Macom Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.

M/a -com, Inc.

Mia-com, Inc.

James Joseph Brogle

Timothy Edward Boles

Margaret Mary Barter

David Hoag

Joseph Gerard Bukowski

Michael G Abbott

Joel Lee Goodrich

Jean-Marc Mourant

Brendan Foley

Andrzej Rozbicki

Belinda Simone Edmee Piernas

David Ryan

David Russell Hoag

Luis Baez

A semiconductor device architecture includes a silicon substrate having sidewalls that are passivated by encapsulating the sidewalls in dielectric materials having high electric field strength. Encapsulating all the sidewalls using high field strength dielectric materials eliminates electrical paths in air or vacuum and confines the electric fields in these high field strength materials, increasing the breakdown voltage relative to unencapsulated devices and allowing the device to withstand greater standoff voltages. In some cases, encapsulating the sidewalls in this manner can allow the device to withstand voltages of 500V or greater.

Edge encapsulation for high voltage devices

A number of diode limiter semiconductor structures are described. The diode limiters can include a hybrid arrangement of diodes with different intrinsic regions, all formed over the same semiconductor substrate. In one example, a diode limiter includes a first diode having a first doped region formed to a first depth into an intrinsic layer of a semiconductor structure, a second diode having a second doped region formed to a second depth into the intrinsic layer of the semiconductor structure, and at least one passive component. The first diode includes a first effective intrinsic region of a first thickness, the second diode includes a second effective intrinsic region of a second thickness. The first thickness is greater than the second thickness. The passive component is over the intrinsic layer and electrically coupled as part of the diode limiter.

Monolithic multi-I region diode limiters

A monolithic, vertical, planar semiconductor structure with a number diodes having different intrinsic regions is described. The diodes have intrinsic regions of different thicknesses as compared to each other. In one example, the semiconductor structure includes an N-type silicon substrate, an intrinsic layer formed on the N-type silicon substrate, and a dielectric layer formed on the intrinsic layer. A number of openings are formed in the dielectric layer. Multiple anodes are sequentially formed into the intrinsic layer through the openings formed in the dielectric layer. For example, a first P-type region is formed through a first one the openings to a first depth into the intrinsic layer, and a second P-type region is formed through a second one of the openings to a second depth into the intrinsic layer. Additional P-type regions can be formed to other depths.

PIN diodes with multi-thickness intrinsic regions

A transmit-received (TR) switch is designed such that the receiver-side shunt PIN diode acts as a switchable shunt diode while the switch operates in transmit mode and acts as a limiter while the switch operates in receive mode. This is achieved using a DC Schottky diode between the receiver-side shunt network and the biasing network. While the switch operates in receive mode, received radio frequency (RF) signals that exceed a power threshold cause the Schottky diode to become forward biased, causing the shunt PIN diode to act as a limiter that protects the receiver from excessively high RF signal power. This approach affords a high level of protection using a small number of components and without adding insertion loss to the RF signal path.

TR switch with high RX power protection

A semiconductor device has a substrate and a first semiconductor layer with a high resistivity, such as an epitaxial layer with a resistivity in the range of 3000-5000 ohms/cm, formed over the substrate. A second semiconductor layer is formed at least partially in the first semiconductor layer. A capacitor is formed at least partially over the first semiconductor layer. The capacitor has a plurality of trenches extending through the first semiconductor layer and into the substrate, and a first insulating layer formed in the trench. The trenches can be parallel, serpentine, or other geometric shape. The capacitor also has a second insulating layer formed over the first insulating layer, and a polysilicon layer formed over the second insulating layer. A conductive layer is formed over the capacitor. The first semiconductor layer with high resistivity provides a vertical path to discharge high voltage events incident on the capacitor.

Semiconductor device and method of forming monolithic surge protection resistor

Vertical etch heterolithic integrated circuit devices are described. A method of manufacturing NIP diodes is described in one example. A P-type substrate is provided, and an intrinsic layer is formed on the P-type substrate. An oxide layer is formed on the intrinsic layer, and one or more openings are formed in the oxide layer. One or more N-type regions are implanted in the intrinsic layer through the openings in the oxide layer. The N-type regions form cathodes of the NIP diodes. A dielectric layer deposited over the oxide layer is selectively etched away with the oxide layer to expose certain ranges of the intrinsic layer to define a geometry of the NIP diodes. The intrinsic layer and the P-type substrate are vertically etched away within the ranges to expose sidewalls of the intrinsic layer and the P-type substrate. The P-type substrate forms the anodes of the NIP diodes.

Vertical etch heterolithic integrated circuit devices

A number of monolithic diode limiter semiconductor structures are described. The diode limiters can include a hybrid arrangement of diodes with different intrinsic regions, all formed over the same semiconductor substrate. In one example, a method of manufacture of a monolithic diode limiter includes providing an N-type semiconductor substrate, providing an intrinsic layer on the N-type semiconductor substrate, implanting a first P-type region to a first depth into the intrinsic layer, implanting a second P-type region to a second depth into the intrinsic layer, and forming at least one passive circuit element over the intrinsic layer. The method can also include forming an insulating layer on the intrinsic layer, forming a first opening in the insulating layer, and forming a second opening in the insulating layer. The method can also include implanting the first P-type region through the first opening and implanting the second P-type region through the second opening.

A number of monolithic multi-throw diode switch structures are described. The monolithic multi-throw diode switches can include a hybrid arrangement of diodes with different intrinsic regions, all formed over the same semiconductor substrate. In one example, two PIN diodes in a monolithic multi-throw diode switch have different intrinsic region thicknesses. The first PIN diode has a thinner intrinsic region, and the second PIN diode has a thicker intrinsic region. This configuration allows for both the thin intrinsic region PIN diode and the thick intrinsic region PIN diode to be individually optimized. As one example, for a switch functioning in a dedicated transmit/receive mode, the first transmit PIN diode can have a thicker intrinsic region than the second receive PIN diode to maximize power handling for the transmit arm and maximize receive sensitivity and insertion loss in the receive arm.

Monolithic multi-I region diode switches

A diode semiconductor structure is described. In one example, a diode device includes a substrate, a layer of first semiconductor material of a first doping type, a layer of intrinsic semiconductor material, and a layer of second semiconductor material of a second doping type. The diode device also includes a metal contact formed on the layer of first semiconductor material and a metal via formed from a backside of the substrate, through the substrate, and through the layer of first semiconductor material, where the metal via contacts a bottom surface of the metal contact on the layer of first semiconductor material. In this configuration, a direct electrical connection can be achieved between the backside of the substrate and the metal contact on the layer of first semiconductor material without the need for an additional metal connection, such as a metal air bridge, to the metal contact.

Unibody lateral via

A number of monolithic diode limiter semiconductor structures are described. The diode limiters can include a hybrid arrangement of diodes with different intrinsic regions, all formed over the same semiconductor substrate. In one example, two PIN diodes in a diode limiter semiconductor structure have different intrinsic region thicknesses. The first PIN diode has a thinner intrinsic region, and the second PIN diode has a thicker intrinsic region. This configuration allows for both the thin intrinsic region PIN diode and the thick intrinsic region PIN diode to be individually optimized. The thin intrinsic region PIN diode can be optimized for low level turn on and flat leakage, and the thick intrinsic region PIN diode can be optimized for low capacitance, good isolation, and high incident power levels. This configuration is not limited to two stage solutions, as additional stages can be used for higher incident power handling.

A switching circuit includes a first diode coupled between a first terminal and a second terminal, a second diode coupled between the first terminal and a third terminal, and a bias circuit coupled to the first terminal and configured to bias the first diode on and the second diode off in a first switch state and to bias the first diode off and the second diode on in a second switch state, the bias circuit including a voltage converter configured to convert a fixed voltage to an intermediate voltage and a current source coupled in series with the voltage converter.

Low power consumption diode switch

A PIN diode comprising an N-type substrate comprising a cathode of the PIN diode and having an intrinsic layer disposed upon the N-type substrate and having a top surface a P-type material disposed upon the top surface of the intrinsic layer comprising an anode of the PIN diode and a N-type material disposed over the sidewall of the cathode and over the sidewall and a portion of the top surface of the intrinsic material that is not occupied by the anode, wherein a horizontal gap is defined between the anode and the cathode through the intrinsic material, the gap being variable in width and/or the horizontal gap is less than the thickness of the intrinsic layer.

PIN diode with improved power limiting

A diode having a first semiconductor region of a first polarity and a second semiconductor region of an opposite polarity at least partially surrounding the first semiconductor region. A metal contact coupled to the second semiconductor region at least partially surrounding the first semiconductor region. The diode offers improvements in switching speed.

Diode with improved switching speed

A heterojunction P-I-N diode switch comprises a first layer of doped semiconductor material of a first doping type, a second layer of doped semiconductor material of a second doping type and a substrate on which is disposed the first and second layers. An intrinsic layer of semiconductor material is disposed between the first layer and second layer. The semiconductor material composition of at least one of the first layer and second layer is sufficiently different from that of the intrinsic layer so as to form a heterojunction therebetween, creating an energy barrier in which injected carriers from the junction are confined by the barrier, effectively reducing the series resistance within the I region of the P-I-N diode and the insertion loss relative to that of homojunction P-I-N diodes.

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Merrimac, MA, United States of America

James Joseph Brogle