# US 12,113,061 B2 · Semiconductor device with linear capacitance > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,113,061 B2 - Document ID: US12113061B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/225,531 - Filed: 2021-04-08 - Published: 2021-11-04 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2020-05-04 - Assignees: Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Applicants: Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Inventors: Tomas Palacios; Nadim Chowdhury; Qingyun Xie - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12113061B2 ## CPC - H10D 84/01: Manufacture or treatment - H10D 30/475: {having wider bandgap layer formed on top of lower bandgap active layer, e.g. undoped barrier HEMTs such as i-AlGaN/GaN HEMTs} - H10D 62/824: comprising only Group III-V materials heterojunctions, e.g. GaN/AlGaN heterojunctions - H10D 62/8503: {Nitride Group III-V materials, e.g. AlN or GaN} - H10D 64/411: {for FETs} - H10D 84/05: using Group III-V technology - H10D 84/811: {Combinations of field-effect devices and one or more diodes, capacitors or resistors} - H10D 1/66: Conductor-insulator-semiconductor capacitors, e.g. MOS capacitors - H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES ## Abstract A semiconductor device having relatively linear and constant parasitic capacitance of an operation range includes a first component having a negatively charged carrier channel and a second component comprising a positively charged carrier channel. The first component has source terminal and a drain terminal. The second component has bias terminal. Both components share a gate terminal that is electrostatically coupled to the negatively charged carrier channel of the first component and the positively charged carrier channel of the second component to produce a capacitance profile that stays relatively linear and constant as a voltage at the gate terminal changes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A semiconductor device comprising: an active component comprising: a first narrow-bandgap material layer; and a first wide-bandgap material layer disposed over the first narrow-bandgap material layer and having first, second and third electrical connections with an interface between the first narrow-bandgap material layer and the first wide-bandgap material layer corresponding to a negatively charged carrier channel with a gate terminal disposed on the first wide-bandgap material layer; and an auxiliary component comprising: a second narrow-bandgap material layer; a second wide-bandgap material layer disposed over the second wide-bandgap material layer with an interface between second narrow-bandgap material layer and second wide-bandgap material layer corresponding to a negatively charged carrier channel; a third narrow-bandgap material layer disposed over the second wide-bandgap material layer with an interface between the third narrow-bandgap material layer and the second wide-bandgap material layer corresponding to a positively charged carrier channel with a gate terminal disposed on the third narrow-bandgap material layer; and a fourth narrow-bandgap material layer disposed over the third narrow-bandgap material layer; and a bias electrode disposed over fourth narrow-bandgap material layer; and means for electrically connecting the gate terminal of the auxiliary component to the gate terminal of the active component. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the gate terminal is electrostatically coupled to the negatively charged carrier channel of the active component and the positively charged carrier channel of the auxiliary component to provide a parasitic capacitance that is relatively linear and constant. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The semiconductor device of claim 2 wherein the means for electrically connecting the gate terminal of the auxiliary component to the gate terminal of the active component comprises a gate terminal that is shared by the active component and the auxiliary component. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the active component and the auxiliary component are positioned adjacent to each other. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the active component and the auxiliary component are formed on a substrate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the negatively charged carrier channel is a two-dimensional electron gas (“2-DEG”) carrier channel and the positively charged carrier channel is a two-dimensional hole gas (“2-DHG”) carrier channel. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the first narrow-bandgap material layer of the active component comprises gallium nitride and the first wide-bandgap material layer of the active component comprises aluminum gallium nitride. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the second narrow-bandgap material layer of the auxiliary component comprises aluminum gallium nitride and the second wide-bandgap material layer of the auxiliary component comprises gallium nitride. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the first and second electrical connections of the active component correspond to respective ones of a drain terminal and a source terminal and third electrical connections of the active component corresponds to the gate terminal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the active component is a three-terminal transistor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) The semiconductor device of claim 3 wherein the active component has a capacitance that increases in response to a voltage at the gate terminal increasing and the auxiliary component has a capacitance that decreases in response to a voltage at the gate terminal increasing. ### Claim 12 A semiconductor device comprising: an active component comprising: a first narrow-bandgap material layer; and a first wide-bandgap material layer disposed over the first narrow-bandgap material layer and having first, second and third electrical connections with an interface between the first narrow-bandgap material layer and the first wide-bandgap material layer corresponding to a negatively charged carrier channel with a gate terminal disposed on the first wide-bandgap material layer; and an auxiliary component comprising: a second narrow-bandgap material layer; a second wide-bandgap material layer disposed over the second wide-bandgap material layer with an interface between second narrow-bandgap material layer and second wide-bandgap material layer corresponding to a negatively charged carrier channel; a third narrow-bandgap material layer disposed over the second wide-bandgap material layer with an interface between the third narrow-bandgap material layer and the second wide-bandgap material layer corresponding to a positively charged carrier channel with a gate terminal disposed on the third narrow-bandgap material layer; and a fourth narrow-bandgap material layer disposed over the third narrow-bandgap material layer; and a bias electrode disposed over fourth narrow-bandgap material layer; and wherein the gate terminal of the active component and the gate terminal of the auxiliary component are a shared gate terminal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The semiconductor device of claim 12 wherein the shared gate terminal is electrostatically coupled to the negatively charged carrier channel of the active component and the positively charged carrier channel of the auxiliary component to provide a parasitic capacitance that is relatively linear and constant. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The semiconductor device of claim 12 wherein the active component and the auxiliary component are positioned adjacent to each other. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The semiconductor device of claim 12 wherein the active component and the auxiliary component are formed on a substrate. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The semiconductor device of claim 12 wherein the negatively charged carrier channel is a two-dimensional electron gas (“2-DEG”) carrier channel and the positively charged carrier channel is a two-dimensional hole gas (“2-DHG”) carrier channel. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The semiconductor device of claim 12 wherein the first narrow-bandgap material layer of the active component comprises gallium nitride and the first wide-bandgap material layer of the active component comprises aluminum gallium nitride. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The semiconductor device of claim 12 wherein the second narrow-bandgap material layer of the auxiliary component comprises aluminum gallium nitride and the second wide-bandgap material layer of the auxiliary component comprises gallium nitride. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The semiconductor device of claim 12 wherein the negatively charged carrier channel and positively charged carrier channel are on first and second opposing sides of the shared gate terminal.