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US 2009/0212846 A1Published application
Insulated gate field effect transistors
AssigneeNXP B.V.
InventorJohn R. Cutter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A field transistor is divided into a number of cells (6) and includes a separate first gate line (20) connected to first transistor cells (8) and a separate second gate line (22) connected to second transistor cells (10). A drive circuit is used to drive all the cells (6) in a normal, saturated operations state but to drive only the second cells (10) in a linear operations state to reduce the number of cells used in the linear operations state.
Claims11
A field effect transistor circuit, comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate having a first major surface;
- a plurality of like transistor cells arranged across the substrate, each transistor cell including a FET having an insulated gate a source and a drain;
- wherein the cells are divided into first and second cells, there being more first cells than second cell;
- a first gate line connected to the first cells and a separate second gate line connected to the second cells;
- and
- a means for driving the second gate line separately from the first gate line for turning on the second cells but not the first cells in a linear operations state.
3 more elements
A method of operation of a field effect transistor including a semiconductor substrate defining a first major surface;
- a plurality of transistor cells arranged across the substrate, each transistor cell including a FET having an insulated gate, a source and a drain wherein the cells are divided into first cells and second cells, there being more first cells than second cells, the method including:
- driving the field effect transistor in a normal operation state by driving all of the gates of all of the cells to switch the cells on;
- and
- driving the field effect transistor in a linear operations state in which the transistors are not fully turned on, by driving the second cells to be in a linear operation condition but leaving the first cells turned off.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.