U.S. Philips Corporation

Claude E Chapron

Stefan Barbu

Jean-Claude Kaire

Jean B Parpaleix

The invention relates to an integrated circuit having a transistor suitable for integrated injection logic (I.sup.2 L) with a single collector output region and having at least one base contact disposed between the collector output region (C.sub.60, C'.sub.60) and the injector (IN.sub.6), the surface of the collector output region being several times larger than that of a logic gate of the I.sup.2 L multi-collector type. The base (B.sub.60) has at least two rows of interconnected contacts: a first row (CB.sub.60, CB.sub.61, CB.sub.62) constituting the base contact disposed between the collector and the injector, and at least a second row (CB.sub.63, CB.sub.64, CB.sub.65) situated at the perimeter of the collector (C.sub.60,C'.sub.60), which can consist of one or several parts. The injector (IN.sub.6) may also have a row of interconnected contacts (CIN.sub.1, CIN.sub.2, CIN.sub.3).

Integrated circuit with high output current I.sup.2 L transistor

The protection device according to the invention is of the type comprising three active regions of alternating conductivity types, whose extreme regions are connected on the one hand to an input to be protected and on the other hand to a supply voltage source of the circuit. The first active region (2) forms a strip surrounded by the second active region (3). Contact regions (6 and 7) cover the active regions (2 and 3, respectively) and are covered by metallizations (8 and 9), respectively). The contact regions (6 and 7) are separated by thick insulating regions (4). One of the metallizations (8) is connected to the input to be protected and the other metallization (9) is connected to a reference voltage source.

Integrated circuit comprising a device for protection against

The invention relates to semiconductor devices comprising logic, or low-noise, transistors, or transistors for very high frequencies whose structure is improved with respect to the dimensions, the series resistance value, and/or the gain. Such semiconductor devices may be integrated into a semiconductor body having surfaces with contact windows covered with layers of metal combined with the material of the semiconductor body. A multi-collector transistor structure is also formed.

Method of manufacturing conductive electrodes for a circuit element, and

In the method according to the invention conductive electrodes are provided with the aid of a mask aligned with respect to at least two contact windows present in an insulating layer. First, layers of metal combining with semiconductor material, for example, Pt silicide, are provided in the contact windows. A narrow region of the insulating layer between the two contact windows may have a reduced dimension because in their extreme relative positions the conductive electrodes can only partially cover the contact windows. The invention also relates to semiconductor devices comprising logic (or low-noise) transistors, or transistors for very high frequencies whose structure is improved with respect to their dimensions, their series resistance value and/or their gain.

The invention relates to an I.sup.2 L circuit in which the transistors provided with current injectors are distributed between a number of groups which are connected in series as stages between the supply connections. For the logic signal connections between a higher and a lower stage, a current source is used which is controlled from the higher stage and which is connected to the base of a controlled transistor in the lower stage. According to the invention, the switching time of the controlled transistor is reduced by providing a conductive connection which comprises the collector-emitter path of an auxiliary transistor between the base of the controlled transistor and a suitable point of a reference potential.

I.sup.2 L Circuit with auxiliary transistor

A threshold-effect integrated logic circuit of the I.sup.2 L type with hysteresis including a trigger circuit and an amplifier. The difference between the two voltage thresholds of the trigger circuit is controlled by an interrupting unit, and is equal to the voltage drop across a diode. The difference between each threshold and the output level results in an immunity to long-term spurious signals and static noise.

Threshold-effect integrated injection logic circuit with hysteresis

A device for supplying a regulated current to an integrated circuit with current injectors. This device comprises two current paths, the currents which flow in the current paths having a fixed ratio which is maintained by means of a current dividing circuit and upon which current a current dependent ratio is imposed by means of a coupling circuit, in order to stabilize two currents. In accordance with the invention at least one of the semiconductor junctions included in the device, which also stabilize the currents, is constituted by the circuit to be powered, which is based on the recognition that the circuit to be powered exhibits a voltage-current characteristic which corresponds to that of a forward-biased semiconductor junction.

Device for supplying a regulated current

In an integrated semiconductor Hall-effect switching device, the Hall element is effectively prebiased by unequal base-emitter junction internal voltage drops resulting from unequal base-emitter areas in the transistors connected to the Hall element.

Hall effect-switching device

Integrated injection logic circuits are described comprising groups of active transistors having biasing current injectors with the groups arranged in series across a voltage supply and with a signal connection between different groups. This circuit arragement allows efficient use of a higher voltage supply as might be required for other logic circuitry present.

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Caen, France

Claude E Chapron