Alpha & Omega Semiconductor Corporation

Alpha and Omega Semiconductor (cayman) Ltd.

Micrel, Incorporated

Alpha and Omega Semiconductor International LP

Impala Linear Corporation

Alpha Omega Semiconductor Inc.

Shekar Mallikarjunaswamy

Ning Shi

Martin J Alter

Francois Hebert

Amit Paul

Madhur Bobde

François Hébert

John Chen

YongZhong Hu

Yueh-Se Ho

Xiaotian Zhang

Zhiqiang Niu

Brian Harold Floyd

Charles Vinn

Cheow Khoon Oh

Juan Luo

Sohel Imtiaz

Douglas Miller

Mohammad Suhaib Husain

A bidirectional transient voltage suppressor (TVS) protection circuit includes two sets of steering diodes with a clamp device merged with a steering diode in each set. In one embodiment, the protection circuit includes a first high-side diode integrated with a first silicon controlled rectifier (SCR), a first low-side diode, a second high-side diode integrated with a second SCR, and a second low-side diode. In another embodiment, the protection circuit includes a first high-side diode, a first low-side diode integrated with a first SCR, a second high-side diode, and a second low-side diode integrated with a second SCR. In some embodiments, the TVS protection circuit realizes low capacitance at the protected nodes by fully or almost completely depleting the P-N junction connected to the protected nodes in the operating voltage range.

Low capacitance bidirectional transient voltage suppressor

A transient voltage suppressor (TVS) device includes a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) as the clamp device between a high-side steering diode and a low-side steering diode. The SCR includes alternating emitter and base regions arranged interleaving in a direction along a major surface of a semiconductor layer and orthogonal to a current path of the SCR. The TVS device realizes low capacitance and high holding voltage at the protected node.

Low capacitance transient voltage suppressor with high holding voltage

A transient voltage suppressing device includes a plurality of fingers arranged laterally along a major surface of an epitaxial layer. The plurality of fingers includes fingers of a first type and fingers of a second type. The first type and second type of fingers each include a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) region and a junction diode region. The plurality of fingers of the second type are conductively coupled together by a second metal layer disposed over top a first metal layer and electrically insulated from the first metal layer. The first metal layer conductively couples the SCR region and junction diode region of the first type of finger.

Low capacitance two channel and multi-channel TVS with effective inter-connection

A transient voltage suppressor (TVS) device includes a MOS-triggered silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) as the high-side steering diode and a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) for the low-side steering diode. In one embodiment, the MOS-triggered SCR includes alternating p-type and n-type regions and a diode-connected MOS transistor integrated therein to trigger the silicon controlled rectifier to turn on. In one embodiment, the SCR of the low-side steering diode includes alternating p-type and n-type regions where the p-type region adjacent the n-type region forming the cathode terminal is not biased to any electrical potential.

Low capacitance transient voltage suppressor with a mos-triggered silicon controlled rectifier as high-side steering diode

A bidirectional transient voltage suppressor (TVS) protection circuit includes two sets of steering diodes, a clamp circuit including an MOS transistor integrated with a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) and a trigger circuit. In response to a voltage applied to one of the protected nodes exceeding a first voltage level, the trigger circuit drives the MOS transistor to cause a current flow at the SCR to trigger an SCR action and the SCR clamps the voltage at the respective protected node at a clamping voltage. In other embodiments, a bidirectional transient voltage suppressor (TVS) protection circuit includes two sets of steering diodes with a clamp device merged with a steering diode in each set. In some embodiments, the TVS protection circuit realizes low capacitance at the protected nodes by fully or almost completely depleting the P-N junction connected to the protected nodes in the operating voltage range.

A transient voltage suppressor (TVS) device uses a punch-through silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) structure for the low-side steering diode where the punch-through SCR structure realizes low capacitance at the protected node. In some embodiments, the punch-through silicon controlled rectifier of the low-side steering diode includes a first doped region formed in a first epitaxial layer, a first well formed spaced apart from the first doped region where the first well is not biased to any electrical potential, and a second doped region formed in the first well. The first doped region, the first epitaxial layer, the first well and the second doped region form the punch-through silicon controlled rectifier, with the first doped region forming the anode and the second doped region forming the cathode of the punch-through silicon controlled rectifier.

Low capacitance transient voltage suppressor including a punch-through silicon controlled rectifier as low-side steering diode

A bidirectional transient voltage suppressor (TVS) circuit for data pins of electronic devices includes two sets of steering diodes and a diode triggered clamp device in some embodiment. In other embodiments, a bidirectional transient voltage suppressor (TVS) circuit for data pins of electronic devices includes two sets of steering diodes with a clamp device merged with a steering diode in each set. The TVS circuit is constructed to realize low capacitance at the protected nodes and improved clamping voltage for robust protection against surge evens. In some embodiments, the TVS circuit realizes low capacitance at the protected nodes by fully or almost completely depleting the P-N junction connected to the protected nodes in the operating voltage range. In this manner, the TVS circuit does not present undesirable parasitic capacitance to the data pins being protected, especially when the data pins are applied in high speed applications.

A MOSFET and an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device on a common chip includes a MOSFET with a source, a gate, and a drain, and an ESD protection device configured to implement a diode function that is biased to prevent current from flowing through the common chip from the source to the drain.

USB type-C load switch ESD protection

A bidirectional transient voltage suppressor is constructed as an NPN bipolar transistor incorporating optimized collector-base junction realizing avalanche mode breakdown. In some embodiments, the bidirectional transient voltage suppressor is constructed as an NPN bipolar transistor incorporating individually optimized collector-base and emitter-base junctions with the optimized junctions being spatially distributed. The optimized collector-base and emitter-base junctions both realize avalanche mode breakdown to improve the breakdown voltage of the transistor. Alternately, a unidirectional transient voltage suppressor is constructed as an NPN bipolar transistor with a PN junction diode connected in parallel in the reverse bias direction to the protected node and incorporating individually optimized collector-base junction of the bipolar transistor and p-n junction of the diode.

High surge transient voltage suppressor

A transient voltage suppressor (TVS) device uses a punch-through silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) structure for the high-side steering diode and/or the low-side steering diode where the punch-through SCR structure realizes low capacitance at the protected node. In some embodiments, the breakdown voltage of the TVS device is tailored by connecting two or more forward biased diodes in series. The low capacitance TVS device can be configured for unidirectional or bidirectional applications. In some embodiments, the TVS device includes a MOS-triggered silicon controlled rectifier as the high-side steering diode. The breakdown voltage of the TVS device can be adjusted by adjusting the threshold voltage of the MOS transistor.

A transient voltage suppressor (TVS) is constructed as an NPN bipolar transistor including individually optimized collector-base and emitter-base junctions both with avalanche mode breakdown. The TVS device is constructed using a base that includes a lightly doped base region bordered by a pair of more heavily doped base regions. The two more heavily doped base regions are used to form the collector-base junction and the emitter-base junction both as avalanche breakdown junctions. The lightly doped base region between the collector-base and emitter-base doping regions ensures low leakage current in the TVS device. In this manner, the TVS bipolar transistor of the present invention provides high surge protection with robust clamping while ensuring low leakage current.

High surge bi-directional transient voltage suppressor

A transient voltage suppressor (TVS) circuit includes a first finger and a second finger of semiconductor regions arranged laterally along a first direction on a major surface of a semiconductor layer, the first finger and second finger extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction on the major surface of the semiconductor layer. The semiconductor regions in a first portion of the first and second fingers form a silicon controlled rectifier and the semiconductor regions in a second portion of the first and second fingers form a P-N junction diode.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Shekar Mallikarjunaswamy