GB2066568A - Semiconductor device for limiting high frequency electric power - Google Patents

Semiconductor device for limiting high frequency electric power Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2066568A
GB2066568A GB8040072A GB8040072A GB2066568A GB 2066568 A GB2066568 A GB 2066568A GB 8040072 A GB8040072 A GB 8040072A GB 8040072 A GB8040072 A GB 8040072A GB 2066568 A GB2066568 A GB 2066568A
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United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
semiconductor device
semiconductor
semiconductor layer
diodes
voltage
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB8040072A
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Koninklijke Philips NV
Original Assignee
Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken NV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken NV filed Critical Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken NV
Publication of GB2066568A publication Critical patent/GB2066568A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L29/00—Semiconductor devices adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching, or capacitors or resistors with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. 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
    • H01L29/86—Types of semiconductor device ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor controllable only by variation of the electric current supplied, or only the electric potential applied, to one or more of the electrodes carrying the current to be rectified, amplified, oscillated or switched
    • H01L29/861—Diodes
    • H01L29/8611—Planar PN junction diodes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L24/00—Arrangements for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies; Methods or apparatus related thereto
    • H01L24/01—Means for bonding being attached to, or being formed on, the surface to be connected, e.g. chip-to-package, die-attach, "first-level" interconnects; Manufacturing methods related thereto
    • H01L24/02—Bonding areas ; Manufacturing methods related thereto
    • H01L24/04—Structure, shape, material or disposition of the bonding areas prior to the connecting process
    • H01L24/05—Structure, shape, material or disposition of the bonding areas prior to the connecting process of an individual bonding area
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • 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 at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier; including integrated passive circuit elements with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier
    • 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 at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier; including integrated passive circuit elements with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier the substrate being a semiconductor body
    • H01L27/08—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 at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier; including integrated passive circuit elements with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier the substrate being a semiconductor body including only semiconductor components of a single kind
    • H01L27/0814—Diodes only
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • 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 at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier; including integrated passive circuit elements with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier
    • H01L27/12—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 at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier; including integrated passive circuit elements with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier the substrate being other than a semiconductor body, e.g. an insulating body
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03G—CONTROL OF AMPLIFICATION
    • H03G11/00—Limiting amplitude; Limiting rate of change of amplitude ; Clipping in general
    • H03G11/02—Limiting amplitude; Limiting rate of change of amplitude ; Clipping in general by means of diodes
    • H03G11/025—Limiting amplitude; Limiting rate of change of amplitude ; Clipping in general by means of diodes in circuits having distributed constants
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L2224/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies and methods related thereto as covered by H01L24/00
    • H01L2224/01—Means for bonding being attached to, or being formed on, the surface to be connected, e.g. chip-to-package, die-attach, "first-level" interconnects; Manufacturing methods related thereto
    • H01L2224/02—Bonding areas; Manufacturing methods related thereto
    • H01L2224/04—Structure, shape, material or disposition of the bonding areas prior to the connecting process
    • H01L2224/04042—Bonding areas specifically adapted for wire connectors, e.g. wirebond pads
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L2224/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies and methods related thereto as covered by H01L24/00
    • H01L2224/01—Means for bonding being attached to, or being formed on, the surface to be connected, e.g. chip-to-package, die-attach, "first-level" interconnects; Manufacturing methods related thereto
    • H01L2224/42—Wire connectors; Manufacturing methods related thereto
    • H01L2224/47—Structure, shape, material or disposition of the wire connectors after the connecting process
    • H01L2224/48—Structure, shape, material or disposition of the wire connectors after the connecting process of an individual wire connector
    • H01L2224/484—Connecting portions
    • H01L2224/48463—Connecting portions the connecting portion on the bonding area of the semiconductor or solid-state body being a ball bond
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
    • H01L2924/10—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices to be connected
    • H01L2924/11—Device type
    • H01L2924/14—Integrated circuits

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
  • Tone Control, Compression And Expansion, Limiting Amplitude (AREA)
  • Electrodes Of Semiconductors (AREA)
  • Semiconductor Integrated Circuits (AREA)

Abstract

An H.F. power limiter comprises a monocrystalline semiconductor layer 2 provided on an insulating substrate 1. Two diodes 3, 2 are arranged back to back beside each other. The thickness and the doping concentration of the semiconductor layer 2 are so small that upon applying a reverse voltage across a diode the depletion zone extends throughout the thickness of the semiconductor layer even at a voltage which is lower than the breakdown voltage. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Semiconductor device for limiting high frequency electric power.
The invention relates to a seimconductor device for limiting high frequency electric power, comprising a monocrystalline semiconductor layer of one conductivity type provided on a carrier body, on which layer two diodes are provided beside each other and are connected back to back between two connection conductors.
A device for limiting high frequency power may be used, for example, to protect the input stage of receivers, notably in radar receivers, in which the input transistor can be damaged by high power pulses.
Power limiters according to the known technology exist in numerous constructions including gas discharge tube limiters and magnetic limiters. The latter are heavy and occupy much space, while the former also occupy much space but in particular have too long an ignition time for many applications.
Semiconductor limiters have the advantage of a certain miniaturisation and they exist in various constructions. In PIN diode limiters comparatively large losses occur which have a detrimental influence with respect to the noise of the receiver.
In order to avoid this disadvantage, it is to be preferred to use p-n junction diodes or Schottky diodes.
From the periodical "Electronique Application", No. 7, pp. 93-96, a power limiter is known which comprises two Zener diodes arranged back to back and is connected parallel to the input of a receiver. However, this circuit has disadvantages including in particular the fact that it causes losses at the input of the said receiver because it consumes a certain power.
It is the object of the invention to remove or at least reduce the above-mentioned disadvantages.
The invention is characterized in that the carrier body is electrically substantially insulating and that the thickness and the doping concentration of the semiconductor layer are so small that upon applying a voltage between the connection conductors the depletion zone of the diode which is reverse biassed extends throughout thickness of the semiconductor layer already at a voltage which is lower than the breakdown voltage.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device according to the invention Fig. 2 is a plan view of another embodiment of a semiconductor device in accordance with the invention, Fig. 3 shows a circuit diagram with a semiconductor device in accordance with the invention, Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of a circuit arrangement shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a curve showing the variation C = f(V) of the capacitance as a function of the voltage applied to the terminals of the device in accordance with the invention.
The semiconductor device according to the invention comprises two diodes, in this example of the planar type, which are provided on and in, respectively, a comparatively thin semiconductor layer 2, said layer 2 bearing on a substantially insulating substrate 1. A semiconductor material which is suitable for the manufacture of such a device is, for example, gallium arsenide. As a matter of fact, this material has advantages both with respect to the electrical properties (high breakdown voltage) and the electronic properties (large mobility of the charge carriers) and can be made substantially insulating (so-called semiinsulating gallium arsenide).The diodes are manufactured by providing an insulating or semiinsulating substrate, for example, of chromiumdoped gallium arsenide and of growing on said substrate a first layer 2 of, for example, n-type gallium arsenide and two layer portions 3, which layer portions may consists either of gallium arsenide of the opposite conductivity type, so in this case the p-type (as is the case in the manufacture of p-n diodes), or of metal, for example aluminium (which applies to the manufacture of Schottky diodes). It is to be noted that the insulating substrate may be replaced by a doped material which is depleted artificially by a p-n junction of Schottky junction bounding the substrate at the lower side of the device. Since methods of providing these materials are well known to those skilled in the art no further details are given here.
According to an embodiment of the invention shown in the plan view of Fig. 2, the diodes interdigitate so that their surfaces are enlarged and the stray resistance between the diodes is reduced proportionally. According to this embodiment, a first semiconductor layer 2' (for example, n-type GaAs) is first provided in the central part on a substantially insulating substrate 1' (for example, of GaAs), and then a second layer 3' (of metal or of an opposite conductivity type) in the form of two zones interdigitating at the area of the first centre layer 2'. The input and output connections are denoted in the figure by e and s.
Fig. 3 shows how such a power limiter is incorporated in a circuit. Reference Q denotes a quadrupole; the power limiter according to the invention is connected in series with an input terminal of the said quadrupole, while the other input terminal is connected to earth.
An embodiment of a circuit as is shown in Fig.
4, may also be used. This embodiment moreover comprises two diodes which are connected back to back and are parallel connected with the input terminals of the quadrupole. This embodiment has the advantage that the high frequency signal applied to the terminals of the power limiter is transmitted in its totality to beyond the bend of the diode characteristic.
It is to be noted that such circuits can easily be integrated in the same semiconductor circuit element. This integrated circuit may also comprise the (field effect) input transistor (if present) of an amplifier incorporated further on in the current circuit. According to the invention the thickness and the doping concentration of the semiconductor layer 2 are so small that upon applying a voltage between the connection conductors e and s the depletion zone of the diode which is reversed biassed extends throughout the thickness of the layer 2 already at a voltage which is lower than the breakdown voltage.
The curve C = f(V) of the capacitance of the device as a function of the voltage as shown in Fig. 5 serves to illustrate the operation of the lower limiter according to the invention.
If the level of the applied high frequency power is low, each diode behaves as a capacitor with a capacitance C and the power limiter formed by two series connected diodes has an impedance which is substantially equal to:
so this impedance is small.
At a higher level of the applied high frequency power the negative voltage which is applied successively to the two back to back arranged diodes which form the said power limiter increases to such an extent that the majority carries flow away in their totality from the semiconductor layer 2. This semiconductor layer is thus completely depleted of mobile charge carriers and no longer passes current. The high frequency energy is not transmitted via the power limiter to the input of the quadurpole receiver Q but is fully reflected.
As appears from Fig. 5, the capacitance of each diode is as a matter of fact comparatively large as long as the applied voltage is not too high, while said capacitance decreases steeply and hence the impedance of the power limiter increases considerably from a threshold voltage Vp.
In the case of a homogeneous doping concentration of the layer 2 the following equation holds for this threshold voltage Vp and the thickness d of the semiconductor layer:
wherein: d= the thickness of the semiconductor layer E = the dielectric constant Vp = the depletion voltage or threshold voltage VD= the internal voltage (diffusion voltage) of the diode.
q = the charge of the electron, and Nd = the donor concentration.
In the power limiter manufactured by Applicants the layer thickness dwas substantially equal to 0.15 ym and the depletion voltage (or threshold voltage) V, achieved a value of 3 volts.
The losses of the power limiter must be small for, since they are connected in series with the input of the quadruple receiver Q, they increase the noise factor of the said receiver. In fact these losses are caused by the resistance of the material which is present between the two diodes.
The combination of a material having a high mobility and concentration of the charge carriers and a suitable geometry can contribute to reducing the said resistance.
Another not less stringent requirement is imposed with respect to the voltage properties of the power limiter which must withstand accidental high frequency waves of a comparatively high power.
The requirement can be fulfilled by choosing a semiconductor material having a high breakdown voltage and not too high a doping, the distance between the diodes being sufficiently large.
The semiconductor material which fulfils the first two requirements best is N type gallium arsenide. However, silicon may also be considered.
The distance between the two diodes is the result of a compromise between a high value of said distance which results in a high breakdown voltage and a low value which leads to restricted losses. In a structure manufactured by Applicants this distance is approximately 4,um. At the same distance the losses can be restricted by using an interdigital structure.
It will be obvious that the invention is not restricted to the embodiments described but that many variations are possible to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this invention. For example, semiconductor materials other than gallium arsenide may be used, while the conductivity types of all semiconductor regions may (simultaneously) be replaced by their opposite types.

Claims (10)

1. A semiconductor device for limiting highfrequency electric power, comprising a monocrystalline semiconductor layer of one conductivity type provided on a carrier body, on which layer two diodes are provided beside each other and are connected back to back between two connection conductors, characterized in that the carrier body is electrically substantially insulating and that the thickness and the doping concentration of the semiconductor layer are so small that upon applying a voltage between the connection conductors the depletion zone of the diode which is reverse biassed extends throughout the thickness of the semiconductor layertalready at a voltage which is lower than the breakdown voltage.
2. A semiconductor device as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that the diodes are of the planar type.
3. A semiconductor device as claimed in Claim 2, characterized in that the diodes comprise rectifying metal-to-semiconductor junctions.
4. A semiconductor device as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the diodes interdigitate.
5. A semiconductor device as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the semiconductor layer consists of gallium arsenide.
6. A semiconductor device as claimed in any of the Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the semiconductor layer consists of silicon.
7. A semiconductor device as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the carrier body consists of semi-insulating gallium arsenide.
8. A semiconductor device as claimed in any of the Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the carrier body consists of a semiconductor layer over the whole thickness of which a depletion zone extends.
9. A semiconductor device as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, characterized in that a high frequency alternating field which is so high that the semiconductor layer is alternately fully depleted below the one and below the other diode is applied between the connection conductors.
10. A semiconductor device substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
GB8040072A 1979-12-19 1980-12-15 Semiconductor device for limiting high frequency electric power Withdrawn GB2066568A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR7931142A FR2472269A1 (en) 1979-12-19 1979-12-19 HIGH FREQUENCY SEMICONDUCTOR POWER LIMITER

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB2066568A true GB2066568A (en) 1981-07-08

Family

ID=9232953

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB8040072A Withdrawn GB2066568A (en) 1979-12-19 1980-12-15 Semiconductor device for limiting high frequency electric power

Country Status (6)

Country Link
JP (1) JPS5698880A (en)
DE (1) DE3046815A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2472269A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2066568A (en)
IT (1) IT1134739B (en)
NL (1) NL8006828A (en)

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1459083A (en) * 1964-09-18 1966-04-29 Texas Instruments Inc Surface Oriented Semiconductor Diode
CA1138572A (en) * 1978-05-11 1982-12-28 Paul L. Fleming Planar transmission line attenuator and switch

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
NL8006828A (en) 1981-07-16
IT1134739B (en) 1986-08-13
IT8026678A0 (en) 1980-12-16
JPS5698880A (en) 1981-08-08
DE3046815A1 (en) 1981-09-03
FR2472269A1 (en) 1981-06-26
FR2472269B1 (en) 1983-10-21

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