Patent · US Active

Negative N-epi biasing sensing and high side gate driver output spurious turn-on prevention due to N-epi P-sub diode conduction during N-epi negative transient voltage

US7671638B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
4References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 26, 2008
Grant dateMar 2, 2010
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 19, 2028

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K2217/0081
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A high-side driver in a driver circuit for driving a half-bridge stage having high- and low-side power switching devices series connected at a switched node, the high-side driver driving the high-side power switching device. The high-side driver including first and second complementary switched MOSFET series connected at a high-side node, driving the high-side power switching device, one of the MOSFETs having a parasitic bipolar transistor formed between the substrate, an N+ epitaxial region connected to the high-side driver supply voltage and the switched node, with the parasitic transistor having a base electrode formed by the N+ epitaxial region, an emitter electrode formed by the substrate and a collector electrode formed by the switched node, such that if a transient voltage that is negative with respect to the substrate is present at the high-side driver supply voltage, the parasitic transistor will conduct a short circuit current between the switched node and the substrate; a first circuit for controlling the conduction of the first and second MOSFETs to switch the high-side switching device ON and OFF; a diffusion in the N+ epitaxial region in which a terminal connected to …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.