US 12,364,021 B2
Overvoltage protection device
Jean-Michel Simonnet, Veretz (FR); Sophie Ngo, St-Avertin (FR); and Simone Rascuna′, Catania (IT)
Assigned to STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., Agrate Brianza (IT); and STMICROELECTRONICS (TOURS) SAS, Tours (FR)
Filed by STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., Agrate Brianza (IT); and STMICROELECTRONICS (TOURS) SAS, Tours (FR)
Filed on Feb. 16, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/444,494.
Application 18/060,448 is a division of application No. 16/806,257, filed on Mar. 2, 2020, granted, now 11,532,606, issued on Dec. 20, 2022.
Application 18/444,494 is a continuation of application No. 18/060,448, filed on Nov. 30, 2022, granted, now 11,935,884.
Claims priority of application No. 1902245 (FR), filed on Mar. 5, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2024/0194666 A1, Jun. 13, 2024
Int. Cl. H10D 8/50 (2025.01); H02H 9/04 (2006.01); H10D 62/40 (2025.01); H10D 62/83 (2025.01); H10D 62/832 (2025.01); H10D 62/85 (2025.01); H10D 64/23 (2025.01); H10D 89/60 (2025.01)
CPC H10D 89/611 (2025.01) [H02H 9/046 (2013.01); H10D 8/50 (2025.01); H10D 62/40 (2025.01); H10D 62/83 (2025.01); H10D 62/8325 (2025.01); H10D 62/8503 (2025.01); H10D 64/23 (2025.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device, comprising:
a battery including a plurality of cells;
an integrated circuit electrically coupled to the plurality of cells, each of the plurality of cells having a positive terminal and a negative terminal electrically coupled to the integrated circuit; and
a plurality of overvoltage protection circuits, each of the plurality of overvoltage protection circuits including:
a first diode; and
a second diode coupled in parallel with the first diode, the first and second diodes electrically coupled between the positive terminal and the negative terminal of a respective cell of the plurality of cells,
wherein each of the first and second diodes include:
an intrinsic region;
a doped region in the intrinsic region;
a ring-shaped region around the doped region, the ring-shaped region extending into the intrinsic region further than the doped region; and
an insulator on the intrinsic region, on the ring-shaped region, and partially overlapping the doped region such that a portion of the doped region is left uncovered by the insulator.