Semiconductor devices with switchable ground-body connection
First Claim
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1. A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a four terminal transistor that is fabricated on a substrate, the transistor comprising;
i) a first terminal in contact with a first region of the transistor;
ii) a second terminal in contact with a second region of the transistor;
iii) a third terminal configured, during operation of the transistor, to receive a voltage to control a conduction channel in a portion of a body region of the transistor between the first region and the second region; and
iv) a body terminal in contact with the body region; and
a switch with a first switch terminal connected to the body terminal and a second switch terminal connected to a reference potential node, a closed condition and an open condition of the switch being controlled by a control signal to provide a first operating characteristic in the transistor by connecting the body terminal to the reference potential node when the switch is closed, and to provide a second operating characteristic in the transistor by disconnecting the body terminal from the reference potential node when the switch is open,wherein;
the switch comprises an inductor operatively connected between the switch and the reference potential node, the inductor configured to cause the body region to float relative to AC and to connect the body region to the reference potential relative to DC,the first operating characteristic comprises a reduction in a leakage current between the first terminal and the second terminal, andthe second operating characteristic comprises an increase of a power added efficiency (PAE) of the transistor.
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Abstract
Semiconductor devices with switchable connection between body and a ground node are presented. Methods for operating and fabricating such semiconductor devices are also presented.
408 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A semiconductor device, comprising:
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a four terminal transistor that is fabricated on a substrate, the transistor comprising; i) a first terminal in contact with a first region of the transistor; ii) a second terminal in contact with a second region of the transistor; iii) a third terminal configured, during operation of the transistor, to receive a voltage to control a conduction channel in a portion of a body region of the transistor between the first region and the second region; and iv) a body terminal in contact with the body region; and a switch with a first switch terminal connected to the body terminal and a second switch terminal connected to a reference potential node, a closed condition and an open condition of the switch being controlled by a control signal to provide a first operating characteristic in the transistor by connecting the body terminal to the reference potential node when the switch is closed, and to provide a second operating characteristic in the transistor by disconnecting the body terminal from the reference potential node when the switch is open, wherein; the switch comprises an inductor operatively connected between the switch and the reference potential node, the inductor configured to cause the body region to float relative to AC and to connect the body region to the reference potential relative to DC, the first operating characteristic comprises a reduction in a leakage current between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the second operating characteristic comprises an increase of a power added efficiency (PAE) of the transistor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A semiconductor device, comprising:
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a stacked arrangement of transistors that is fabricated on a substrate, each transistor of the stacked arrangement comprising; i) a first terminal in contact with a first region of the transistor; ii) a second terminal in contact with a second region of the transistor; iii) a third terminal, configured, during operation of the transistor, to receive a voltage to control a conduction channel in a portion of a body region of the transistor between the first region and the second region; and iv) a body terminal in contact with the body region; and one or more switches in correspondence of one or more transistors from the stacked arrangement of transistors, each with a first switch terminal connected to the body terminal of a corresponding transistor from the one or more transistors, and a second switch terminal connected to a corresponding reference potential node, a closed condition and an open condition of the one or more switches being controlled by a control signal to provide a first operating characteristic in the corresponding transistor by connecting the body terminal of the corresponding transistor to the corresponding reference potential node when a corresponding switch is closed, and to provide a second operating characteristic in the corresponding transistor by disconnecting the body terminal from the reference potential node when the corresponding switch is open, wherein; at least one switch of the one or more switches comprises an inductor operatively connected between the at least one switch and the corresponding reference potential node, the inductor configured to cause the body region of the corresponding transistor to float relative to AC and to connect the body region of the corresponding transistor to the reference potential relative to DC, the first operating characteristic comprises a reduction in a leakage current between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the second operating characteristic comprises an increase of a power added efficiency (PAE) of the transistor. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of operating a transistor that is fabricated on a substrate, the transistor comprising a first terminal in contact with a first region of the transistor, a second terminal in contact with a second region of the transistor, a third terminal configured to receive a voltage to control a conduction channel in a portion of a body region of the transistor between the first region and the second region, and a body terminal in contact with the body region, the method comprising:
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coupling a body terminal of the transistor to a reference potential node when no input signal is provided to the transistor, thereby reducing a leakage current between a first terminal and the second terminal; and decoupling the body terminal from the reference potential node when a radio frequency (RF) signal is provided to the transistor, thereby increasing a power added efficiency (PAE) of the transistor. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:
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fabricating a transistor on a substrate, the transistor comprising; i) a first terminal in contact with a first region of the transistor; ii) a second terminal in contact with a second region of the transistor; iii) a third terminal configured, during operation of the transistor, to receive a voltage to control a conduction channel in a portion of a body region of the transistor between the first region and the second region; and iv) a body terminal in contact with the body region; and fabricating a switch on the substrate with a first switch terminal of the switch connected to the body terminal and a second switch terminal of the switch connected to a reference potential node, and fabricating a control circuit on the substrate, the control circuit operable to provide a switch de-activation signal for operating the switch to selectively disconnect the body terminal from the reference potential node, wherein the switch de-activation signal is provided to the switch upon detection of an RF signal in the semiconductor device. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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25. A method of operating a stacked arrangement of transistors, comprising:
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coupling a body terminal of one or more transistors from the stacked arrangement of transistors to a corresponding reference potential node when no input signal is provided to an input transistor of the stacked arrangement, thereby providing a corresponding reference potential to the body terminal; and decoupling the body terminal of the one or more transistors from the corresponding reference node when a radio frequency (RF) signal is provided to the input transistor, thereby floating the body terminal, wherein the one or more transistors comprises the input transistor, wherein; the one or more transistors are fabricated on a common substrate, and each of the one or more transistors comprises; i) a first terminal in contact with a first region of the transistor; ii) a second terminal in contact with a second region of the transistor; iii) a third terminal configured, during operation of the transistor, to receive a voltage to control a conduction channel in a portion of a body region of the transistor between the first region and the second region; and iv) the body terminal in contact with the body region. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:
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fabricating a stacked arrangement of one or more transistors on a substrate, each of the one or more transistors having a body terminal in contact with a body region of the transistor; and fabricating one or more switches on the substrate in correspondence of the one or more transistors with a first switch terminal of each of the one or more switches connected to the body terminal of a corresponding transistor and a second switch terminal of each of the one or more switches connected to a corresponding reference potential node; fabricating a control circuit on the substrate, the control circuit operable to provide a switch de-activation signal for operating the one or more switches in correspondence of the one or more transistors to selectively disconnect the body terminal of each of the one or more transistors from the corresponding reference potential node, the switch de-activation signal being provided to the one or more switches upon detection of an RF signal in the semiconductor device, wherein each of the one or more transistors comprises; i) a first terminal in contact with a first region of the transistor; ii) a second terminal in contact with a second region of the transistor; iii) a third terminal configured, during operation of the transistor, to receive a voltage to control a conduction channel in a portion of a body region of the transistor between the first region and the second region; and iv) the body terminal in contact with the body region. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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33. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:
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fabricating a stacked arrangement of one or more transistors on a substrate, each of the one or more transistors having a body terminal in contact with a body region of the transistor; and fabricating one or more switches on the substrate in correspondence of the one or more transistors with a first switch terminal of each of the one or more switches connected to the body terminal of a corresponding transistor and a second switch terminal of each of the one or more switches connected to a corresponding node, wherein; the corresponding node of the corresponding transistor different from an input transistor of the stacked arrangement is a source node of the corresponding transistor connected to a drain node of an adjacent transistor of the stacked arrangement, the corresponding node of the input transistor is a reference potential node connected to a reference potential, and each of the one or more transistors comprises; i) a first terminal in contact with a first region of the transistor; ii) a second terminal in contact with a second region of the transistor; iii) a third terminal configured, during operation of the transistor, to receive a voltage to control a conduction channel in a portion of a body region of the transistor between the first region and the second region; and iv) the body terminal in contact with the body region. - View Dependent Claims (34)
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35. A semiconductor device, comprising:
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a stacked arrangement of transistors that is fabricated on a substrate, each transistor of the stacked arrangement comprising; i) a first terminal in contact with a first region of the transistor; ii) a second terminal in contact with a second region of the transistor; iii) a third terminal, configured, during operation of the transistor, to receive a voltage to control a conduction channel in a portion of a body region of the transistor between the first region and the second region; and iv) a body terminal in contact with the body region; and one or more switches in correspondence of one or more transistors from the stacked arrangement of transistors, each with a first switch terminal connected to the body terminal of a corresponding transistor from the one or more transistors, and a second switch terminal connected to a corresponding node, a closed condition and an open condition of the one or more switches being controlled by a control signal to provide a first operating characteristic in the corresponding transistor by connecting the body terminal of the corresponding transistor to the corresponding node when a corresponding switch is closed, and to provide a second operating characteristic in the corresponding transistor by disconnecting the body terminal from the corresponding node when the corresponding switch is open, wherein; the corresponding node of the corresponding transistor different from an input transistor of the stacked arrangement is a source node of the corresponding transistor connected to a drain node of an adjacent transistor of the stacked arrangement, the corresponding node of the input transistor is a reference potential node connected to a reference potential, and the first operating characteristic comprises a reduction in a leakage current between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the second operating characteristic comprises an increase of a power added efficiency (PAE) of the transistor.
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Specification