Integral turn-on high voltage switch
US4309715A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 28, 1979 |
| Grant date | Jan 5, 1982 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 28, 1999 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10D84/60
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A high voltage solid-state switch uses a dielectrically isolated lightly doped p- type semiconductor body with a heavily doped p+ type anode region, a heavily doped n+ type gate region, a moderately doped p type shield region, and a heavily doped n+ type cathode region. The shield region surrounds the cathode region. Separate electrodes contact the anode, gate, shield, and cathode regions. The gate and cathode regions also act as the collector-emitter output circuitry of an n-p-n transistor with the shield region acting as the base. With the shield (base) region forward-biased with respect to the cathode or gate regions, the n-p-n transistor is biased on and the collector and emitter are rapidly pulled close to each other in potential. With proper operating potentials applied to the anode and cathode regions, the switch rapidly assumes an "ON" state when the potential of the shield (base) region is set to a level which biases the n-p-n transistor ON. The integral n-p-n transistor serves to rapidly turn the switch to the ON state and only marginally increases the amount of silicon area needed to implement the switch.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.