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US 2024/0178831 A1Published application
Cascode Switching Module
AssigneeNexperia B.V.
InventorsYong Qu, Joel Turchi, Katarzyna Nowak, Ricardo Yandoc
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Abstract
A cascode transistor circuit including a depletion mode semiconductor device, an enhancement mode transistor having a drain terminal connected to a source terminal of the depletion mode semiconductor device, and a gate driver coupled to a first node between the source of the depletion mode semiconductor device and the drain of the enhancement mode transistor. The gate driver is powered by the depletion mode semiconductor device.
Claims19
A cascode transistor circuit comprising:
- a depletion mode semiconductor device;
- an enhancement mode transistor having a drain terminal connected in series to a source terminal of the depletion mode semiconductor device, wherein the depletion mode device has a gate that is coupled with a source of the enhancement mode transistor device;
- a gate driver coupled to a first node between the source of the depletion mode semiconductor device and the drain of the enhancement mode transistor, wherein the gate driver is further coupled to a gate terminal of the enhancement mode transistor;
- and
- a first capacitor coupled between the gate driver and the source of the cascode transistor circuit, wherein the first capacitor provides a voltage source for the gate driver so that the gate driver is powered by the depletion mode semiconductor device;
- wherein the gate driver comprises a first diode coupled between the first node and the first capacitor, and wherein the gate driver further comprises a switch coupled between the first node and the first capacitor, wherein the switch is connected in parallel with the first diode;
- and
- wherein the first diode is configured to allow current to flow from the depletion mode device to the capacitor, so that the first capacitor is configured to store energy received from the depletion mode semiconductor device when the enhancement mode transistor is in the off-state.
5 more elements
A method of manufacturing a cascode transistor circuit, the method comprising the steps of:
- forming a depletion mode semiconductor device;
- forming an enhancement mode transistor having a drain terminal connected in series to a source terminal of the depletion mode semiconductor device, wherein the depletion mode device has a gate that is coupled with a source of the enhancement mode transistor device;
- forming a gate driver coupled to a first node between the source of the depletion mode semiconductor device and the drain of the enhancement mode transistor, wherein the gate driver is further coupled to a gate terminal of the enhancement mode transistor;
- forming a first capacitor coupled between the gate driver and the source of the cascode transistor circuit, wherein the first capacitor provides a voltage source for the gate driver so that the gate driver is powered by the depletion mode semiconductor device;
- wherein the gate driver comprises a first diode coupled between the first node and the first capacitor, and wherein the gate driver further comprises a switch coupled between the first node and the first capacitor, wherein the switch is connected in parallel with the first diode;
- and
- wherein the first diode is configured to allow current to flow from the depletion mode device to the capacitor, so that the first capacitor is configured to store energy received from the depletion mode semiconductor device when the enhancement mode transistor is in the off-state.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.