Loading patent…
OwnerConstantinus Paulus Meeuwsen, Hendrik Gezienus Albert Huizing +1inventors
InventorsConstantinus Paulus Meeuwsen, Hendrik Gezienus Albert Huizing, Adrianus Willem Ludikhuize
Estimating the term…
The performance of high-voltage devices is often influenced by charge-creep effects in the package. In order to avoid the resultant degradation, a bleeder may be used between the device and the package. However, it has been found in practice that the use of a high-resistive bleeder may lead to a certain instability of the device during operation. According to the invention, the bleeder (8) is provided with a plurality of conductive regions (12, 13) which are distributed in such a way that, when a high voltage is applied across the bleeder, a non-linear potential profile across the bleeder is obtained, which harmonizes with the ideal potential profile without the bleeder, instead of a linear profile which would have been obtained in the absence of said conductive regions due to charge-loading effects, and which would result in the above-mentioned instability effects.
A semiconductor device having a semiconductor body comprising a high-voltage circuit element having a surface region adjacent to a surface of the semiconductor body, which surface region is covered with an electrically insulating layer and in which two zones are formed at some distance from each other, between which a high voltage can be applied, during operation, and a part of the insulating layer, situated above a part of the substantially single-conductivity type surface region situated between the two zones, is provided with a semi-insulating layer provided with two connections by means of which a high voltage can also be applied across the semi-insulating layer, characterized in that electroconductive regions are provided between the two connections of the semi-insulating layer, the distribution of said electroconductive regions being such that a non-linear potential distribution is obtained in the semi-insulating layer, wherein said zones form a source zone and, separated therefrom by an intermediate channel region, a drain zone of a field effect transistor, the connections of the semi-insulating layer being connected to the source zone and the drain zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.