Abstract:
A semiconductor-on-insulator structure, including a semiconductor thin film having electronic devices formed therein, the semiconductor thin film being disposed on a first face of an electrically insulating thin film; wherein to reduce parasitic capacitance, there is no bulk substrate attached to a second face of the electrically insulating thin film opposite to the first face, and to provide a path for heat flow from the devices, the thermal conductivity of the electrically insulating thin film is substantially greater than 1.4 W•m- 1 •K- 1 .
Abstract:
A photovoltaic device includes a semiconductor layer having photovoltaic solar cells formed therein, a handle substrate; and an interconnect layer disposed between the semiconductor layer and the handle substrate. The interconnect layer includes electrically conductive paths electrically connected to the photovoltaic solar cells in the semiconductor layer. A process forms photovoltaic devices in a semiconductor substrate; forms a planar interconnect layer having insulated, electrically conductive paths, the planar interconnect layer being formed on one of the semiconductor substrate and a planar handle substrate; bonds the other of the semiconductor substrate and the planar handle substrate to the interconnect layer to form a bonded stack in which the electrically conductive paths are electrically connected to the photovoltaic devices; and thins the semiconductor substrate to at least reduce the thickness of the semiconductor substrate between a face and the photovoltaic devices to improve the efficiency of the photovoltaic devices.
Abstract:
Various semiconductor wafers and their methods of fabrication are disclosed. One exemplary process comprises, forming a layer consisting essentially of aluminum nitride on a first wafer. The first wafer includes a substrate. The process also comprises bonding a second wafer to the first wafer. The aluminum nitride layer is interposed between the substrate and the second wafer after the bonding step. The process also comprises separating the first and second wafers to form a semiconductor on insulator (SOI) wafer. The SOI receives a layer of semiconductor material from the second wafer during the separating step. The SOI wafer includes the layer of semiconductor material, the layer consisting essentially of aluminum nitride, and the substrate after the separating step.
Abstract:
A power converter with a high side transistor and a low side transistor produces a phase voltage as the high and low side transistors turn on and off under control of a high side driver and a low side driver, respectively. The low side transistor has a low threshold voltage of 0.4 volts or less. In some embodiments, a drive voltage less than 0 volts turns off the low side transistor. In some embodiments, a low impedance between the low side driver and the low side transistor enables the drive voltage to turn off the low side transistor during high output transients. In some embodiments, the high side transistor, the low side transistor, the high side driver, and the low side driver are integrated together on the same integrated circuit die.
Abstract:
An integrated circuit, including: at least three integrated circuit portions mutually spaced on a single electrically insulating die, the integrated circuit portions being mutually galvanically isolated; and signal coupling structures on the die to allow communication of signals between the integrated circuit portions while maintaining the galvanic isolation therebetween.
Abstract:
A light source assembly, including one or more light emitting diodes disposed within a hermetically sealed enclosure, wherein the light emitting diodes are in the form of one or more unpackaged planar semiconductor dies mounted on an inner surface of a wall of the enclosure, wherein the wall of the enclosure includes electrically conductive tracks that connect electrical contacts of the unpackaged planar semiconductor dies to corresponding electrical contacts external of the sealed enclosure.
Abstract:
An integrated circuit, including at least two integrated circuit portions mutually spaced on a single electrically insulating die and at least one coupling region on the die to provide capacitive coupling between the otherwise mutually isolated integrated circuit portions, the integrated circuit portions being formed by a plurality of layers on the single die, the layers including metal and dielectric layers and at least one semiconductor layer; wherein at least one of the dielectric layers extends from the integrated circuit portions across the coupling region and at least a corresponding one of the metal layers and/or at least one semiconductor layer extends from each of the integrated circuit portions and partially across the coupling region to form capacitors therein and thereby provide the capacitive coupling between the integrated circuit portions.
Abstract:
A digital isolator, including: integrated circuit portions mutually spaced on a single electrically insulating die; an isolation barrier disposed between the integrated circuit portions to provide galvanic isolation therebetween; at least one coupling structure configured to provide signal coupling between the galvanically isolated integrated circuit portions; and mutually spaced electrodes on which the die is mounted, the electrodes being arranged below respective ones of the integrated circuit portions to improve common-mode transient immunity of the isolator.
Abstract:
A process of forming a thin-film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) device (130, 914) on a silicon-on-thin film aluminum-nitride on silicon (SOFTANOS) substrate (110) using a CMOS fabrication process is provided. The SOFTANOS substrate, which is an example of a high thermal conductivity silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, comprises an aluminum nitride (AlN) layer (114) and a silicon layer (118). The AlN layer has low electrical conductivity, high thermal conductivity, and good piezoelectric properties. A CMOS device (140, 910) is formed in the silicon layer, and the FBAR device is formed in the AlN layer.
Abstract:
A power converter with a high side transistor and a low side transistor produces a phase voltage as the high and low side transistors turn on and off under control of a high side driver and a low side driver, respectively. The low side transistor has a low threshold voltage of 0.4 volts or less. In some embodiments, a drive voltage less than 0 volts turns off the low side transistor. In some embodiments, a low impedance between the low side driver and the low side transistor enables the drive voltage to turn off the low side transistor during high output transients. In some embodiments, the high side transistor, the low side transistor, the high side driver, and the low side driver are integrated together on the same integrated circuit die.