Stephen P. Robb

Industry trends in power integrated circuits

The authors consider some of the recent trends in power integrated circuits. They discuss the novel processes and device configurations which the semiconductor industry is developing to meet the needs of customers. Also included is a qualitative look at the design tradeoffs which influence the choice of technology for a particular application. The movement toward high-performance and higher-density circuitry, which demands smaller geometries and sophisticated processing, is also discussed. Particular attention is given to smart power (smart discrete devices and integrated circuits), multiple-output technology, high-voltage junction isolation, and high-voltage dielectric isolation.<<ETX>>

Smartdiscretes, new products for automotive applications

Device structures and characteristics for three Smartdiscretes which have automotive applications are presented. Smartdiscretes are discrete power devices which incorporate a few small signal devices on a chip without added process complexity. The first is a power MOSFET with very low on-resistance and an integral temperature sensor. The second is an ignition coil driver with a temperature-compensated clamp. The third is a device with a built-in current limit, electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection, and a temperature-compensated clamp that is suitable for driving small inductive loads such as injector drivers.<<ETX>>

A dual-voltage self-clamped IGBT for automotive ignition applications

Self-clamped inductive switching (SCIS) energy capability is a critical parameter of device performance for insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) used in automotive ignition applications. In this work, the authors propose a monolithic dual-voltage self-clamped IGBT to improve its SCIS energy capability. During an inductive turnoff process, the collector voltage of the proposed device is clamped first at a high level for a short period of time and then at a much lower level until the electromagnetic energy stored in the inductive coil is fully discharged. The concept has been verified and analyzed with extensive numerical device simulation. A monolithic prototype device based the concept has been designed and fabricated with a conventional eight-mask IGBT process. The preliminary experimental result is also reported.

A solid state current sense for high current epi base power transistors

This paper concerns the development of a current sense device used in high current epi base power transistors. The device exhibits an output current proportional to the square root of input current. A theoretical derivation agrees very well with experimental results. A circuit is described which implements this device. The current sense device was used to investigate high current effects in the bipolar transistor.