Monolithic back-to-back isolation elements with floating top plate
AssigneeAnalog Devices International Unlimited Company
InventorsSteven Tanghe, Patrick M. McGuinness
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Isolators having a back-to-back configuration for providing electrical isolation between two circuits are described, in which multiple isolators formed on a single monolithic substrate are connect in series to achieve a higher amount of electrical isolation for a single substrate than for one of the isolators alone. A pair of isolators in the back-to-back configuration have top and bottom isolator components where the top isolator components are connected together and electrically isolated from the underlying substrate, resulting in floating top isolator components. The back-to-back isolator may provide one or more communication channels for transfer of information and/or power between different circuits.
Claims20
A monolithic integrated isolator device comprising:
- a single substrate;
- a first isolator component and a second isolator component positioned over the single substrate;
- a third isolator component positioned over the first isolator component;
- a fourth isolator component positioned over the second isolator component;
- and
- at least one conductor connecting the third isolator component to the fourth isolator component.
A monolithic integrated isolator device comprising:
- a single substrate;
- a first isolator component and a second isolator component positioned over the single substrate;
- at least one third isolator component configured to electromagnetically couple with the first isolator component and the second isolator component, wherein the first isolator component and the second isolator component are positioned between the at least one third isolator component and the single substrate;
- a first electrical contact coupled to the first isolator component;
- and
- a second electrical contact coupled to the second isolator component.
A system comprising:
- a monolithic isolator comprising:
- a single substrate;
- a first isolator component and a second isolator component positioned over the single substrate;
- and
- at least one third isolator component positioned over the first isolator component and the second isolator component;
- at least one first circuit coupled to the first isolator component and configured to operate in a first voltage domain;
- and
- at least one second circuit coupled to the second isolator component and configured to operate in a second voltage domain different than the first voltage domain.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.