Power semiconductor switching devices and power semiconductor devices

• US 20050230746A1
• Filed: 03/24/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bruce A. Smetana, Richard C. Eden
• Original Assignee: Bruce A. Smetana, Richard C. Eden
• Inventors: Smetana, Bruce A., Eden, Richard C.
• Application Number:
  US11/088,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20050230746A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/330
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/0401 Bonding areas specifically adapted for bump connectors, e.g. under bump metallisation [UBM]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16235 the bump connector connecting to a via metallisation of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4824 Pads with extended contours, e.g. grid structure, branch structure, finger structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49822 Multilayer substrates multilayer metallisation on monolayer substrate H01L23/498
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49827 Via connections through the substrates, e.g. pins going through the substrate, coaxial cables H01L23/49822, H01L23/49833, H01L23/4985, H01L23/49861 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49838 Geometry or layout
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/50 for integrated circuit devices, e.g. power bus, number of leadsH01L23/482 - H01L23/498 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/642 Capacitive arrangements H01L23/49589, H01L23/645, H01L23/647, H01L23/66 take precedence; capacitive effects between wiring layers on the semiconductor body H01L23/5222
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/17 of a plurality of bump connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/088 the components being field-effect transistors with insulated gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/41725 Source or drain electrodes for field effect devices with monocrystalline semiconductor on source/drain region H01L29/0843
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/4238 characterised by the surface lay-out
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78 with field effect produced by an insulated gate H01L29/7725, H01L29/775, H01L29/778 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7802 Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0101 : Neon [Ne]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01011 : Sodium [Na]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01012 : Magnesium [Mg]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 : Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01015 : Phosphorus [P]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01018 : Argon [Ar]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01019 : Potassium [K]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0102 : Calcium [Ca]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01023 : Vanadium [V]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01025 : Manganese [Mn]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01027 : Cobalt [Co]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 : Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 : Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01037 : Rubidium [Rb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01038 : Strontium [Sr]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01039 : Yttrium [Y]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01041 : Niobium [Nb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01042 : Molybdenum [Mo]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01043 : Technetium [Tc]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01045 : Rhodium [Rh]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01046 : Palladium [Pd]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01051 : Antimony [Sb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01052 : Tellurium [Te]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01056 : Barium [Ba]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01057 : Lanthanum [La]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01061 : Promethium [Pm]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01068 : Erbium [Er]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01073 : Tantalum [Ta]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01074 : Tungsten [W]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01076 : Osmium [Os]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01077 : Iridium [Ir]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01078 : Platinum [Pt]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01082 : Lead [Pb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01087 : Francium [Fr]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01094 : Plutonium [Pu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12032 : Schottky diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1306 : Field-effect transistor [FET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1433 : Application-specific integrated circuit [ASIC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15151 : the die mounting substrate comprising an aperture, e.g. for underfilling, outgassing, window type wire connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 : being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15747 : Copper [Cu] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19042 : being an inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30105 : Capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 : Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33507 : with automatic control of the output voltage or current, e.g. flyback converters H02M3/33561, H02M3/33569 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33576 : having at least one active switching element at the secondary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33592 : having a synchronous rectifier circuit or a synchronous freewheeling circuit at the secondary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 : Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

Power semiconductor switching devices, power converters, integrated circuit assemblies, integrated circuitry, power current switching methods, methods of forming a power semiconductor switching device, power conversion methods, power semiconductor switching device packaging methods, and methods of forming a power transistor are described. One exemplary aspect provides a power semiconductor device including a semiconductive substrate having a surface; and a power transistor having a planar configuration and comprising a plurality of electrically coupled sources and a plurality of electrically coupled drains formed using the semiconductive substrate and adjacent the surface.

Claims

1. A power semiconductor switching device comprising:

a semiconductive substrate having a surface;

a power transistor having a planar configuration and comprising a plurality of electrically coupled sources and a plurality of electrically coupled drains formed using the semiconductive substrate and adjacent to the surface; and

an energy storage device coupled with the power transistor and configured to assist switching of the power transistor.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the power transistor comprises at least one thousand electrically coupled sources and at least one thousand electrically coupled drains.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the power transistor comprises a plurality of electrically coupled gates.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the power transistor is configured to conduct power currents in excess of one Ampere.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the semiconductive substrate comprises a flip chip semiconductive die.

6. The device of claim 1 further comprising a body diode circuit coupled intermediate the sources and the drains.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the body diode circuit comprises a n-channel field effect transistor having a gate and a source electrically coupled.

8. The device of claim 6 wherein the body diode circuit comprises a p-channel field effect transistor.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the power transistor comprises a plurality of parallel-coupled field effect transistors.

10. The device of claim 1 further comprising a V_dd contact, and wherein the energy storage device comprises a bypass capacitor electrically coupled with the V_dd contact and the sources.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the power transistor comprises a plurality of gates, and the bypass capacitor is configured to charge a capacitance of the gates to assist the switching of the power transistor.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the power transistor comprises a plurality of planar MOSFET devices.

51. The device of claim 1 wherein the energy storage device comprises a bypass capacitor.

52. The device of claim 1 wherein the energy storage device is configured to charge a gate capacitance of the power transistor to assist the switching of the power transistor.

53. The device of claim 1 wherein the energy storage device is formed using the semiconductive substrate comprising a monolithic substrate.

13. A power semiconductor device comprising:

a semiconductive substrate;

a semiconductor device comprising at least one thousand planar field effect transistors formed using the substrate and wherein individual ones of the field effect transistors include a source and a drain electrically coupled with other sources and drains of the other planar field effect transistors; and

a circuit configured to selectively conduct currents intermediate a source and a drain of the semiconductor device.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the at least one thousand planar field effect transistors individually include a gate, and the gates of the at least one thousand planar field effect transistors are electrically coupled to receive a common control signal.

15. The device of claim 13 wherein the semiconductor device is configured to conduct power currents in excess of one Ampere.

16. The device of claim 13 wherein the semiconductive substrate comprises a flip chip semiconductive die.

17. The device of claim 13 wherein the circuit comprises a body diode circuit coupled intermediate the sources and the drains of the planar field effect transistors.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the body diode circuit comprises a n-channel field effect transistor having a gate and a source electrically coupled.

19. The device of claim 17 wherein the body diode circuit comprises a p-channel field effect transistor.

20. The device of claim 13 further comprising:

a V_dd contact; and

a bypass capacitor electrically coupled with the V_dd contact and the sources.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein the power transistor comprises a plurality of gates, and the bypass capacitor is configured to charge a capacitance of the gates.

22. The device of claim 13 wherein the at least one thousand planar field effect transistors comprise MOSFET devices.

54. The device of claim 13 wherein the circuit is configured to conduct free wheeling currents.

55. The device of claim 13 wherein the circuit is configured to conduct currents when a voltage at a drain of the power transistor is more negative than a source of the power transistor with respect to a common voltage reference.

56. The device of claim 13 wherein the circuit comprises an active diode connected field effect transistor.

57. The device of claim 56 wherein the active diode field effect transistor comprises a p-channel device having a gate of the p-channel device electrically coupled with a drain of the p-channel device.

58. The device of claim 13 wherein the circuit is configured to enable the semiconductor device to switch at an increased switching speed compared with a switching speed of the semiconductor device in the absence of the circuit.

23. A power semiconductor switching device comprising a plurality of planar submicron field effect transistor devices coupled in parallel and configured to selectively conduct power currents in excess of one Ampere;

and

an energy storage device configured to assist switching of the field effect transistor devices.

59. The device of claim 23 wherein the energy storage device comprises a bypass capacitor.

60. The device of claim 23 wherein the energy storage device is configured to charge a gate capacitance of the field effect transistor devices to assist the switching of the field effect transistor devices.

24. A power semiconductor switching device comprising a plurality of field effect transistors having source contacts and drain contacts formed adjacent to a common surface of a semiconductive substrate and configured to selectively conduct power currents in excess of one Ampere, wherein gates of the field effect transistors are constrained to have a voltage substantially equal to or more positive than a voltage of the source contacts and with respect to a common voltage reference.

25. A power semiconductor switching device comprising:

a monolithic semiconductive substrate having a surface;

a power transistor comprising a source and a drain formed using a monolithic semiconductive substrate and the source and the drain are formed adjacent to the surface; and

an energy storage device formed using the monolithic semiconductive substrate and configured to assist switching of the power transistor.

61. The device of claim 25 wherein the energy storage device comprises a bypass capacitor.

62. The device of claim 25 wherein the energy storage device is configured to charge a gate capacitance of the power transistor to assist the switching of the power transistor.

26. A power semiconductor switching device comprising a flip chip configuration configured to conduct power currents in excess of one Ampere;

and wherein semiconductive circuitry of the flip chip configuration configured to implement the conduction of the power currents is further configured to form body diode circuitry.

27-50. -50. (canceled)