US20200127664A1 - Reverse direction high-electron-mobility logic gate - Google Patents
Reverse direction high-electron-mobility logic gate Download PDFInfo
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- US20200127664A1 US20200127664A1 US16/659,176 US201916659176A US2020127664A1 US 20200127664 A1 US20200127664 A1 US 20200127664A1 US 201916659176 A US201916659176 A US 201916659176A US 2020127664 A1 US2020127664 A1 US 2020127664A1
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02H—EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS
- H02H9/00—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltage without disconnection
- H02H9/04—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltage without disconnection responsive to excess voltage
- H02H9/045—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltage without disconnection responsive to excess voltage adapted to a particular application and not provided for elsewhere
- H02H9/046—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltage without disconnection responsive to excess voltage adapted to a particular application and not provided for elsewhere responsive to excess voltage appearing at terminals of integrated circuits
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- H01L28/00—Passive two-terminal components without a potential-jump or surface barrier for integrated circuits; Details thereof; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
- H01L28/20—Resistors
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- H01L27/00—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate
- H01L27/02—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components specially adapted for rectifying, oscillating, amplifying or switching and having potential barriers; including integrated passive circuit elements having potential barriers
- H01L27/0203—Particular design considerations for integrated circuits
- H01L27/0248—Particular design considerations for integrated circuits for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection
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- H01L27/00—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate
- H01L27/02—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components specially adapted for rectifying, oscillating, amplifying or switching and having potential barriers; including integrated passive circuit elements having potential barriers
- H01L27/0203—Particular design considerations for integrated circuits
- H01L27/0248—Particular design considerations for integrated circuits for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection
- H01L27/0251—Particular design considerations for integrated circuits for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection for MOS devices
- H01L27/0266—Particular design considerations for integrated circuits for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection for MOS devices using field effect transistors as protective elements
- H01L27/027—Particular design considerations for integrated circuits for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection for MOS devices using field effect transistors as protective elements specially adapted to provide an electrical current path other than the field effect induced current path
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- H01L27/02—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components specially adapted for rectifying, oscillating, amplifying or switching and having potential barriers; including integrated passive circuit elements having potential barriers
- H01L27/0203—Particular design considerations for integrated circuits
- H01L27/0248—Particular design considerations for integrated circuits for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection
- H01L27/0251—Particular design considerations for integrated circuits for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection for MOS devices
- H01L27/0266—Particular design considerations for integrated circuits for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection for MOS devices using field effect transistors as protective elements
- H01L27/0285—Particular design considerations for integrated circuits for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection for MOS devices using field effect transistors as protective elements bias arrangements for gate electrode of field effect transistors, e.g. RC networks, voltage partitioning circuits
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- H01L27/00—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate
- H01L27/02—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components specially adapted for rectifying, oscillating, amplifying or switching and having potential barriers; including integrated passive circuit elements having potential barriers
- H01L27/04—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components specially adapted for rectifying, oscillating, amplifying or switching and having potential barriers; including integrated passive circuit elements having potential barriers the substrate being a semiconductor body
- H01L27/06—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components specially adapted for rectifying, oscillating, amplifying or switching and having potential barriers; including integrated passive circuit elements having potential barriers the substrate being a semiconductor body including a plurality of individual components in a non-repetitive configuration
- H01L27/0605—Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate including semiconductor components specially adapted for rectifying, oscillating, amplifying or switching and having potential barriers; including integrated passive circuit elements having potential barriers the substrate being a semiconductor body including a plurality of individual components in a non-repetitive configuration integrated circuits made of compound material, e.g. AIIIBV
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- H01L29/02—Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
- H01L29/12—Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor characterised by the materials of which they are formed
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- H03K19/08—Logic circuits, i.e. having at least two inputs acting on one output; Inverting circuits using specified components using semiconductor devices
- H03K19/094—Logic circuits, i.e. having at least two inputs acting on one output; Inverting circuits using specified components using semiconductor devices using field-effect transistors
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- H03K19/00—Logic circuits, i.e. having at least two inputs acting on one output; Inverting circuits
- H03K19/20—Logic circuits, i.e. having at least two inputs acting on one output; Inverting circuits characterised by logic function, e.g. AND, OR, NOR, NOT circuits
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- H01L29/02—Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
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- H01L29/20—Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor characterised by the materials of which they are formed including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only AIIIBV compounds
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- H01L29/02—Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
- H01L29/12—Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor characterised by the materials of which they are formed
- H01L29/20—Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor characterised by the materials of which they are formed including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only AIIIBV compounds
- H01L29/201—Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor characterised by the materials of which they are formed including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only AIIIBV compounds including two or more compounds, e.g. alloys
- H01L29/205—Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor characterised by the materials of which they are formed including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only AIIIBV compounds including two or more compounds, e.g. alloys in different semiconductor regions, e.g. heterojunctions
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L29/00—Semiconductor devices specially adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching and having potential barriers; Capacitors or resistors having potential barriers, e.g. a PN-junction depletion layer or carrier concentration layer; Details of semiconductor bodies or of electrodes thereof ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
- H01L29/66—Types of semiconductor device ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
- H01L29/68—Types of semiconductor device ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor controllable by only the electric current supplied, or only the electric potential applied, to an electrode which does not carry the current to be rectified, amplified or switched
- H01L29/76—Unipolar devices, e.g. field effect transistors
- H01L29/772—Field effect transistors
- H01L29/778—Field effect transistors with two-dimensional charge carrier gas channel, e.g. HEMT ; with two-dimensional charge-carrier layer formed at a heterojunction interface
- H01L29/7786—Field effect transistors with two-dimensional charge carrier gas channel, e.g. HEMT ; with two-dimensional charge-carrier layer formed at a heterojunction interface with direct single heterostructure, i.e. with wide bandgap layer formed on top of active layer, e.g. direct single heterostructure MIS-like HEMT
- H01L29/7787—Field effect transistors with two-dimensional charge carrier gas channel, e.g. HEMT ; with two-dimensional charge-carrier layer formed at a heterojunction interface with direct single heterostructure, i.e. with wide bandgap layer formed on top of active layer, e.g. direct single heterostructure MIS-like HEMT with wide bandgap charge-carrier supplying layer, e.g. direct single heterostructure MODFET
Definitions
- a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor uses an insulated gate to control current flow between a source and a drain of the MOSFET.
- Current Voltage characteristics of a conventional MOSFET are shown in FIG. 1 .
- the horizontal axis represents voltage from the drain to the source (Vds).
- the vertical axis represents current values flow from the drain to the source (Ids).
- Vds forward biased
- Vgs gate-to-source voltage
- Vg controls current flow (Ids) through the MOSFET.
- the threshold voltage (Vth) is the minimum value of Vgs that is needed to create a conducting path between the source and the drain. As illustrated in FIG. 1 , increasing the gate voltage above the threshold voltage results in increased conductivity.
- Vds When the MOSFET is negative biased (Vds is negative), the gate-to-source voltage (Vg) has less impact on current flow through the MOSFET.
- Vg gate-to-source voltage
- the source and the drain are n+ regions and the body is a p region.
- the p-n junction formed at the intersection of the p body and the n+ regions act as a diode between the body and the source of the MOSFET and between the body and the drain of the MOSFET. Because in a MOSFET the source is typically shorted to the body, the body diode between the body and the source is irrelevant. However, the body diode to the drain allows a current path from the body to the drain when the MOSFET is negative biased (Vds is negative).
- FIG. 1 shows current characteristics of a typical metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) in accordance with the prior art.
- MOSFET metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor
- FIG. 2 shows current characteristics of a high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT).
- HEMT high-electron-mobility transistor
- FIG. 3 is a simplified circuit diagram of a voltage clamping circuit.
- FIG. 4 is a simplified circuit diagram of a voltage clamping circuit providing electrostatic discharge protection for an input pad of an integrated circuit.
- FIG. 5 is a simplified circuit diagram of a high side current source element circuit that provides voltage and current to an output pin of an integrated circuit.
- FIG. 6 is a simplified circuit diagram of another high side current source element circuit that provides voltage and current to an output pin of an integrated circuit.
- FIG. 7 is a simplified circuit diagram of an inverter circuit.
- FIG. 8 shows a prior art CMOS NAND logic gate.
- FIG. 9 shows a NAND logic gate implemented using an RDHEMT.
- FIG. 10 shows a three input NAND logic gate implemented using an RDHEMT.
- FIG. 11 shows a NOR logic gate implemented using two RDHEMTs.
- FIG. 12 shows implementation of a transmission circuit utilizing two RDHEMTs.
- FIG. 13 shows implementation of a master-slave flip-flop utilizing RDHEMTs.
- FIG. 13 shows implementation of a master-slave flip-flop utilizing RDHEMTs.
- FIG. 14 implementation of a bridge circuit utilizing RDHEMTs.
- a high-electron-mobility transistor also known as a heterostructure FET (HFET) is a field-effect transistor incorporating a junction between two materials with different band gaps at the channel instead of a doped region.
- HEMT high-electron-mobility transistor
- GaAs Gallium Arsenide
- AlGaAs depleted Aluminum Gallium Arsenide
- the electrons generated in the thin n-type AlGaAs layer drop into the GaAs layer to form a depleted AlGaAs layer.
- the heterojunction created by different band-gap materials forms a quantum well in the conduction band on the GaAs side where the electrons can move quickly without colliding with any impurities. This creates a very thin layer of highly mobile conducting electrons with very high concentration, giving the channel very low resistivity.
- Other materials can be used to form a HEMT such as in a Gallium Nitride HEMT.
- GaN-based HEMTs have a similar layered structure where no intentional doping is required.
- electrons form a high carrier concentration at the interface, which leads to a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channel due to the spontaneous polarization found in wurtzite-structured GaN.
- the 2DEG is a function of AlGaN thickness and the bound positive charge at the interface.
- AlGaN/GaN HEMTs providing high power density and breakdown voltage can be achieved.
- the polarization effect between the GaN channel layer and AlGaN barrier layer causes a sheet of uncompensated charge in the order of 0.01-0.03 Coulombs per meter (C/m) to form.
- dHEMT depletion HEMT
- the 2DEG is not continuous at zero gate bias. This will achieve a normally off or enhancement mode behavior characteristic of an enhancement HEMT (eHEMT).
- eHEMT enhancement mode behavior characteristic of an enhancement HEMT
- Additional eHEMT devices of interest are Indium Phosphate (InP) based HEMTs due to their high electron mobility, high electron saturation velocity, and high electron concentration. These devices are made of an InGaAs/InAlAs composite cap layer, an undoped InAlAs Schottky barrier and an InGaAs/InAs composite channel for superior electron transport properties.
- InP Indium Phosphate
- FIG. 2 shows current voltage characteristics of a HEMT.
- the horizontal axis represents voltage from the drain to the source (Vds).
- the vertical axis represents current values flow from the drain to the source (Ids).
- HEMT transistor current-voltage characteristics in the forward direction look similar to PN junction technologies like MOSFETs. That is, as long as the HEMT is forward biased (Vds is positive), the gate-to-source voltage (Vgs) controls current flow (Ids) through the HEMT.
- RDHEMT reverse direction HEMT
- MOSFETS metal-oxide-semiconductor-semiconductor
- Gallium nitride HEMTs are an example of HEMT transistors that have a reverse conduction mode and have attracted attention due to their high-power and high frequency performance.
- such an RDHEMT device starts to conduct when the absolute value of the negative drain voltage with respect to the source voltage
- the RDHEMT then exhibits a channel resistance and conducts current. If a negative gate voltage is applied with respect to the source voltage, the negative drain to source voltage must be increased for the RDHEMT to conduct current.
- FIG. 3 is a simplified circuit diagram of a voltage clamping circuit 109 used to clamp voltage excursions by using RDHEMT operation in the reverse direction.
- An RDHEMT 100 has a source 101 , a drain 102 and a gate 103 .
- An RDHEMT 110 has a source 111 , a drain 112 and a gate 113 .
- Source 111 and gate 113 of RDHEMT 110 are connected to a reference voltage 106 ( ⁇ V).
- Drain 102 of RDHEMT 100 is connected to a reference voltage 105 (+V).
- Source 101 and gate 103 of RDHEMT 100 and drain 112 of RDHEMT 110 are all connected to a line 107 that is voltage clamped.
- line 107 is voltage clamped from being significantly more positive than reference voltage reference voltage +V.
- the drain to source voltage or Vds of RDHEMT 100 will decrease and go negative.
- the magnitude of the negative drain to source voltage of RDHEMT 100 will continue to increase until RDHEMT 100 begins to conduct current in the reverse direction from line 107 through to reference voltage 105 (+V), resulting in a voltage clamping effect on line 107 .
- line 107 is voltage clamped from being significantly more negative than reference voltage ⁇ V from reference voltage 106 .
- the drain to source voltage or Vds of RDHEMT 110 will decrease and go negative.
- the magnitude of the negative drain to source voltage of RDHEMT 110 will continue to increase until RDHEMT 110 begins to conduct current in the reverse direction from line 107 to reference voltage 106 , resulting in a voltage clamping effect on line 107 .
- This current flow at the voltage threshold of ⁇ 1.6 volts is what allows RDHEMT 110 to clamp the voltage on line 107 beginning where the voltage on line 107 is 1.6 volts less than reference voltage ⁇ V.
- the voltage threshold of ⁇ 1.6 volts is referred to herein as the reverse conduction onset voltage, or as the clamping voltage.
- the voltage at gate 103 and the voltage at gate 113 can be varied to modify the clamping voltage for RDHEMT 110 . In general, the clamping voltage will be at the reverse conduction onset voltage.
- FIG. 4 shows voltage clamping circuit 119 used for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection on an input pad 115 of an integrated circuit 116 .
- ESD electrostatic discharge
- the voltage on input pad 115 can go positive or negative relative to the Gnd ( ⁇ V) or reference voltage +V.
- Voltage clamping circuit 119 assures that the voltage does not go too far above reference voltage +V or too far below GND. As discussed above, beginning where the voltage on input pad 115 (and thus line 107 ) is 1.6 volts more than V+, there is a reverse current flow through RDHEMT 100 .
- This current flow at the reverse conduction onset voltage of ⁇ 1.6 volts is what allows RDHEMT 100 to clamp the voltage on input pad 115 beginning where the voltage on input pad 115 is 1.6 volts more than V+.
- the voltage on input pad 115 is 1.6 volts less than V1 (Gnd)
- This current flow at the reverse conduction onset voltage of ⁇ 1.6 volts is what allows RDHEMT 110 to clamp the voltage on input pad 115 beginning where the voltage on input pad 115 is 1.6 volts less than V ⁇ .
- FIG. 5 shows a high side current source element circuit 134 that provides voltage and current to an output pin 127 of an integrated circuit.
- a current limiting component 124 is, for example, a resistor or depletion mode transistor.
- An RDHEMT 120 has a source 121 , a drain 122 and a gate 123 .
- a transistor 130 has a source 131 , a drain 132 and a gate 133 .
- Source 121 of RDHEMT 120 is connected to a reference voltage 126 (+V).
- Drain 122 of RDHEMT 120 is connected to output pin 127 .
- Gate 123 of RDHEMT 120 is connected to current limiting component 124 .
- Source 131 of transistor 130 is connected to a reference voltage 128 (GND).
- Drain 132 of transistor 130 (+V) is connected to gate 123 of RDHEMT 120 .
- Gate 133 of transistor 130 is connected to current pin input 129 controlled by the integrated circuit.
- Current limiting component 124 is connected to a voltage 125 , which is more positive than reference voltage 126 (+V) by a value of V1, so that voltage 125 has a value of +V+V1.
- the voltage V1 should be greater than or equal to the reverse conduction onset voltage.
- the output pin 127 When voltage V1 is equal to the forward conduction threshold voltage, the output pin 127 will be pulled up to voltage reference voltage +V and the drain to source voltage (Vds) of transistor 140 will be near zero.
- the voltage on drain 122 of RDHEMT 120 is less than or equal to source voltage reference voltage +V which assures RDHEMT 120 is operating in a reverse conduction mode.
- Transistor 130 is, for example, a HEMT or a MOSFET operating in forward conduction mode.
- control pin 129 at gate 133 of transistor 130 When control pin 129 at gate 133 of transistor 130 is at a voltage level sufficiently above the threshold voltage of transistor 130 , transistor 130 will be ON and will pull the voltage on gate 123 of RDHEMT 120 near GND so that RDHEMT 120 will be OFF and output pin 127 will be at a voltage value indicating high impedance or an OPEN circuit.
- control pin 129 is at a low voltage value below the threshold voltage of transistor 130 , then transistor 130 will be OFF, allowing current limiting component 124 to pull gate 123 of RDHEMT 120 to the voltage value +V+V1 of reference voltage 125 .
- RDHEMT 120 in FIG. 5 A significant advantage using a RDHEMT transistor in reverse mode is realized by RDHEMT 120 in FIG. 5 as it does not have saturation characteristic at low gate voltage similar to the forward conduction mode. This is caused by negative charge injected into the channel by the negatively charged Drain electrode. Conduction of the RDHEMT transistor is controlled by both the Vgs voltage and the ⁇ Vds voltage. This effect can be seen in FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 6 shows a high side current source element circuit 154 that provides voltage and current to an output pin 147 of an integrated circuit.
- a current limiting component 144 is, for example, a resistor or depletion mode transistor.
- An RDHEMT 140 has a source 141 , a drain 142 and a gate 143 .
- a transistor 150 has a source 151 , a drain 152 and a gate 153 .
- Source 141 of RDHEMT 140 is connected to a positive voltage supply reference voltage 145 (+V+V1).
- Drain 142 of RDHEMT 140 is connected to output pin 147 .
- Gate 143 of RDHEMT 140 is connected to current limiting component 144 .
- Source 151 of transistor 150 is connected to a reference voltage 148 (GND).
- Drain 152 of transistor 150 (+V) is connected to gate 143 of RDHEMT 140 .
- Gate 153 of transistor 150 is connected to current pin input 149 controlled by the integrated circuit.
- RDHEMT 140 When the voltage on the gate of RDHEMT 140 is allowed to be pulled up to voltage supply reference voltage 145 (+V+V1), RDHEMT 140 , will source voltage and current such that the voltage at output pin 147 will be pulled up to voltage (+V+V1) ⁇ Vrco, where Vrco is the reverse conduction onset voltage of RDHEMT 140 .
- the voltage on drain 142 of RDHEMT 140 , at output pin 147 will be less than or equal to voltage supply reference voltage 145 (+V+V1), which assures RDHEMT 140 is operating in the reverse conduction mode.
- RDHEMT 140 will be OFF if the gate to source voltage (Vgs) of RDHEMT 140 is sufficiently negative with respect to the drain to source voltage (Vds) of RDHEMT 140 as illustrated in the voltage characteristics shown in FIG. 2 .
- transistor 150 is a HEMT or MOS transistor operated in forward conduction mode.
- voltage on control pin 149 at gate 153 of transistor 150 , is at a voltage value sufficiently above the threshold voltage of transistor 150 , transistor 150 will be ON and transistor 150 will pull the voltage on gate 143 of RDHEMT 140 near GND 148 so that RDHEMT 140 will be OFF and output pin 147 will be at a value indicating high impedance or OPEN circuit.
- transistor 150 When the control pin 149 is at a low voltage below the threshold voltage of transistor 150 , then transistor 150 will be OFF allowing current limiting component 144 to pull gate 143 of RDHEMT 140 to voltage supply reference voltage 145 (+V+V1).
- High side current source element circuit 134 shown in FIG. 5 and high side current source element circuit 154 shown FIG. 6 can be used to replace circuits typically implemented using a p-channel transistor in CMOS logic circuits. This allows creation of a new class of devices implemented in RDHEMT process technology that eliminates the need to increase fabrication cost and complexity by integrating enhancement mode (p-channel) devices which turn on with a negative voltage relative to the source.
- FIG. 7 shows an inverter circuit 174 that can be used to implement an inverter, an inverting buffer or a reverse direction high-electron (RDHE) inverter.
- a current limiting component 164 is, for example, a resistor or depletion mode transistor.
- An RDHEMT 160 has a source 161 , a drain 162 and a gate 163 .
- a transistor 170 has a source 171 , a drain 172 and a gate 173 .
- Source 161 of RDHEMT 160 is connected to a reference voltage 166 (+V).
- Drain 162 of RDHEMT 160 is connected to an output pin 167 , to drain 172 of RDHEMT 170 and to current limiting component 164 .
- Source 171 of transistor 170 is connected to a reference voltage 168 (GND).
- Drain 172 of transistor 170 is connected to output pin 167 , to drain 162 of RDHEMT 160 and to current limiting component 164 .
- Gate 173 of transistor 170 is connected to control pin input 169 controlled by the integrated circuit.
- Current limiting component 164 is connected between output pin 167 and reference voltage 165 (+V+V1).
- transistor 170 is a HEMT.
- control pin 169 at gate 173 of gate transistor 170 is switched from LOW to HIGH sufficiently so that the voltage at gate 173 is above the threshold voltage of transistor 170 , transistor 170 will turn ON.
- RDHEMT 160 will have been turned ON in low conduction mode, so output pin 167 will be pulled low to GND by transistor 170 .
- This will pull gate 163 of RDHEMT 160 low to GND as the resistance of current limiting component 164 and RDHEMT 160 in low conduction mode is sufficiently higher than transistor 170 during this transition.
- the drain to source voltage (Vds) of RDHEMT 160 will be equal to ⁇
- RDHEMT 160 When the voltage on control pin 169 at gate 173 of gate transistor 170 is switched from high to low (GND), transistor 170 is turned OFF. RDHEMT 160 has a negative Vds of ⁇
- the inverter shown in FIG. 7 can be used as the basis to form logic gates that are a significant improvement over logic gates formed using complementary metal-oxide-silicon (CMOS) technology.
- CMOS complementary metal-oxide-silicon
- FIG. 8 shows a prior art CMOS NAND logic gate.
- the CMOS NAND logic gate uses two p-channel transistors connected in parallel and two n-channel transistors connected in series to perform a logical NAND of values on a control pin 181 and a control pin 182 to produce an output value on output pin 183 .
- a p-channel transistor 401 includes a source 186 connected to a reference voltage 184 (+V), a drain 187 connected to output pin 183 and a gate 188 connected to control pin 181 .
- a p-channel transistor 402 includes a source 195 connected to reference voltage 184 (+V), a drain 196 connected to output pin 183 and a gate 197 connected to control pin 182 .
- An n-channel transistor 403 includes a source 189 , a drain 190 connected to output pin 183 and a gate 191 connected to control pin 181 .
- a p-channel transistor 404 includes a source 192 connected to a ground reference voltage 185 , a drain 193 connected to source 189 of n-channel transistor 403 and a gate 194 connected to control pin 182 .
- p-channel transistor 401 and p-channel 402 function as current sourcing transistors and n-channel transistor 403 and n-channel 404 function as current sinking transistors.
- either of the current sourcing transistors can be on while the current sinking transistors are off.
- both current sinking transistors must be on while both current sourcing transistors are off.
- FIG. 9 shows a NAND logic gate implemented using an RDHEMT 411 .
- RDHEMT 411 includes a source 204 connected to a reference voltage 204 (VDD), a drain 215 connected to an output pin 203 and a gate 216 connected to output pin 203 .
- VDD reference voltage 204
- An HEMT 412 includes a source 208 , a drain 209 connected to output pin 203 and a gate 210 connected to control pin 201 .
- An HEMT 413 includes a source 211 connected to a ground reference voltage 205 , a drain 212 connected to source 208 of HEMT 412 and a gate 213 connected to control pin 202 .
- a resistance 207 is connected between output pin 203 and a reference voltage 206 (VDD+V1). For example, resistance 207 is implemented using a resistor or a depletion mode transistor.
- HEMT 412 and HEMT 413 function as logic implementing circuitry.
- a single RDHEMT 411 replaces the two current sourcing transistors required for the prior art design shown in FIG. 8 . This reduction in the required number of transistors to implement a logic gate is a significant improvement over the prior art.
- RDHEMT transistors turn on when the drain is negative with respect to their source voltage, their on/off conduction can be modulated by the output pin as opposed to gate control as in p-channel current sources of CMOS logic.
- the gate-to-source voltage of a RDHEMT can modulate the amount of negative drain to source voltage required for conduction to begin.
- a p-channel transistor in conventional CMOS logic is fully ON when the drain or output is pulled to the +V rail. If a low side current source were to be turned on to attempt to pull the output low while the p-channel transistor is ON, a large current flow from power to ground would result.
- the RDHEMT When used as a high side current source as seen in FIG. 5 , the RDHEMT turns off when the drain is pulled high to the +V rail and the negative drain to source potential is insufficient to initiate conduction, the RDHEMT is OFF which allows for output switching control as seen in FIG. 6 .
- FIG. 10 shows a NAND logic gate implemented using an RDHEMT 431 .
- RDHEMT 431 includes a source 254 connected to a reference voltage 244 (VDD), a drain 255 connected to an output pin 243 and a gate 256 connected to output pin 243 .
- VDD reference voltage 244
- An HEMT 432 includes a source 248 , a drain 249 connected to output pin 253 and a gate 240 connected to control pin 241 .
- An HEMT 433 includes a source 251 , a drain 252 connected to source 248 of HEMT 432 and a gate 253 connected to control pin 242 .
- An HEMT 434 includes a source 257 connected to a ground reference voltage 245 , a drain 258 connected to source 251 of HEMT 433 and a gate 259 connected to control pin 260 .
- a resistance 247 is connected between output pin 243 and a reference voltage 246 (VDD+V1). For example, resistance 247 is implemented using a resistor or a depletion mode transistor.
- a single RDHEMT 441 replaces the two current sourcing transistors required for the prior art design. This reduction in the required number of transistors to implement a logic gate is a significant improvement over the prior art.
- HEMT 432 , HEMT 433 and HEMT 434 function as logic implementing circuitry. Additional HEMTs with gates attached to additional inputs can be added in series with HEMT 432 , HEMT 433 and HEMT 434 to increase the number of inputs to the logic NAND gate.
- FIG. 11 shows a NOR logic gate implemented using an RDHEMT 421 and an RDHEMT 422 .
- RDHEMT 421 includes a source 234 connected to a reference voltage 224 (VDD), a drain 235 and a gate 236 connected to an output pin 213 .
- RDHEMT 422 includes a source 228 connected to a drain 235 of RDHEMT 421 , a drain 229 connected to output pin 213 and a gate 230 connected to output pin 213 .
- An HEMT 423 includes a source 231 connected to a ground reference voltage 225 , a drain 232 connected to output pin 223 and a gate 233 connected to control pin 221 .
- An HEMT 424 includes a source 237 connected to ground reference voltage 225 , a drain 238 connected to output pin 223 and a gate 239 connected to control pin 222 .
- a resistance 227 is connected between output pin 223 and a reference voltage 226 (VDD+V1). For example, resistance 227 is implemented using a resistor or a depletion mode transistor.
- control pin 221 OR control pin 222 are HIGH, output pin 223 is pulled LOW with RDHEMT 421 and RDHEMT 422 OFF. If both control pin 221 and control pin 222 are LOW, HEMT 423 and HEMT 424 are OFF, RDHEMT 421 and RDHEMT 422 are ON with their gates pulled to VDD+V1 by resistance 227 , and output pin 223 is HIGH.
- HEMT 423 and HEMT 424 function as logic implementing circuitry. Additional HEMTs with gates attached to additional inputs can be added in parallel with HEMT 423 and HEMT 424 to increase the number of inputs to the logic NOR gate.
- FIG. 12 shows implementation of a transmission circuit utilizing an RDHEMT 441 and an RDHEMT 442 .
- RDHEMT 441 includes a source 274 connected to an input/output pin 263 , a drain 275 to input/output pin 263 and a gate 276 .
- RDHEMT 442 includes a source 268 connected to input/output pin 263 , a drain 269 to input/output pin 263 and a gate 270 connected to gate 276 of RDHEMT 441 .
- An HEMT 443 includes a source 271 connected to a ground reference voltage 265 , a drain 272 connected to gate 276 of RDHEMT 441 and a gate 273 connected to control pin 264 .
- a resistance 267 is connected between gate 276 of RDHEMT 441 and a reference voltage 266 (VDD+V1).
- resistance 267 is implemented using a resistor or a depletion mode transistor.
- the gates of both RDHEMT 441 and RDHEMT 442 are connected to resistance 267 .
- resistance 267 is implemented using a resistor or a depletion mode transistor.
- HEMT transistor 443 is used to control the gate voltage on transistors RDHEMT 441 and RDHEMT 442 such that when control pin 264 is high, transistor HEMT transistor 443 on and the gates of RDHEMT 441 and RDHEMT 442 will be pulled to GND and are OFF.
- a first flip-flop has an D input 282 , an inverse clock input 287 , a clock input 288 and an inverse Q input 283 .
- a first transmission circuit is implemented using an RDHEMT 451 , an RDHEMT 452 , an HEMT 453 , and a resistance 454 , connected as shown in FIG. 13 to inverse clock input 287 , D input 282 , a reference voltage 286 (V+V1) and a ground reference 285 .
- a second transmission circuit of the first flip-flop is implemented using an RDHEMT 461 , an RDHEMT 462 , an HEMT 463 , and a resistance 455 connected as shown in FIG. 13 to clock input 288 , reference voltage 286 (V+V1) and ground reference 285 .
- a first inverter circuit of the first flip-flop is implemented using an RDHEMT 471 , an HEMT 472 , and a resistance 475 , connected as shown in FIG. 13 to reference voltage 286 (V+V1), a reference voltage 284 (V), and ground reference 285 .
- a second inverter circuit of the first flip-flop is implemented using an RDHEMT 473 , an HEMT 474 , and a resistance 476 , connected as shown in FIG. 13 to reference voltage 286 (V+V1), reference voltage 284 (V), and ground reference 285 .
- a first transmission circuit is implemented using an RDHEMT 481 , an RDHEMT 482 , an HEMT 483 , and a resistance 484 , connected as shown in FIG. 13 to inverse clock input 287 , inverse Q output 283 , reference voltage 286 (V+V1) and ground reference 285 .
- a second transmission circuit of the second flip-flop is implemented using an RDHEMT 491 , an RDHEMT 492 , an HEMT 493 , and a resistance 485 connected as shown in FIG. 13 to clock input 288 , reference voltage 286 (V+V1) and ground reference 285 .
- a first inverter circuit of the second flip-flop is implemented using an RDHEMT 501 , an HEMT 502 , and a resistance 505 , connected as shown in FIG. 13 to reference voltage 286 (V+V1), reference voltage 284 (V), and ground reference 285 .
- a second inverter circuit of the second flip-flop is implemented using an RDHEMT 503 , an HEMT 504 , and a resistance 506 , connected as shown in FIG. 13 to reference voltage 286 (V+V1), reference voltage 284 (V), and ground reference 285 .
- FIG. 14 is a bridge circuit utilizing an RDHEMT 601 , RDHEMT 602 , RDHEMT 603 and an RDHEMT 604 , which each conduct voltage and current in the reverse direction.
- RDHEMT 601 and RDHEMT 602 When an AC input signal 610 is applied to RDHEMT 601 and RDHEMT 602 , and the voltage of the AC input signal is above the positive voltage of a capacitor 605 by its threshold voltage, then RDHEMT 601 and RDHEMT 602 will conduct current in the reverse direction charging capacitor 47 . If desired an additional circuit component 606 and additional circuit component 607 can be used to apply a positive voltage to RDHEMT 601 and RDHEMT 602 relative to their source voltage to decrease the voltage drop across the RDHEMTs.
- RDHEMT 604 and RDHEMT 603 When AC input signal 610 is applied to RDHEMT 604 and RDHEMT 603 , and the voltage of the AC input signal is less than the negative voltage of capacitor 47 by their threshold voltage, then RDHEMT 604 and RDHEMT 603 will conduct current in the reverse direction. If desired an additional circuit component 608 and additional circuit component 609 can be used to apply a positive voltage to RDHEMT 604 and RDHEMT 603 relative to their source voltage to decrease the voltage drop across the RDHEMTs.
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Abstract
Description
- A metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) uses an insulated gate to control current flow between a source and a drain of the MOSFET. Current Voltage characteristics of a conventional MOSFET are shown in
FIG. 1 . InFIG. 1 , the horizontal axis represents voltage from the drain to the source (Vds). The vertical axis represents current values flow from the drain to the source (Ids). As long as the MOSFET is forward biased (Vds is positive), the gate-to-source voltage (Vgs)—sometimes called gate voltage Vg—controls current flow (Ids) through the MOSFET. The threshold voltage (Vth) is the minimum value of Vgs that is needed to create a conducting path between the source and the drain. As illustrated inFIG. 1 , increasing the gate voltage above the threshold voltage results in increased conductivity. - When the MOSFET is negative biased (Vds is negative), the gate-to-source voltage (Vg) has less impact on current flow through the MOSFET. This is the result of a body diode intrinsic within FETs which allows current flow from source to drain regardless of the gate voltage. For example, in an n-channel MOSFET, the source and the drain are n+ regions and the body is a p region. The p-n junction formed at the intersection of the p body and the n+ regions act as a diode between the body and the source of the MOSFET and between the body and the drain of the MOSFET. Because in a MOSFET the source is typically shorted to the body, the body diode between the body and the source is irrelevant. However, the body diode to the drain allows a current path from the body to the drain when the MOSFET is negative biased (Vds is negative).
-
FIG. 1 shows current characteristics of a typical metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) in accordance with the prior art. -
FIG. 2 shows current characteristics of a high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT). -
FIG. 3 is a simplified circuit diagram of a voltage clamping circuit. -
FIG. 4 is a simplified circuit diagram of a voltage clamping circuit providing electrostatic discharge protection for an input pad of an integrated circuit. -
FIG. 5 is a simplified circuit diagram of a high side current source element circuit that provides voltage and current to an output pin of an integrated circuit. -
FIG. 6 is a simplified circuit diagram of another high side current source element circuit that provides voltage and current to an output pin of an integrated circuit. -
FIG. 7 is a simplified circuit diagram of an inverter circuit. -
FIG. 8 shows a prior art CMOS NAND logic gate. -
FIG. 9 shows a NAND logic gate implemented using an RDHEMT. -
FIG. 10 shows a three input NAND logic gate implemented using an RDHEMT. -
FIG. 11 shows a NOR logic gate implemented using two RDHEMTs. -
FIG. 12 shows implementation of a transmission circuit utilizing two RDHEMTs. -
FIG. 13 shows implementation of a master-slave flip-flop utilizing RDHEMTs. -
FIG. 13 shows implementation of a master-slave flip-flop utilizing RDHEMTs. -
FIG. 14 implementation of a bridge circuit utilizing RDHEMTs. - A high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) also known as a heterostructure FET (HFET) is a field-effect transistor incorporating a junction between two materials with different band gaps at the channel instead of a doped region. In a Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) HEMT, a depleted Aluminum Gallium Arsenide (AlGaAs) layer is placed over a non-doped narrow-bandgap channel layer of GaAs. The electrons generated in the thin n-type AlGaAs layer drop into the GaAs layer to form a depleted AlGaAs layer. The heterojunction created by different band-gap materials forms a quantum well in the conduction band on the GaAs side where the electrons can move quickly without colliding with any impurities. This creates a very thin layer of highly mobile conducting electrons with very high concentration, giving the channel very low resistivity. Other materials can be used to form a HEMT such as in a Gallium Nitride HEMT. GaN-based HEMTs have a similar layered structure where no intentional doping is required. In AlGaN/GaN HEMTs, electrons form a high carrier concentration at the interface, which leads to a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channel due to the spontaneous polarization found in wurtzite-structured GaN. The 2DEG is a function of AlGaN thickness and the bound positive charge at the interface. AlGaN/GaN HEMTs providing high power density and breakdown voltage can be achieved. The polarization effect between the GaN channel layer and AlGaN barrier layer causes a sheet of uncompensated charge in the order of 0.01-0.03 Coulombs per meter (C/m) to form. If the 2DEG is continuous between source and drain the transistor will be normally “on” or depletion HEMT (dHEMT) turning “off” with a negative gate bias. With the addition of Mg doping or other techniques to compensate the built in charge under the gate, the 2DEG is not continuous at zero gate bias. This will achieve a normally off or enhancement mode behavior characteristic of an enhancement HEMT (eHEMT).
- Additional eHEMT devices of interest are Indium Phosphate (InP) based HEMTs due to their high electron mobility, high electron saturation velocity, and high electron concentration. These devices are made of an InGaAs/InAlAs composite cap layer, an undoped InAlAs Schottky barrier and an InGaAs/InAs composite channel for superior electron transport properties.
- Since there is no p-n junction within an HEMT, there is no p-n body diode formed. This results in significantly different voltage characteristics between a HEMT and a MOSFET. For example,
FIG. 2 shows current voltage characteristics of a HEMT. InFIG. 2 , the horizontal axis represents voltage from the drain to the source (Vds). The vertical axis represents current values flow from the drain to the source (Ids). HEMT transistor current-voltage characteristics in the forward direction look similar to PN junction technologies like MOSFETs. That is, as long as the HEMT is forward biased (Vds is positive), the gate-to-source voltage (Vgs) controls current flow (Ids) through the HEMT. - The reverse conduction characteristics of a reverse direction HEMT (RDHEMT) are different than the reverse conduction characteristics of MOSFETS because in HEMTs there is no p-n body diode formed. In addition to the ability to block reverse voltages above the typical 0.6 volts of forward biased silicon PN junctions, some HEMT transistors turn on in the reverse direction with a negative voltage on the drain relative to the source (−Vds) primarily due to charge injection into the enhancement mode channel. This category of HEMT transistors have reverse conduction characteristics that differ from their forward conduction characteristics in both cause and form.
- For example, Gallium nitride HEMTs are an example of HEMT transistors that have a reverse conduction mode and have attracted attention due to their high-power and high frequency performance. In the reverse direction, such an RDHEMT device starts to conduct when the absolute value of the negative drain voltage with respect to the source voltage |−Vds| is greater than the gate threshold voltage. The RDHEMT then exhibits a channel resistance and conducts current. If a negative gate voltage is applied with respect to the source voltage, the negative drain to source voltage must be increased for the RDHEMT to conduct current.
-
FIG. 3 is a simplified circuit diagram of avoltage clamping circuit 109 used to clamp voltage excursions by using RDHEMT operation in the reverse direction. - An RDHEMT 100 has a
source 101, adrain 102 and agate 103. An RDHEMT 110 has asource 111, adrain 112 and agate 113.Source 111 andgate 113 of RDHEMT 110 are connected to a reference voltage 106 (−V).Drain 102 ofRDHEMT 100 is connected to a reference voltage 105 (+V).Source 101 andgate 103 ofRDHEMT 100 and drain 112 ofRDHEMT 110 are all connected to aline 107 that is voltage clamped. - Because
source 101 andgate 103 ofRDHEMT 100 are connected toline 107,line 107 is voltage clamped from being significantly more positive than reference voltage reference voltage +V. When the voltage online 107 is increased to be much greater than reference voltage +V, the drain to source voltage or Vds ofRDHEMT 100 will decrease and go negative. As the voltage online 107 continues to increase, the magnitude of the negative drain to source voltage ofRDHEMT 100 will continue to increase untilRDHEMT 100 begins to conduct current in the reverse direction fromline 107 through to reference voltage 105 (+V), resulting in a voltage clamping effect online 107. - The operating characteristics of
RDHEMT 100 are illustrated inFIG. 2 as seen for the case where Vgs=0. When Vgs=0 and Vds is greater than −1.6 volts, there is no current flow throughRDHEMT 100. When Vgs=0 and Vds is less than −1.6 volts, there is a reverse current flow throughRDHEMT 100. This current flow at the voltage threshold of −1.6 volts is what allowsRDHEMT 100 to clamp the voltage online 107 beginning where the voltage online 107 is 1.6 volts more than V+. - Because
drain 112 ofRDHEMT 110 is connected toline 107,line 107 is voltage clamped from being significantly more negative than reference voltage −V fromreference voltage 106. When the voltage online 107 is decreased to be much less than reference voltage −V, the drain to source voltage or Vds ofRDHEMT 110 will decrease and go negative. As the voltage online 107 continues to decrease, the magnitude of the negative drain to source voltage ofRDHEMT 110 will continue to increase untilRDHEMT 110 begins to conduct current in the reverse direction fromline 107 toreference voltage 106, resulting in a voltage clamping effect online 107. - The operating characteristics of
RDHEMT 110 are also illustrated inFIG. 2 for the case where Vgs=0. When Vgs=0 and Vds is greater than −1.6 volts, there is no current flow throughRDHEMT 110. When Vgs=0 and Vds is less than −1.6 volts, there is a reverse current flow throughRDHEMT 110. This current flow at the voltage threshold of −1.6 volts is what allowsRDHEMT 110 to clamp the voltage online 107 beginning where the voltage online 107 is 1.6 volts less than reference voltage −V. ForRDHEMT 110, therefore, the voltage threshold of −1.6 volts is referred to herein as the reverse conduction onset voltage, or as the clamping voltage. The voltage atgate 103 and the voltage atgate 113 can be varied to modify the clamping voltage forRDHEMT 110. In general, the clamping voltage will be at the reverse conduction onset voltage. -
FIG. 4 showsvoltage clamping circuit 119 used for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection on aninput pad 115 of anintegrated circuit 116. When voltage oninput pad 115 experiences an ESD or over voltage event, the voltage oninput pad 115 can go positive or negative relative to the Gnd (−V) or reference voltage +V.Voltage clamping circuit 119 assures that the voltage does not go too far above reference voltage +V or too far below GND. As discussed above, beginning where the voltage on input pad 115 (and thus line 107) is 1.6 volts more than V+, there is a reverse current flow throughRDHEMT 100. This current flow at the reverse conduction onset voltage of −1.6 volts is what allowsRDHEMT 100 to clamp the voltage oninput pad 115 beginning where the voltage oninput pad 115 is 1.6 volts more than V+. Likewise, beginning where the voltage oninput pad 115 is 1.6 volts less than V1 (Gnd), there is a reverse current flow throughRDHEMT 110. This current flow at the reverse conduction onset voltage of −1.6 volts is what allowsRDHEMT 110 to clamp the voltage oninput pad 115 beginning where the voltage oninput pad 115 is 1.6 volts less than V−. -
FIG. 5 shows a high side current source element circuit 134 that provides voltage and current to anoutput pin 127 of an integrated circuit. A current limitingcomponent 124 is, for example, a resistor or depletion mode transistor. - An
RDHEMT 120 has asource 121, adrain 122 and agate 123. Atransistor 130 has asource 131, adrain 132 and agate 133.Source 121 ofRDHEMT 120 is connected to a reference voltage 126 (+V).Drain 122 ofRDHEMT 120 is connected tooutput pin 127.Gate 123 ofRDHEMT 120 is connected to current limitingcomponent 124. -
Source 131 oftransistor 130 is connected to a reference voltage 128 (GND).Drain 132 of transistor 130 (+V) is connected togate 123 ofRDHEMT 120.Gate 133 oftransistor 130 is connected tocurrent pin input 129 controlled by the integrated circuit. - Current limiting
component 124 is connected to avoltage 125, which is more positive than reference voltage 126 (+V) by a value of V1, so thatvoltage 125 has a value of +V+V1. In general the voltage V1 should be greater than or equal to the reverse conduction onset voltage. When the voltage ongate 123 ofRDHEMT 120 is equal to or greater than the reverse conduction onset voltage forRDHEMT 120,RDHEMT 120 will source voltage and current. When voltage V1 is equal to the forward conduction threshold voltage, theoutput pin 127 will be pulled up to voltage reference voltage +V and the drain to source voltage (Vds) oftransistor 140 will be near zero. - The voltage on
drain 122 ofRDHEMT 120, and thus voltage onoutput pin 127, is less than or equal to source voltage reference voltage +V which assuresRDHEMT 120 is operating in a reverse conduction mode. -
RDHEMT 120 will be turned off (i.e., Ids=0) when the gate to source voltage (Vgs) forRDHEMT 120 is sufficiently negative with respect to the drain to source voltage (Vds) forRDHEMT 120, as illustrated in the voltage characteristics for a RDHEMT as shown inFIG. 2 . -
Transistor 130 is, for example, a HEMT or a MOSFET operating in forward conduction mode. Whencontrol pin 129 atgate 133 oftransistor 130 is at a voltage level sufficiently above the threshold voltage oftransistor 130,transistor 130 will be ON and will pull the voltage ongate 123 ofRDHEMT 120 near GND so thatRDHEMT 120 will be OFF andoutput pin 127 will be at a voltage value indicating high impedance or an OPEN circuit. Whencontrol pin 129 is at a low voltage value below the threshold voltage oftransistor 130, thentransistor 130 will be OFF, allowing current limitingcomponent 124 to pullgate 123 ofRDHEMT 120 to the voltage value +V+V1 ofreference voltage 125. - A significant advantage using a RDHEMT transistor in reverse mode is realized by
RDHEMT 120 inFIG. 5 as it does not have saturation characteristic at low gate voltage similar to the forward conduction mode. This is caused by negative charge injected into the channel by the negatively charged Drain electrode. Conduction of the RDHEMT transistor is controlled by both the Vgs voltage and the −Vds voltage. This effect can be seen inFIG. 2 . -
FIG. 6 shows a high side current source element circuit 154 that provides voltage and current to anoutput pin 147 of an integrated circuit. A current limitingcomponent 144 is, for example, a resistor or depletion mode transistor. - An
RDHEMT 140 has asource 141, adrain 142 and agate 143. Atransistor 150 has asource 151, adrain 152 and agate 153.Source 141 ofRDHEMT 140 is connected to a positive voltage supply reference voltage 145 (+V+V1).Drain 142 ofRDHEMT 140 is connected tooutput pin 147.Gate 143 ofRDHEMT 140 is connected to current limitingcomponent 144. -
Source 151 oftransistor 150 is connected to a reference voltage 148 (GND).Drain 152 of transistor 150 (+V) is connected togate 143 ofRDHEMT 140.Gate 153 oftransistor 150 is connected tocurrent pin input 149 controlled by the integrated circuit. - When the voltage on the gate of
RDHEMT 140 is allowed to be pulled up to voltage supply reference voltage 145 (+V+V1),RDHEMT 140, will source voltage and current such that the voltage atoutput pin 147 will be pulled up to voltage (+V+V1)−Vrco, where Vrco is the reverse conduction onset voltage ofRDHEMT 140. The voltage ondrain 142 ofRDHEMT 140, atoutput pin 147, will be less than or equal to voltage supply reference voltage 145 (+V+V1), which assuresRDHEMT 140 is operating in the reverse conduction mode. -
RDHEMT 140 will be OFF if the gate to source voltage (Vgs) ofRDHEMT 140 is sufficiently negative with respect to the drain to source voltage (Vds) ofRDHEMT 140 as illustrated in the voltage characteristics shown inFIG. 2 . - For example,
transistor 150 is a HEMT or MOS transistor operated in forward conduction mode. When voltage oncontrol pin 149, atgate 153 oftransistor 150, is at a voltage value sufficiently above the threshold voltage oftransistor 150,transistor 150 will be ON andtransistor 150 will pull the voltage ongate 143 ofRDHEMT 140 nearGND 148 so thatRDHEMT 140 will be OFF andoutput pin 147 will be at a value indicating high impedance or OPEN circuit. When thecontrol pin 149 is at a low voltage below the threshold voltage oftransistor 150, thentransistor 150 will be OFF allowing current limitingcomponent 144 to pullgate 143 ofRDHEMT 140 to voltage supply reference voltage 145 (+V+V1). - High side current source element circuit 134 shown in
FIG. 5 and high side current source element circuit 154 shownFIG. 6 can be used to replace circuits typically implemented using a p-channel transistor in CMOS logic circuits. This allows creation of a new class of devices implemented in RDHEMT process technology that eliminates the need to increase fabrication cost and complexity by integrating enhancement mode (p-channel) devices which turn on with a negative voltage relative to the source. -
FIG. 7 shows aninverter circuit 174 that can be used to implement an inverter, an inverting buffer or a reverse direction high-electron (RDHE) inverter. A current limitingcomponent 164 is, for example, a resistor or depletion mode transistor. - An
RDHEMT 160 has asource 161, adrain 162 and agate 163. Atransistor 170 has asource 171, adrain 172 and agate 173.Source 161 ofRDHEMT 160 is connected to a reference voltage 166 (+V).Drain 162 ofRDHEMT 160 is connected to anoutput pin 167, to drain 172 ofRDHEMT 170 and to current limitingcomponent 164. -
Source 171 oftransistor 170 is connected to a reference voltage 168 (GND).Drain 172 oftransistor 170 is connected tooutput pin 167, to drain 162 ofRDHEMT 160 and to current limitingcomponent 164.Gate 173 oftransistor 170 is connected to controlpin input 169 controlled by the integrated circuit. Current limitingcomponent 164 is connected betweenoutput pin 167 and reference voltage 165 (+V+V1). - For example,
transistor 170 is a HEMT. Whencontrol pin 169 atgate 173 ofgate transistor 170 is switched from LOW to HIGH sufficiently so that the voltage atgate 173 is above the threshold voltage oftransistor 170,transistor 170 will turn ON.RDHEMT 160 will have been turned ON in low conduction mode, sooutput pin 167 will be pulled low to GND bytransistor 170. This will pullgate 163 ofRDHEMT 160 low to GND as the resistance of current limitingcomponent 164 andRDHEMT 160 in low conduction mode is sufficiently higher thantransistor 170 during this transition. The drain to source voltage (Vds) ofRDHEMT 160 will be equal to −|+V|. With a −Vgs voltage of −|+V|,RDHEMT 160 is turned off. - When the voltage on
control pin 169 atgate 173 ofgate transistor 170 is switched from high to low (GND),transistor 170 is turned OFF.RDHEMT 160 has a negative Vds of −|+V| so it is in high conduction mode. Whentransistor 170 turns off, current limitingcomponent 164 will pullgate 163 ofRDHEMT 160 to +V+V1 and the increase in gate voltage atgate 163 will causeRDHEMT 160 to conduct in the reverse direction. The absolute value of the negative voltage on −Vds will decrease and the output will be pulled to +V andRDHEMT 160 will be in low conduction mode as illustrated by the voltage characteristics shown inFIG. 2 . - At the start of the switching process when the voltage on
output pin 167 shifts from output high to output low,RDHEMT 160 will be in a low conduction state with Vds=0, so the current shoot throughRDHEMT 160 will be minimized when the voltage value oncontrol pin 169 goes high and thus turns onHEMT transistor 170. - The inverter shown in
FIG. 7 can be used as the basis to form logic gates that are a significant improvement over logic gates formed using complementary metal-oxide-silicon (CMOS) technology. - For example,
FIG. 8 shows a prior art CMOS NAND logic gate. The CMOS NAND logic gate uses two p-channel transistors connected in parallel and two n-channel transistors connected in series to perform a logical NAND of values on acontrol pin 181 and acontrol pin 182 to produce an output value onoutput pin 183. - A p-
channel transistor 401 includes asource 186 connected to a reference voltage 184 (+V), adrain 187 connected tooutput pin 183 and agate 188 connected to controlpin 181. A p-channel transistor 402 includes asource 195 connected to reference voltage 184 (+V), adrain 196 connected tooutput pin 183 and agate 197 connected to controlpin 182. - An n-
channel transistor 403 includes asource 189, adrain 190 connected tooutput pin 183 and agate 191 connected to controlpin 181. A p-channel transistor 404 includes asource 192 connected to aground reference voltage 185, adrain 193 connected to source 189 of n-channel transistor 403 and agate 194 connected to controlpin 182. - In the NAND logic gate shown in
FIG. 8 , p-channel transistor 401 and p-channel 402 function as current sourcing transistors and n-channel transistor 403 and n-channel 404 function as current sinking transistors. To pulloutput pin 183 high, either of the current sourcing transistors can be on while the current sinking transistors are off. To achieve a low output onoutput pin 183, both current sinking transistors must be on while both current sourcing transistors are off. - While four transistors are required to implement a NAND logic gate in CMOS technology, only three transistors are necessary when using an RDHEMT based on the inverter circuit shown in
FIG. 7 . - For example,
FIG. 9 shows a NAND logic gate implemented using anRDHEMT 411.RDHEMT 411 includes asource 204 connected to a reference voltage 204 (VDD), adrain 215 connected to anoutput pin 203 and agate 216 connected tooutput pin 203. - An
HEMT 412 includes asource 208, adrain 209 connected tooutput pin 203 and agate 210 connected to controlpin 201. AnHEMT 413 includes asource 211 connected to aground reference voltage 205, adrain 212 connected to source 208 ofHEMT 412 and agate 213 connected to controlpin 202. Aresistance 207 is connected betweenoutput pin 203 and a reference voltage 206 (VDD+V1). For example,resistance 207 is implemented using a resistor or a depletion mode transistor. - In the NAND logic gate shown in
FIG. 9 ,HEMT 412 andHEMT 413 function as logic implementing circuitry. - In the NAND logic gate shown in
FIG. 9 , asingle RDHEMT 411 replaces the two current sourcing transistors required for the prior art design shown inFIG. 8 . This reduction in the required number of transistors to implement a logic gate is a significant improvement over the prior art. - For the NAND logic gate shown in
FIG. 9 , whencontrol pin 201 andcontrol pin 202 are HIGH,output pin 203 is pulled LOW byHEMT 412 andHEMT 413, which are ON andRDHEMT 411. Whencontrol pin 201 andcontrol pin 202 are LOW,HEMT 412 andHEMT 413 are OFF andRDHEMT 411 is ON,gate 216 ofRDHEMT 411 is pulled to VDD+V1, and theoutput pin 203 is pulled HIGH toVDD 204. - In general, as RDHEMT transistors turn on when the drain is negative with respect to their source voltage, their on/off conduction can be modulated by the output pin as opposed to gate control as in p-channel current sources of CMOS logic. The gate-to-source voltage of a RDHEMT can modulate the amount of negative drain to source voltage required for conduction to begin.
- On the other hand, a p-channel transistor in conventional CMOS logic is fully ON when the drain or output is pulled to the +V rail. If a low side current source were to be turned on to attempt to pull the output low while the p-channel transistor is ON, a large current flow from power to ground would result.
- When used as a high side current source as seen in
FIG. 5 , the RDHEMT turns off when the drain is pulled high to the +V rail and the negative drain to source potential is insufficient to initiate conduction, the RDHEMT is OFF which allows for output switching control as seen inFIG. 6 . - A similar reduction in transistors can also be obtained when implementing other logic circuitry. For example, only four transistors are required to implement a three input NAND logic gate when using an RDHEMT. For example,
FIG. 10 shows a NAND logic gate implemented using anRDHEMT 431.RDHEMT 431 includes asource 254 connected to a reference voltage 244 (VDD), adrain 255 connected to anoutput pin 243 and agate 256 connected tooutput pin 243. - An
HEMT 432 includes asource 248, adrain 249 connected tooutput pin 253 and a gate 240 connected to controlpin 241. AnHEMT 433 includes asource 251, adrain 252 connected to source 248 ofHEMT 432 and agate 253 connected to controlpin 242. AnHEMT 434 includes asource 257 connected to aground reference voltage 245, adrain 258 connected to source 251 ofHEMT 433 and agate 259 connected to controlpin 260. Aresistance 247 is connected betweenoutput pin 243 and a reference voltage 246 (VDD+V1). For example,resistance 247 is implemented using a resistor or a depletion mode transistor. - In the NAND logic gate shown in
FIG. 10 , a single RDHEMT 441 replaces the two current sourcing transistors required for the prior art design. This reduction in the required number of transistors to implement a logic gate is a significant improvement over the prior art. - In the NAND logic gate shown in
FIG. 10 ,HEMT 432,HEMT 433 andHEMT 434 function as logic implementing circuitry. Additional HEMTs with gates attached to additional inputs can be added in series withHEMT 432,HEMT 433 andHEMT 434 to increase the number of inputs to the logic NAND gate. -
FIG. 11 shows a NOR logic gate implemented using anRDHEMT 421 and anRDHEMT 422.RDHEMT 421 includes asource 234 connected to a reference voltage 224 (VDD), adrain 235 and agate 236 connected to anoutput pin 213.RDHEMT 422 includes asource 228 connected to adrain 235 ofRDHEMT 421, adrain 229 connected tooutput pin 213 and agate 230 connected tooutput pin 213. - An
HEMT 423 includes asource 231 connected to aground reference voltage 225, adrain 232 connected tooutput pin 223 and agate 233 connected to controlpin 221. AnHEMT 424 includes asource 237 connected to groundreference voltage 225, adrain 238 connected tooutput pin 223 and agate 239 connected to controlpin 222. Aresistance 227 is connected betweenoutput pin 223 and a reference voltage 226 (VDD+V1). For example,resistance 227 is implemented using a resistor or a depletion mode transistor. - For the NOR logic gate shown in
FIG. 11 , ifcontrol pin 221 ORcontrol pin 222 are HIGH,output pin 223 is pulled LOW withRDHEMT 421 and RDHEMT 422 OFF. If bothcontrol pin 221 andcontrol pin 222 are LOW,HEMT 423 andHEMT 424 are OFF,RDHEMT 421 andRDHEMT 422 are ON with their gates pulled to VDD+V1 byresistance 227, andoutput pin 223 is HIGH. - In the NOR logic gate shown in
FIG. 11 ,HEMT 423 andHEMT 424 function as logic implementing circuitry. Additional HEMTs with gates attached to additional inputs can be added in parallel withHEMT 423 andHEMT 424 to increase the number of inputs to the logic NOR gate. -
FIG. 12 shows implementation of a transmission circuit utilizing an RDHEMT 441 and anRDHEMT 442. RDHEMT 441 includes asource 274 connected to an input/output pin 263, adrain 275 to input/output pin 263 and agate 276.RDHEMT 442 includes asource 268 connected to input/output pin 263, adrain 269 to input/output pin 263 and agate 270 connected togate 276 of RDHEMT 441. - An
HEMT 443 includes asource 271 connected to aground reference voltage 265, adrain 272 connected togate 276 of RDHEMT 441 and agate 273 connected to controlpin 264. Aresistance 267 is connected betweengate 276 of RDHEMT 441 and a reference voltage 266 (VDD+V1). For example,resistance 267 is implemented using a resistor or a depletion mode transistor. - The gates of both RDHEMT 441 and
RDHEMT 442 are connected toresistance 267. For example,resistance 267 is implemented using a resistor or a depletion mode transistor.HEMT transistor 443 is used to control the gate voltage on transistors RDHEMT 441 andRDHEMT 442 such that whencontrol pin 264 is high,transistor HEMT transistor 443 on and the gates of RDHEMT 441 andRDHEMT 442 will be pulled to GND and are OFF. Whencontrol pin 264 is LOW the gates of RDHEMT 441 andRDHEMT 442 will be pulled high byresistance 267 to VDD+V1 and be ON such that one of RDHEMT 441 andRDHEMT 442 is conducting in forward mode and the other of RDHEMT 441 andRDHEMT 442 will be conducting in reverse mode depending on the polarity of the Input/output voltage. - The transmission circuit shown in
FIG. 12 and the inverter shown inFIG. 7 can be used to implement a master-slave flip-flop as shown inFIG. 13 . A first flip-flop has anD input 282, aninverse clock input 287, aclock input 288 and aninverse Q input 283. - For the first flip-flop, a first transmission circuit is implemented using an
RDHEMT 451, anRDHEMT 452, anHEMT 453, and aresistance 454, connected as shown inFIG. 13 toinverse clock input 287,D input 282, a reference voltage 286 (V+V1) and aground reference 285. - A second transmission circuit of the first flip-flop is implemented using an
RDHEMT 461, anRDHEMT 462, anHEMT 463, and aresistance 455 connected as shown inFIG. 13 toclock input 288, reference voltage 286 (V+V1) andground reference 285. - A first inverter circuit of the first flip-flop is implemented using an
RDHEMT 471, anHEMT 472, and aresistance 475, connected as shown inFIG. 13 to reference voltage 286 (V+V1), a reference voltage 284 (V), andground reference 285. - A second inverter circuit of the first flip-flop is implemented using an
RDHEMT 473, anHEMT 474, and aresistance 476, connected as shown inFIG. 13 to reference voltage 286 (V+V1), reference voltage 284 (V), andground reference 285. - For the second flip-flop, a first transmission circuit is implemented using an
RDHEMT 481, anRDHEMT 482, anHEMT 483, and aresistance 484, connected as shown inFIG. 13 toinverse clock input 287,inverse Q output 283, reference voltage 286 (V+V1) andground reference 285. - A second transmission circuit of the second flip-flop is implemented using an
RDHEMT 491, anRDHEMT 492, anHEMT 493, and aresistance 485 connected as shown inFIG. 13 toclock input 288, reference voltage 286 (V+V1) andground reference 285. - A first inverter circuit of the second flip-flop is implemented using an
RDHEMT 501, anHEMT 502, and aresistance 505, connected as shown inFIG. 13 to reference voltage 286 (V+V1), reference voltage 284 (V), andground reference 285. - A second inverter circuit of the second flip-flop is implemented using an
RDHEMT 503, anHEMT 504, and aresistance 506, connected as shown inFIG. 13 to reference voltage 286 (V+V1), reference voltage 284 (V), andground reference 285. -
FIG. 14 is a bridge circuit utilizing anRDHEMT 601,RDHEMT 602,RDHEMT 603 and anRDHEMT 604, which each conduct voltage and current in the reverse direction. - When an
AC input signal 610 is applied to RDHEMT 601 andRDHEMT 602, and the voltage of the AC input signal is above the positive voltage of acapacitor 605 by its threshold voltage, then RDHEMT 601 andRDHEMT 602 will conduct current in the reverse direction charging capacitor 47. If desired anadditional circuit component 606 andadditional circuit component 607 can be used to apply a positive voltage to RDHEMT 601 and RDHEMT 602 relative to their source voltage to decrease the voltage drop across the RDHEMTs. - When
AC input signal 610 is applied to RDHEMT 604 andRDHEMT 603, and the voltage of the AC input signal is less than the negative voltage of capacitor 47 by their threshold voltage, then RDHEMT 604 andRDHEMT 603 will conduct current in the reverse direction. If desired anadditional circuit component 608 andadditional circuit component 609 can be used to apply a positive voltage to RDHEMT 604 and RDHEMT 603 relative to their source voltage to decrease the voltage drop across the RDHEMTs. - The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplary methods and embodiments. As will be understood by those familiar with the art, the disclosed subject matter may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or characteristics thereof. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
Claims (17)
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US16/659,176 Active - Reinstated US10651852B1 (en) | 2018-10-22 | 2019-10-21 | Reverse direction high-electron-mobility logic gate |
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US4027240A (en) * | 1975-10-20 | 1977-05-31 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy | Protected voltage meter |
JPH0752837B2 (en) * | 1987-03-11 | 1995-06-05 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Logic circuit |
JP3075266B2 (en) * | 1998-03-25 | 2000-08-14 | 日本電気株式会社 | Logic circuit |
CN102076148A (en) * | 2009-11-09 | 2011-05-25 | 东芝照明技术株式会社 | Led lighting device and illuminating device |
US8797776B2 (en) * | 2012-10-16 | 2014-08-05 | Hong Kong Applied Science & Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd. | Diode-less full-wave rectifier for low-power on-chip AC-DC conversion |
US9083343B1 (en) * | 2014-05-28 | 2015-07-14 | United Silicon Carbide, Inc. | Cascode switching circuit |
WO2016075056A1 (en) * | 2014-11-11 | 2016-05-19 | Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen Gmbh | Resistor emulation and gate boost |
US20170092640A1 (en) * | 2015-09-25 | 2017-03-30 | Sanken Electric Co., Ltd. | Temperature Compensation of Fabricated Semiconductors |
US20170244329A1 (en) * | 2016-02-19 | 2017-08-24 | Macau University Of Science And Technology | Converter circuit and operating method thereof |
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