National Semiconductor Corporation

Hybrinetics, Inc.

Hyrbrinetics, Inc.

Robert C Dobkin

James L Dunkley

Robert A Pease

James B Cecil

Joseph J Connolly, Jr

Tim D Isbell

Ronald C Laugesen

Bernard D Miller

Lawrence R Sample

Mark S Shieu

A semiconductor device wherein surface stabilization is provided by a shallow layer of ion implanted doping material on the surface of the semiconductor and beneath the passivating oxide layer. One embodiment is a bipolar transistor including a collector region, a base region and an emitter region, the base region being provided with the shallow ion implanted layer at the surface thereof. Another embodiment is a zener diode device with an anode region and a cathode region, the cathode region being provided with the shallow ion implanted layer at the surface thereof. Another embodiment is a JFET with a gate region and a source and drain region and a channel region extending through the gate region between the source and drain regions, the channel region being provided with the shallow ion implanted layer at the surface thereof.

Semiconductor device with an ion implanted stabilization layer

A pair of transistors, connected as a differential amplifier, is operated so that the transistors run at different current densities. A voltage divider is coupled across a pair of circuit terminals so that a portion of the terminal voltage is coupled to and used to differentially bias the transistors. An amplifier, responsive to the transistors differential output, and coupled to the divider, is used to vary the terminal voltage to force the differential output to zero. The transistor bias voltage thus generated has a positive temperature coefficient of voltage. A forward biased diode, which has a negative temperature coefficient of voltage, is also incorporated into the divider. When the terminal voltage is made equal to the semiconductor bandgap, the two temperature sensitive terms cancel to compensate the reference voltage.

Temperature compensated bandgap voltage reference circuit

Apparatus for interrupting power to a plurality of parallel loads such as lighting circuits and selectively reapplying power to the loads includes a first switch serially interconnecting the loads to a power line. Second switch circuits are serially connected with each load whereby interruption of power to a load for a predetermined period of time opens the switch circuits. The switch circuits include bidirectional conduction devices such as triacs which require a gating signal before becoming conductive. A resistor-capacitor circuit provides a gating signal to the triac to maintain conduction thereof for the predetermined period of time.

Apparatus for controlling power consumption in lighting loads and the

Process for manufacturing a JFET with an ion implanted stabilization

A pair of common base connected transistors have their emitters coupled to provide the input terminals of a differential amplifier. The collectors are coupled to a current mirror that provides a small current bias that operates the transistors at equal current densities. The common bases are coupled to a node that is driven to a level that causes the bases to track the emitters with a one V.sub.BE offset that will therefore automatically adjust to conform to the applied current. When a remotely grounded transducer is coupled to the amplifier input it can operate at a common mode potential outside of the span of the power supply that operates the amplifier.

Differential amplifier input stage capable of operating in excess of

A composite transistor suitable for use in monolithic integrated circuits is characterized as having extremely high current gain, stable operation and low leakage current. Two vertical NPN transistors are coupled into a circuit configuration, along with two lateral PNP transistors, that has three terminals. These terminals behave as a single NPN transistor having characteristics that are superior to those of a conventional NPN transistor.

High gain composite transistor

A voltage reducing circuit device for reducing the RMS value of an incoming AC voltage is disclosed herein. This device is especially suitable for reducing line voltage applied to a load requiring lower voltage. In a preferred embodiment, the device is one which allows a domestic made 115 VAC small heating apparatus, such as a hair dryer, to be used in foreign countries where the 230 VAC service is available. In any case, the device is one which is relatively insensitive to fluctuations in line voltage and to changes in frequency.

Phase controlled voltage reducing circuit having line voltage

An arrangement for controlling power during any given half cycle of AC power is disclosed herein and includes a gated switching device connected across an AC voltage supply, and a charging capacitor also connected with the supply voltage and adapted to discharge into the gate of the switching device for firing the latter under predetermined, externally controlled conditions. A low voltage control circuit is also disclosed herein and is especially suitable for use with the switch arrangement just recited, specifically for causing the capacitor to discharge at a particular point during a particular half cycle in the AC voltage supply.

Power control arrangement and control circuit especially suitable for

In an instrumentation amplifier a differential input is provided, one side of which is connected to an instrument ground that is remote from the amplifier power supply ground. The remote ground can, under some conditions, operate at a potential that is outside the potential span of the amplifier power supply. Such common mode potentials are difficult to cope with when the difference exceeds about 0.6 volt. The circuit employs a pair of transistors biased to equal current densities. The emitters constitute the circuit input terminals. Means are provided to adjust the transistor collector to base voltage to establish a constant predetermined current. The transistor that is to be connected to the remotely grounded input has a resistor coupled between emitter and base to produce a reference current. A resistor connected between the transistor bases will then assume a potential equal to the emitter potential difference. A current mirror reproduces the base resistor current at the amplifier output terminal. Since the transistor emitters can operate at several volts below ground, an extended common mode range is available.

Instrumentation amplifier with extended common mode range

In a monolithic integrated circuit, on-chip trimming is implemented by connecting a zener diode across each element of a plural element trimmable resistor. Adjacent diodes are connected back to back and a pair of conventional bonding pads connected thereto. In trimming, when it is desired to short out one of the trimmable elements, the associated diode is subjected to an overload pulse by means of test probes applied to the bonding pads. Since the diodes are connected back to back, the pulse polarity will determine which diode is overloaded in the reverse bias condition. Thus, the trimmable element to be shorted is determined by pulse polarity and only one bonding pad is needed for each pair of trimmable elements.

Integrated circuit on chip trimming

A statistically enhanced ratio-matched network in a circuit chip is disclosed. The network may be either a resistance network or a capacitance network. In a ratio-matched resistance network, such as an R-2R resistance ladder, a plurality of resistances in a circuit chip have a rational ratio of resistance values to each other. All of the resistances each consists of an integral number of simultaneously fabricated resistors of approximately uniform dimensions, and certain critical resistances each consists of a series-parallel combination of the resistors for statistically enhancing the accuracy of the rational ratio of the critical resistances to each other.

Statistical enhancement of the accuracy of a ratio-matched network in a

In an IC having a power dissipating element, an integral thermocouple is located so as to respond to the thermal gradient in the IC chip that results from such power dissipation. Control circuitry, also on chip, responds to the thermocouple output and acts to limit dissipation to produce a predetermined maximum thermal gradient.

Power IC protection by sensing and limiting thermal gradients

A voltage regulator including a current regulator for maintaining predetermined currents in the voltage regulator is disclosed. The voltage regulator includes an output terminal for providing an output voltage; an adjustment terminal; and a control circuit connected to the output terminal at a level that differs from the voltage at the adjustment terminal by a predetermined voltage difference. The control circuit of the voltage regulator includes a resistive divider coupled between the output terminal and the adjustment terminal; a pair of transistors having their collectors connected in common and their bases respectively coupled to the resistive divider to provide a portion of the voltage difference between the output terminal and the adjustment terminal across their bases. The two transistors are adapted for operating at different current densities for providing a predetermined ratio in current flow through the pair of transistors when the voltage difference between the output terminal and the adjustment terminal is the predetermined voltage difference. The control circuit further includes a high-gain amplifier circuit connected to the emitters of the pair of transistors and to the output terminal for driving the output terminal to a maintained voltage level at which the current flow through the pair of transistors is at the predetermined current ratio and the voltage difference between the output terminal and the adjustment terminal is the predetermined voltage difference. The disclosed voltage regulator is useful as a negative voltage regulator.

Voltage regulator and current regulator

In a lateral transistor structure, an auxiliary collector is interposed between the emitter and the main collector for controlling the flow of injected current carriers to the main collector. Alternatively, the main collector may be utilized for sensing the state of saturation of the interposed auxiliary collector. One or both of the main and auxiliary collector structures may be segmented to provide various function. In the case where only the auxiliary collector is segmented, the output on the main collector is proportional to the number of auxiliary collector segments biased to allow the injected current to pass to the main collector. Alternatively, a plurality of auxiliary collectors may be interposed in with the injected current series between the emitter and the main collector to provide an output at the main collector only if each and every one of the auxiliary collectors is biased for gating of current therethrough to the main collector. Such a device is particularly useful as an AND gate. An equivalent SCR structure that can be turned off is formed by providing positive feedback from the main collector to the base of the transistor. A saturation controlled transistor is obtained at the auxiliary collector output by providing negative feedback from the main collector to the base.

Gated collector lateral transistor structure and circuits using same

A system for limiting power dissipation in a power transistor to less than a destructive level is disclosed. The power transistor includes a base and a power emitter in the base. The system includes a sense emitter positioned close to the power emitter in the base and a reference emitter positioned in a base at a remote position that would not be heated by the heat dissipated by the power emitter for providing an indication of the temperature gradient between the power emitter and the remote position induced by power dissipated in the power emitter by sensing the voltage difference between the sense emitter and the reference emitter. The system further includes a differential amplifier responsive to the indication of the temperature gradient for limiting power dissipation in the power transistor by reducing the power provided to the power transistor when the indication reaches a predetermined level.

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Hillsborough, CA, United States of America

Robert C Dobkin