The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 03, 2001
Filed:
Aug. 12, 1999
Eddie Huang, Stockport, GB;
U.S. Philips Corporation, New York, NY (US);
Abstract
A trench-gate power device, for example a MOSFET, has a semiconductor body (,), for example of monocrystalline silicon, comprising a plurality of side-by-side body regions (,) which accommodate parallel conduction channels (,) adjacent the trench-gate structure (,) of the device. The channels (,) are connected in parallel between a first main electrode (,) which is common to side-by-side source regions (,) and a second region (,) which is common to the side-by-side body regions (,). The side-by-side source regions (,) comprise a layer (,) of narrow-bandgap semiconductor material (Si,Ge,) which is deposited on a major surface (,) of the body (,) to form a source p-n heterojunction (,) with the side-by-side body regions (,) of the body (,). This narrow-bandgap semiconductor material (Si,Ge,) serves to suppress second breakdown of the power device, so improving its ruggedness. Advantageously, at least some of the body regions (,) are short-circuited to the electrode (,) so as to determine their potential.