Electrically variable R/C network and method

• US 5,767,757 A
• Filed: 07/29/1996
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Prentice, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bettendorf, Justin P.
• Application Number:
  US08/687,995
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 333/167, 333/172, 333/185, 257/367, 257/536
• US Class Current: 333/172
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0805 Capacitors only
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 1/02 of RC networks, e.g. integrated networks

Abstract

An integrated circuit R/C network and method for providing a selectively variable impedance in which a capacitor has a high resistivity semiconductor plate with a low resistivity body contact region therein, the contact region for providing a variable resistance in series with the capacitor, and in which a control terminal is connected to the plate for selectively applying a control voltage thereto which varies the series resistance to thereby vary the impedance of the network.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit R/C network for providing a selectively variable impedance comprising a capacitor having a high resistivity semiconductor plate with a low resistivity body contact region therein for providing a variable resistance in series with said capacitor, and a control terminal connected to said plate for selectively applying a control voltage thereto which changes the series resistance to thereby vary the impedance.

2. The network of claim 1 wherein said plate is a lower plate of said capacitor and comprises a semiconductor body of a first conductivity type with a high resistivity.

3. The network of claim 2 wherein said capacitor further comprises an upper metal plate and a dielectric for separating said upper plate from said lower plate and said body.

4. The network of claim 3 wherein said low resistivity body contact region is of the first conductivity type and is separated from said dielectric.

5. The network of claim 4 wherein said control terminal comprises a control region of a second conductivity type in said body spaced from said dielectric and said body contact region and having a low resistivity for injecting carriers into said body and inducing injection of carriers from said body contact region into said body in response to application of a control voltage thereto.

6. A circuit for providing a variable impedance comprising:

a capacitor with a plate comprising a first conductivity type, high resistivity semiconductor body;

a body contact region comprising a low resistivity region of said body for providing a variable resistance in series with said capacitor; and

a control terminal comprising a low resistivity region of a second conductivity type within said body for controlling the series resistance by injecting carriers from said control terminal and from said body contact region into said body in response to application of a control voltage to said control terminal.

7. The circuit of claim 6 further comprising means for confining the injected carriers in said body.

8. The circuit of claim 7 wherein said means for confining comprises an oxide isolation around said body.

9. The circuit of claim 7 wherein said means for confining comprises said body contact region extended around said body.

10. The circuit of claim 6 wherein the high resistivity is greater than 10 ohm-cm and the low resistivity is less than 1 ohm-cm.

11. The circuit of claim 6 wherein said body contact region comprises a buried layer in said body.

12. The circuit of claim 6 wherein a primary voltage carried by the circuit is substantially greater than the control voltage.

13. The circuit of claim 12 wherein the control voltage is less than one volt.

14. An integrated circuit R/C network for providing a variable impedance comprising:

a lower plate of a capacitor in the R/C network comprising a semiconductor body of a first conductivity type with a high resistivity;

an upper plate of the capacitor separated from said lower plate by a dielectric;

a low resistivity body contact region of the first conductivity type in said body and separated from said dielectric for providing a variable resistance in series with the capacitor in the R/C network comprising; and

a control region of a second conductivity type in said body spaced from said dielectric and said body contact region and having a low resistivity, for injecting carriers into said body and inducing injection of carriers from said body contact region into said body in response to application of a control voltage to said control region, the magnitude of the control voltage controlling the injection of the carriers into said body so that the series resistance, and thereby the impedance of the R/C network, is a function of the control voltage.

15. The network of claim 14 wherein the dielectric comprises one of a silicon dioxide layer and a silicon nitride layer.

16. The network of claim 14 further comprising a low resistivity buried layer of the first conductivity type in said body.

17. The network of claim 16 wherein said body contact region and said buried layer are integral.

18. The network of claim 14 further comprising a means connected to said control region for providing the control voltage.

19. The network of claim 14 further comprising an oxide insulation layer surrounding sides and a lower surface of said body.

20. A method for varying impedance in an integrated circuit R/C network comprising the steps of connecting a capacitor and a resistive element in series in the network, and applying a control voltage to a plate of the capacitor which changes the series resistance of the network to thereby vary its impedance.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the plate of the capacitor is a high resistivity semiconductor body which has therein a low resistivity body contact region for providing a variable series resistance, and the step of applying the control voltage comprises the step of applying the control voltage to a control terminal connected to the plate.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of applying the control voltage injects carriers from the control terminal into the body and induces injection of carriers from the body contact region into the body.

23. A method for providing a variable impedance in an integrated circuit comprising the steps of:

providing a capacitor with a plate comprising a first conductivity type, high resistivity semiconductor body;

providing a low resistivity body contact region in the body for providing a variable resistance in series with the capacitor; and

applying a control voltage to a low resistivity control of a second conductivity type within the body to inject carriers from the control terminal and from the body contact region into the body in response to application of a control voltage to the control terminal.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising the step of confining the injected carriers in the body.

25. The method of claim 23 further comprising the step of providing the control voltage which is substantially less than a primary voltage carried by the circuit.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the control voltage is less than one volt.