At&t Bell Laboratories

Bell Telephone Laboratories

Terence J Riley

Adrian R Hartman

Peter W Shackle

James E Kohl

William F MacPherson

Bernard T Murphy

Joseph E Berthold

A high voltage solid-state switch, which provides bidirectional blocking, consists of a first p- type semiconductor body separated from a support member (semiconductor substrate) by a dielectric layer with a p+ type anode region located at one end of the semiconductor body, an n+ type cathode region located at the other end, and an n+ type gate region located between the anode and cathode regions. A second p type region of higher impurity concentration than the semiconductor body surrounds the cathode region. Separate low resistance electrical contacts are made to the anode, cathode, and gate regions and to the substrate. The switch is capable of switching from an 'ON' and conducting state to an 'OFF' (blocking) state by adjusting the potential of the gate region and without having to adjust the potential of the anode or cathode regions.

High voltage dielectrically isolated solid-state switch

A high voltage solid-state switch, which provides bidirectional blocking, consists of a first p- type semiconductor body separated from a support member (semiconductor substrate) by a dielectric layer with a p+ type anode region located at one end of the semiconductor body, an n+ type cathode region located at the other end. An n+ type gate region exists in a portion of the semiconductor body other than the portion which directly separates the anode and cathode regions. A second p type region of higher impurity concentration than the semiconductor body surrounds the cathode region. Separate low resistance electrical contacts are made to the anode, cathode, and gate regions and to the substrate. The switch is capable of switching from an 'ON' and conducting state to an 'OFF' (blocking) state by adjusting the potential of the gate region and without having to adjust the potential of the anode or cathode regions.

High voltage dielectrically isolated remote gate solid-state switch

A high voltage solid-state switch, which provides bidirectional blocking, consists of a first n type semiconductor body separated from a support member (semiconductor substrate) by a dielectric layer with a p+ type anode region located at one end of the semiconductor body, an n+ type cathode region located at the other end, and an n+ type gate region located between the anode and cathode regions. A second p type region of lower impurity concentration than the anode region surrounds the cathode region so as to separate it from the bulk portion of the semiconductor body. Separate low resistance electrical contacts are made to the anode, cathode, and gate regions and to the substrate. The switch is capable of switching from an 'ON' and conducting state to an 'OFF' (blocking) state by adjusting the potential of the gate region and without having to adjust the potential of the anode or cathode regions.

High voltage solid-state switch

A high voltage solid-state switch, which provides bidirectional blocking, consists of a first p- type semiconductor body on an n type semiconductor substrate. A p+ type anode region and an n+ type cathode region exist in portions of the semiconductor body. A second p type region of higher impurity concentration than the semiconductor body surrounds the cathode region. The anode region and second p type region are separated from each other by a portion of the semiconductor body. The semiconductor substrate, which acts as a gate, has an electrode connected thereto. Separate electrodes are connected to the anode and cathode regions.

High voltage junction solid-state switch

Control circuitry used with the combination of a control switch (typically a gated diode switch GDS) which is coupled to a control (gate) terminal of a like load switch which consists essentially of first and second p-n-p transistors. The collector of the first p-n-p transistor is coupled to an anode of the control switch. The emitter of the first p-n-p transistor is coupled to the base of the second p-n-p transistor and to a control circuitry input terminal. The collector of the second p-n-p transistor is coupled to a gate terminal of the control switch. The control circuitry limits undesirable current flow into the load switch and has fewer components than commonly used control circuitry which performs a like function.

Control circuitry for high voltage solid-state switches

Integrated circuit complementary transistors for high voltage switching applications are fabricated in separate dielectrically-isolated pockets (12), (14) of high resistivity silicon, supported in a conductive medium (11) such as polycrystalline silicon, using surface adjacent conductivity type zones constituting emitter (19), (23), base (16), (20) and collector zones (17), (21). In one embodiment using high resistivity (75-300 ohm cm) silicon, referred to as .pi. material, for the material of the pocket, one transistor is a PN.pi.P device, and the other is an NP.pi.N. In the PN.pi.P the reverse-biased base-collector pn junction is the interface between the N base zone (16) and the .pi. portion (12) of the collector zone. In the NP.pi.N transistor the base-collector junction is the interface between the lightly doped .pi. extension (14) of the base zone (20) and the N collector zone (21). A connection (32) is provided to the conductive substrate to enable application of a suitable potential thereto.

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Wyomissing, PA, United States of America

Terence J Riley