Increased base-emitter capacitance
AssigneeT-Ram, Inc.
InventorsFarid Nemati, Scott Robins, Andrew Horch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thyristor-based semiconductor device exhibits a relatively increased base-emitter capacitance. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, the junction area between a base region and an adjacent emitter region of a thyristor is increased, relative to the junction area between other regions in the thyristor. In one implementation, the base region is formed extending on two sides of the emitter region. In another implementation, the thyristor is formed on a buried insulator layer of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure, with the base region having a first portion laterally adjacent to the emitter region and having a second portion between the emitter region and the buried insulator.
Claims18
A thyristor comprising:
- a thyristor body region having a plurality of contiguous regions of opposite polarity including a first base region coupled to a first emitter region and a second base region coupled to a second emitter region, the first and second base regions being coupled to one another, with a junction between the first base region and the first emitter region being significantly greater in area than an area defined by a complete cross-section along any one of other junctions between the plurality of contiguous regions;
- and
- a thyristor control port configured and arranged for capacitively coupling at least to the second base region for controlling current flow in the thyristor body region.
A thyristor-based semiconductor device comprising a substrate with a buried insulator region and a thyristor electrically coupled in series with a pass device, the thyristor and pass device being over the buried insulator region, the thyristor-based semiconductor device comprising:
- a thyristor body region having a first base region coupled to a first emitter region and a second base region coupled to a second emitter region, the first and second base regions being coupled to one another, wherein a first portion of the first base region is disposed laterally between the first emitter region and the second base region and wherein a second portion of the first base region is disposed vertically between the first emitter region and the buried insulator region;
- a thyristor control port configured and arranged to capacitively couple a signal to the second base region via a dielectric material disposed between the thyristor control port and the second base region;
- and
- the pass device being electrically coupled to the second emitter region and configured and arranged for controlling current flow to and from the first emitter region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.