Substrate connection in an integrated power circuit

• US 6,737,713 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2002
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cirrus Logic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tripath Technology, Inc. (Cloudward, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sawtell, Carl, Georgescu, Sorin Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): QUINTO, KEVIN V
• Application Number:
  US10/189,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20030085442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 257/369, 257/370, 257/371, 257/372, 257/373, 257/368, 257/394
• US Class Current: 257/394
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/761 PN junctions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0623 in combination with bipolar transistors

Abstract

An integrated circuit is described having a substrate, a power transistor in a first region of the subtracted, and a plurality of barrier regions of the substrate around the first region. Each barrier region includes a barrier transistor and at least one substrate connection connecting the barrier transistor to at least one floating region of the substrate adjacent the barrier region. During operation of the integrated circuit, the floating regions and the barrier transistors operate to inhibit operation of parasitic devices associated with the power transistor

Claims

1. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a substrate;

a high-side power transistor in a first region of the substrate;

a low-side power transistor in a second region of the substrate; and

a plurality of barrier regions of the substrate adjacent and separating the first and second regions, each barrier region comprising a barrier transistor and at least one substrate connection connecting the barrier transistor to at least one floating region of the substrate adjacent the barrier region;

wherein, during operation of the integrated circuit, the floating regions and the barrier transistors operate to inhibit operation of parasitic devices associated with the high-side and low-side power transistors.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the high-side and low-side transistors are configured in a half-bridge configuration.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the barrier transistor is a bipolar transistor, and the at least one substrate connection is between the collector of the barrier transistor and the at least one floating region.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 3 wherein the at least one substrate connection also includes the base of the barrier transistor.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the at least one substrate connection comprises a plurality of substrate connections between the barrier transistor and corresponding adjacent floating regions of the substrate.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 5 wherein the corresponding adjacent floating regions are spaced around each barrier region.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises a P-type semiconductor, the high-side power transistor and the low-side power transistor comprise N-channel field effect transistors, and the barrier transistor comprises a bipolar NPN transistor.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 1 further comprising additional circuitry in an additional region and additional barrier regions separating the additional circuitry from the power transistors.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 8 wherein the additional circuitry comprises drive circuitry for driving the power transistors.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 8 wherein the additional circuitry comprises input/output circuitry.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 2 wherein the half-bridge configuration of the power transistors comprises a switching stage of a digital switching amplifier.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 11 wherein the digital switching amplifier is a digital audio amplifier.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the floating regions and parasitic transistors between the barrier regions and the low-side power transistor operate to inhibit injection of minority carriers into the substrate when a potential associated with the low-side power transistor goes below a negative power supply voltage associated with the integrated circuit.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the floating regions and the barrier transistors operate to prevent latch up conditions when a potential associated with the high-side power transistor goes above a positive power supply voltage associated with the integrated circuit.

15. An electronic device comprising the integrated circuit of claim 1.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the electronic device comprises a digital switching amplifier.

17. At least one computer-readable medium having data structures stored therein representative of the integrated circuit of claim 1.

18. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the data structures comprise a simulatable representation of the integrated circuit.

19. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the simulatable representation comprises a netlist.

20. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the data structures comprise a code description of the integrated circuit.

21. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the code description corresponds to a hardware description language.

22. A set of semiconductor processing masks representative of at least a portion of the integrated circuit of claim 1.

23. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a substrate;

a power transistor in a first region of the substrate; and

a plurality of barrier regions of the substrate around the first region, each barrier region comprising a barrier transistor and at least one substrate connection connecting the barrier transistor to at least one floating region of the substrate adjacent the barrier region;

wherein, during operation of the integrated circuit, the floating regions and the barrier transistors operate to inhibit operation of parasitic devices associated with the power transistor.

24. The integrated circuit of claim 23 wherein the barrier transistor is a bipolar transistor, and the at least one substrate connection is between the collector of the barrier transistor and the at least one floating region.

25. The integrated circuit of claim 24 wherein the at least one substrate connection also includes the base of the barrier transistor.

26. The integrated circuit of claim 23 wherein the at least one substrate connection comprises a plurality of substrate connections between the barrier transistor and corresponding adjacent floating regions of the substrate.

27. The integrated circuit of claim 26 wherein the corresponding adjacent floating regions are spaced around each barrier region.

28. The integrated circuit of claim 23 wherein the substrate comprises a P-type semiconductor, the power transistor comprises an N-channel field effect transistor, and the barrier transistors comprise bipolar NPN transistors.

29. The integrated circuit of claim 23 further comprising additional circuitry in an additional region, the barrier regions separating the additional circuitry from the power transistor.

30. The integrated circuit of claim 29 wherein the additional circuitry comprises drive circuitry for driving the power transistor.

31. The integrated circuit of claim 29 wherein the additional circuitry comprises input/output circuitry.

32. The integrated circuit of claim 23 wherein the floating regions and parasitic transistors between the barrier regions and the power transistor operate to inhibit injection of minority carriers into the substrate when a potential associated with the power transistor goes below a negative power supply voltage associated with the integrated circuit.

33. The integrated circuit of claim 23 wherein the floating regions and the barrier transistors operate to prevent latch up conditions when a potential associated with the power transistor goes above a positive power supply voltage associated with the integrated circuit.

34. An electronic device comprising the integrated circuit of claim 23.

35. The electronic device of claim 34 wherein the electronic device comprises a digital switching amplifier.

36. At least one computer-readable medium having data structures stored therein representative of the integrated circuit of claim 23.

37. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 36 wherein the data structures comprise a simulatable representation of the integrated circuit.

38. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 37 wherein the simulatable representation comprises a netlist.

39. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 36 wherein the data structure comprise a code description of the integrated circuit.

40. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 39 wherein the code description correspond to a hardware description language.

41. A set of semiconductor processing masks representative of at least a portion of the interrogated circuit of claim 23.