respective solder tab of the two-phase coupled inductor affixed to the printed circuit board.

Conductive routings in integrated circuits using under bump metallization

Granted: May 1, 2012
Patent Number: 8169081
An integrated circuit structure includes a first conductive layer and an under bump metallization layer over the first conductive layer. The first conductive layer has a first conductive region and a second conductive region electrically isolated from the first conductive region. The under bump metallization layer has a first conductive area and a second conductive area electrically isolated from the first conductive area, the first conductive area substantially located over the first…

Current report in current mode switching regulation

Granted: February 21, 2012
Patent Number: 8120342
A voltage regulator includes a switch configured to alternately couple and decouple a voltage source through a inductor to a load, a feedback circuitry configured to generate a feedback current proportional to a difference between a desired voltage and an output voltage at an output terminal, a current sensor configured to measure the feedback current, a controller configured to receive the feedback current level from the current sensor and, in response thereto, to control a duty cycle…

Wafer-level chip scale package

Granted: January 31, 2012
Patent Number: 8106516
A chip scale package implements solder bars to form a connection between a chip and a trace, formed in a substrate, such as another chip or PCB. Solder bars are formed by depositing one or more solder layers into the socket, or optionally, depositing a base metal layer into the socket and applying the solder layer to the base metal layer. The geometry of a solder bars may be rectangular, square, or other regular or irregular geometry. Solder bars provide a greater utilization of the…

Coupled inductor with improved leakage inductance control

Granted: January 24, 2012
Patent Number: 8102233
An M-winding coupled inductor includes a first end magnetic element, a second end magnetic element, M connecting magnetic elements, and M windings. M is an integer greater than one. Each connecting magnetic element is disposed between and connects the first and second end magnetic elements. Each winding is wound at least partially around a respective one of the M connecting magnetic elements, and each winding has a respective leakage inductance. The coupled inductor further includes at…

Lead assembly for a flip-chip power switch

Granted: December 27, 2011
Patent Number: 8085553
A power switch assembly includes a flip-chip type integrated circuit chip and a lead-frame with a plurality of spaced apart parallel lead sections. The flip-chip type integrated circuit chip includes a distributed transistor, and first and second pluralities of flip-chip interconnects connected to source and drain regions, respectively. The first and second lead sections at least partially overlap along the first axis. Each of the plurality of lead sections includes a contact portion and…

Method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a lateral double diffused MOSFET transistor with a lightly doped source and CMOS transistor

Granted: December 6, 2011
Patent Number: 8071436
Methods and systems for monolithically fabricating a lateral double-diffused MOSFET (LDMOS) transistor having a source, drain, and a gate on a substrate, with a process flow that is compatible with a CMOS process flow are described. In some implementations, a method of fabricating a semiconductor device is provided that includes forming an LDMOS transistor having a first drain with a first drain-side n+ region, a first source with a first source-side n+ region and a first source-side p+…