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US 10,256,334 B2Granted
Gateless switch with capacitively-coupled contacts
AssigneeSensor Electronic Technology, Inc.
InventorsGrigory Simin, Michael Shur, Remigijus Gaska
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A switch includes an input contact and an output contact to a conducting channel. At least one of the input and output contacts is capacitively coupled to the conducting channel. A control contact is located outside of a region between the input and output contacts, and can be used to adjust the switch between on and off operating states. The switch can be implemented as a radio frequency switch in a circuit.
Claims20
A switch, comprising:
- a semiconductor structure including a conducting channel;
- an input contact to the conducting channel located on a surface of the semiconductor structure;
- an output contact to the conducting channel located on the surface of the semiconductor structure, the output contact separated from the input contact by a planar portion of the surface of the semiconductor structure defining a flat input-output region, wherein at least one of the input contact or the output contact is capacitively coupled to the conducting channel;
- and
- at least one control contact located outside of the input-output region formed between the input contact and the output contact, without contacting the input-output region, wherein the at least one control contact includes a first control contact located adjacent to the input contact and a second control contact located adjacent to the output contact, both the first control contact and the second control contact separated from each other by the input contact and the output contact, wherein both the first control contact and the second control contact are located outside of the input-output region formed between the input contact and the output contact, and wherein the input contact, the output contact, the first control contact and the second control contact are all in parallel with each other and laterally aligned across the surface of the semiconductor structure.
2 more elements
A circuit, comprising:
- a radio frequency (RF) switch including:
- a semiconductor structure including a channel forming structure forming a conducting channel;
- an input contact to the conducting channel located on a surface of the semiconductor structure;
- an output contact to the conducting channel located on the surface of the semiconductor structure, the output contact separated from the input contact by a continuous portion of the surface of the semiconductor structure extending between the input contact and the output contact, defining an input-output region without any semiconductor structure formed thereon, wherein at least one of the input contact or the output contact is capacitively coupled to the conducting channel;
- and
- at least one control contact to control one of the input contact and the output contact that is located outside of the input-output region, wherein the at least one control contact is located on the surface of the semiconductor structure and includes a first control contact located adjacent to the input contact and a second control contact located adjacent to the output contact, both the first control contact and the second control contact separated from each other by the input contact and the output contact, wherein both the first control contact and the second control contact are located outside of the input-output region formed between the input contact and the output contact, and wherein the first control contact and the second control contact each forms a Schottky contact to the conducting channel;
- a low conducting layer, separate from the channel forming structure, formed about the input contact, the output contact, the first control contact and the second control contact, wherein the low conducting layer includes a first low conducting part that extends from the first control contact to the input contact, a second low conducting part that extends from the input contact to the output contact, and a third low conducting part that extends from the output contact to the second control contact;
- a RF input electrically connected to the input contact;
- a RF output electrically connected to the output contact;
- and
- a RF control circuit electrically connected to the at least one control contact.
8 more elements
A circuit, comprising:
- a radio frequency (RF) switch including:
- a semiconductor structure including a channel forming structure forming a conducting channel;
- an input contact to the conducting channel located on a surface of the semiconductor structure;
- an output contact to the conducting channel located on the surface of the semiconductor structure, the output contact separated from the input contact by a portion of the surface of the semiconductor structure extending between the input contact and the output contact, defining an input-output region without any semiconductor structure formed thereon, wherein at least one of the input contact or the output contact is capacitively coupled to the conducting channel;
- an input control contact to the input contact;
- and
- an output control contact to the output contact, wherein both the input control contact and the output control contact are separated from each other by the input contact and the output contact, and wherein both the input control contact and the output control contact are located outside of the input-output region formed between the input contact and the output contact;
- a low conducting layer, separate from the channel forming structure, formed about the input contact, the output contact, the input control contact and the output control contact, wherein the low conducting layer includes a first low conducting part that extends from the input control contact to the input contact, a second low conducting part that extends from the input contact to the output contact, and a third low conducting part that extends from the output contact to the output control contact;
- a RF input electrically connected to the input contact;
- a RF output electrically connected to the output contact;
- and
- a RF control circuit electrically connected to the at least one input control contact and the output control contact.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.