Sanken Electric Co., Ltd.

Mio Suzuki

Akio Iwabuchi

A field-effect semiconductor device such as a HEMT or MESFET is monolithically integrated with a Schottky diode for feedback, regeneration, or protection purposes. The field-effect semiconductor device includes a main semiconductor region having formed thereon a source, a drain, and a gate between the source and the drain. Also formed on the main semiconductor region, preferably between gate and drain, is a Schottky electrode electrically coupled to the source. The Schottky electrode provides a Schottky diode in combination with the main semiconductor region. A current flow is assured from Schottky electrode to drain without interruption by a depletion region expanding from the gate.

Monolithic integrated circuit

Monolithic integrated circuit of a field-effect semiconductor device and a diode

A HEMT-type field-effect semiconductor device has a main semiconductor region formed on a silicon substrate. The main semiconductor region is a lamination of a buffer layer on the substrate, an electron transit layer on the buffer layer, and an electron supply layer on the electron transit layer. A source and a drain overlie the electron supply layer. A carrier storage layer overlies the electron supply layer via an insulator, and a gate overlies the carrier storage layer via another insulator. Upon application of an initialiser voltage to the gate, the carrier storage layer has stored therein a sufficient amount of carriers to hold the device off even without voltage application to the gate. An initialiser circuit is also disclosed whereby the device is initialized automatically for normally-off operation.

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Saitama, Japan

Mio Suzuki