US 12,294,356 B2
Mixed material power devices and driver circuits
Florin Udrea, Cambridge (GB); Philip Neaves, Cambridge (GB); and Loizos Efthymiou, Cambridge (GB)
Assigned to CAMBRIDGE GAN DEVICES LIMITED, Cambridge (GB)
Filed by Cambridge GaN Devices Limited, Cambridge (GB)
Filed on Dec. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/089,829.
Prior Publication US 2024/0223182 A1, Jul. 4, 2024
Int. Cl. H03K 17/14 (2006.01); H01L 27/06 (2006.01); H01L 29/778 (2006.01)
CPC H03K 17/14 (2013.01) [H01L 27/0605 (2013.01); H01L 27/0623 (2013.01); H01L 29/7786 (2013.01); H03K 2217/0063 (2013.01); H03K 2217/0072 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A power integrated circuit comprising:
a heterojunction structure Gallium Nitride, GaN, chip comprising at least one GaN layer and at least one Aluminium Gallium Nitride, AlGaN, layer wherein the GaN chip comprises at least one main power device comprising a source terminal, a drain terminal, a gate terminal and a two-dimensional electron gas, 2DEG, formed at an interface between the AlGaN and GaN layers and between the source and drain terminals, wherein the gate terminal is configured to modulate at least a portion of the 2DEG when a charge is applied to the gate terminal;
a driver comprising at least one low-side component and at least one high-side component, wherein the low-side component comprises a terminal connected to a low DC voltage rail and at least one other terminal connected to the gate terminal of the main power device; wherein the high-side component comprises at least one terminal connected to a high DC voltage rail and at least one other terminal connected to the gate of the main power device;
wherein the at least one low-side component of the driver is configured to discharge an input capacitance of the main power device during a turn-off of the main power device and is monolithically integrated within the GaN chip;
wherein the at least one high-side component of the driver is configured to charge up the input capacitance of the main power device and is formed in a semiconductor region comprising a material other than GaN; and
wherein the at least one high-side component of the driver is provided in a first semiconductor material, the at least one low-side component of the driver is provided in a second semiconductor material, and wherein the first semiconductor material and the second semiconductor material are different semiconductor materials.