BIDIRECTIONAL GaN FET WITH SINGLE GATE

Wen-Chia Liao; Jianjun Cao; Robert Beach; Zhikai Tang; Edward Lee

Patent

Atlas literature

Patent

US 12,658,915 B2

BIDIRECTIONAL GaN FET WITH SINGLE GATE

Wen-Chia Liao, Jianjun Cao, Robert Beach, Zhikai Tang et al.

Efficient Power Conversion Corporation, El Segundo, CA (US)·Jun. 16, 2026·US

Drawings

Patent drawings and their descriptions. Click a drawing to enlarge it.

FIG. 1

process tool top view

FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of the bidirectional enhance- ment mode GaN switch of the present invention, including ﬁrst and second sub-switches.

FIG. 2

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a ﬁrst embodiment of the bidirectional enhancement mode GaN switch of the present invention.

FIG. 3

FIGS. 3A and 3C illustrate an equivalent circuit and a block diagram of the bidirectional enhancement mode GaN switch.

FIG. 4

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the bidirectional enhancement mode GaN switch of the present invention.

FIG. 5

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the bidirectional enhancement mode GaN switch of the present invention.

FIG. 6

FIG. 6, except the substrate is electrically grounded, rather than being electri- cally shorted to gate 160.

FIG. 7

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a ﬁfth embodiment of the bidirectional enhancement mode GaN switch of the present invention.

FIG. 8

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a ﬁrst sub-switch, i.e., a single gate GaN FET of a bidirectional enhancement mode GaN switch, in accordance with a sixth …

FIG. 9

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a ﬁrst sub-switch, i.e., a single gate GaN FET of a bidirectional enhancement mode GaN switch, in accordance with a seventh …

FIG. 10

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a ﬁrst sub-switch, i.e., a single gate GaN FET of a bidirectional enhancement mode GaN switch, in accordance with an …

FIG. 11

process tool top view

FIG. 11 is a top view of a bidirectional enhancement mode GaN switch including two sub-switches in a different layout.

FIG. 12

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a bidirectional enhancement mode GaN switch with gate protection cir- cuitry.

FIG. 13

FIG. 13.

FIG. 14

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the ﬁrst sub-switch of the bidirectional enhancement mode GaN switch of

FIG. 15

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a ﬁrst sub-switch which is similar to the ﬁrst sub-switch of bi-directional enhancement-mode GaN switch shown in

FIG. 16

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a ﬁrst sub-switch which is similar to the ﬁrst sub-switch of the bi-directional enhancement-mode GaN switch shown in

Claims

Claims define the patent's legal scope. Independent claims stand alone; dependent claims (nested) narrow them. Click a claim to expand its dependents.

1 independent · 9 dependent

1
IndependentGaNAlGaNbidirectional GaN FET switch with single gate
A bidirectional GaN FET switch with a single gate, comprising: a substrate, a GaN layer on the substrate, an AlGaN layer on the GaN layer, a ﬁrst power electrode and a second power electrode, a third power electrode and a gate, wherein the bidirectional GaN FET switch is formed of a ﬁrst sub-switch and a second sub-switch integrated together in the bidirectional GaN FET switch on a die having an area and connected in parallel in an equiva-lent circuit, wherein: the ﬁrst sub-switch comprises a single gate GaN ﬁeld effect transistor (FET), wherein the ﬁrst and the second power electrodes serve as source/drain electrodes and wherein the gate is centrally located between the ﬁrst and second power electrodes, whereby the gate is spaced an equal distance from the ﬁrst and second power electrodes; the second sub-switch comprises a ﬁrst GaN FET and a second GaN FET connected in a back-to-back conﬁgu-ration having a common gate, wherein the third power electrode acts as a common source, and wherein the ﬁrst power electrode and the second power electrode serve as the respective drain electrode of the ﬁrst GaN FET and the second GaN FET; and the gate of the single gate GaN FET of the ﬁrst sub-switch is electrically connected to the common gate of the ﬁrst and second back-to-back GaN FETs of the second sub-switch to form the single gate of the bidirectional GaN FET switch; wherein the ﬁrst sub-switch occupies most of the die area, and the second sub-switch occupies only a small per-centage of the die area, such that current passing through the bidirectional GaN FET switch, when the switch is ON, ﬂows primarily under the single gate of the ﬁrst sub-switch.
1. 2
  Dependent← claim 1bidirectional GaN FET switch with single gate
  The bidirectional GaN FET switch of claim 1, wherein the substrate is electrically connected to the single gate.
2. 3
  Dependent← claim 1bidirectional GaN FET switch with single gate
  The bidirectional GaN FET switch of claim 1, wherein the substrate is electrically connected to the common source of the second sub-switch.
3. 4
  Dependent← claim 1bidirectional GaN FET switch with single gate
  The bidirectional GaN FET switch of claim 1, further comprising at least one ﬁeld plate, wherein the at least one ﬁeld plate is connected to the common source of the second sub-switch.
4. 6
  Dependent← claim 1bidirectional GaN FET switch with single gate
  The bidirectional GaN FET switch of claim 1, wherein the substrate is electrically connected to the power elec-trodes of the ﬁrst sub-switch by respective diodes.
5. 8
  Dependent← claim 1bidirectional GaN FET switch with single gate
  The bidirectional GaN FET switch of claim 1, wherein the substrate is electrically connected to the power terminals of the ﬁrst sub-switch by an active circuit comprising a B₂ comparator connected to ﬁrst and second transistors which are respectively connected between the ﬁrst and second power electrodes and the substrate, wherein the comparator is conﬁgured to: compare electrical potentials of the ﬁrst and second power electrodes; and turn on the one of the ﬁrst and second transistors corre-sponding to the power electrode having a lower poten-tial.
6. 9
  Dependent← claim 1bidirectional GaN FET switch with single gate
  The bidirectional GaN FET switch of claim 1, wherein the substrate is connected to ground.
7. 10
  Dependent← claim 1bidirectional GaN FET switch with single gate
  The bidirectional GaN FET switch of claim 1, further comprising a voltage divider electrically connected between the single gate and ground, the voltage divider being elec-trically connected to the substrate, such that the substrate has a potential which follows a potential of the single gate at a fraction of the potential of the single gate. ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

Device structures

Layer stacks claimed or described, ordered top of device to substrate.

bidirectional GaN FET switch with single gate

AlGaNbarrier layer

GaNchannel layer

substratesubstrate

Materials

Materials described outside the worked examples.

GaN

Channel Layer

AlGaN

Barrier Layer

Characterization

Measurements and analyses referenced in the patent, with their drawing references.

fet electrical

Fet Electrical

FIG. 6, except the substrate is electrically grounded, rather than being electri- cally shorted to gate 160.

Figure references

FIG. 6

GaNGaN

Cited prior art

Patents and literature cited by this patent (applicant and examiner references).

Cited patents · 28

US 6,965,253 B16,965,253 B1 11/2005 Chen et al.
US 7,465,997 B27,465,997 B2 12/2008 Kinzer et al.
CN 114402434 ACN 114402434 A 4/2022
US 7,875,907 B27,875,907 B2 1/2011 Honea et al.
US 8,604,512 B28,604,512 B2 12/2013 Morita
US 8,890,168 B28,890,168 B2 11/2014 Lidow et al.
US 9,048,837 B29,048,837 B2 6/2015 Hirose et al.

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BIDIRECTIONAL GaN FET WITH SINGLE GATE | Matter42 Literature