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US3567965A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Temperature compensated zener diode

Assignee: International Standard Electric Corp
•
Filing: 1968-12-05
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Granted: 1971-03-02
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Expires: 1988-12-05
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Abstract

Abstract This is a temperature compensated zener diode wherein the compensation is provided by having a transistor structure with two base emitter junctions, one operating in forward bias and the other (zener) being reversed biased. This device has a number of these transistor structures cascaded to give the desired zener voltage and temperature compensation. The negative voltage variation with respect to temperature of a forward biased emitter base junction compensates for the positive voltage variation of the zener diode.

Inventors

  • 👤 Hans Weinerth
  • 👤 Hartmut Bleher

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-26 09:53
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05F; G05F3/00; G05F3/02; G05F3/08; G05F3/10; G05F3/16; G05F3/18; G05F3/20; G05F3/22; G05F3/222; G05F3/225; H; H10; H10D; H10D89/00; H10D89/10; H10D89/105; H10D99/00

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim 292 words
A temperature compensating Zener diode in the form of a body of a semiconductor integrated circuit having a first and second outer connecting terminal, consisting of several individual elements placed in a common semiconductor body of one conductivity type, said elements being connEcted to each other with deposited metallized coatings, wherein current flows from said first outer connecting terminal through said Zener diode to said second outer connecting terminal when an appropriate positive signal is applied to said first outer connecting terminal with respect to said second outer connecting terminal, comprising: A plurality of transistor structures used as individual elements, each element having an emitter base and collector terminal; said body representing a common collector zone for all said transistor structures; each of said transistor structures having its base-emitter diode connected in series with the base-emitter diode of the next succeeding transistor structure to establish a chain of baseemitter diodes from said plurality of transistor structures, at least one base-emitter diode being interconnected within said chain so as to be forward-biased upon the application of said positive signal to said first outer connecting terminal with respect to said second outer connecting terminal, and at least another base-emitter diode being interconnected within said chain so as to be reversed biased beyond its Zener breakdown voltage upon the application of said appropriate positive signal to said first outer connecting terminal with respect to said second outer connecting terminal; said body being connected to said first outer connecting terminal; and one of the base and emitter terminals of the first transistor of said chain being connected to said first outer connecting terminal, and one of the base and emitter terminals of the last transistor of said chain being connected to said second outer connecting terminal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 292 words
A temperature compensating Zener diode in the form of a body of a semiconductor integrated circuit having a first and second outer connecting terminal, consisting of several individual elements placed in a common semiconductor body of one conductivity type, said elements being connEcted to each other with deposited metallized coatings, wherein current flows from said first outer connecting terminal through said Zener diode to said second outer connecting terminal when an appropriate positive signal is applied to said first outer connecting terminal with respect to said second outer connecting terminal, comprising: A plurality of transistor structures used as individual elements, each element having an emitter base and collector terminal; said body representing a common collector zone for all said transistor structures; each of said transistor structures having its base-emitter diode connected in series with the base-emitter diode of the next succeeding transistor structure to establish a chain of baseemitter diodes from said plurality of transistor structures, at least one base-emitter diode being interconnected within said chain so as to be forward-biased upon the application of said positive signal to said first outer connecting terminal with respect to said second outer connecting terminal, and at least another base-emitter diode being interconnected within said chain so as to be reversed biased beyond its Zener breakdown voltage upon the application of said appropriate positive signal to said first outer connecting terminal with respect to said second outer connecting terminal; said body being connected to said first outer connecting terminal; and one of the base and emitter terminals of the first transistor of said chain being connected to said first outer connecting terminal, and one of the base and emitter terminals of the last transistor of said chain being connected to said second outer connecting terminal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 23 words
A temperature compensated Zener diode according to claim 1, wherein ohmic resistors are provided to adjust the current flowing across individual PN junctions.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 60 words
A temperature compensated Zener diode according to claim 1, wherein one end of an ohmic resistor is connected to the emitter lead of each forward diode of said series chain except the last forward diode, and the other end of each said resistor is connected to said second outer connecting terminal so as to further reduce said dynamic internal resistance.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 70 words
A temperature compensated Zener diode according to claim 1, wherein one end of an ohmic resistor is connected to the emitter lead of each forward diode of said series chain, and the other end of each said resistor is connected to the emitter of the preceding forward diode, and the emitter of the first forward diode of said chain is directly connected to the second of said outer connecting terminals.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 75 words
A temperature compensated Zener diode according to claim 1, wherein each transistor structure acting as Zener diode and each transistor structure acting as forward diode are combined to form a double emitter configuration and are arranged in a common base zone, said base zone having a type of conductivity which is in opposition to the type of conductivity of said semiconductor body, with each emitter of the same said one conductivity type as said body.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 140 words
A temperature compensated Zener diode according to claim 5, wherein a number of said double emitter configurations and, according to requirements, further single emitter transistor structures acting as forward diodes are connected in series so that the emitter of the first of said double emitter configuration forming part of said Zener diode, is connected to said first outer connecting terminal, while the emitter of said first double emitter configuration forming part of the forward diode, is connected to said Zener diode emitter of the next said double emitter configuration, and so forth, up to the last said double emitter configuration, with said forward diode emitter of the last said double emitter configuration being coupled either to the second of said outer connecting terminals, or to the base of the last single emitter transistor structure of the chain of forward diodes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 68 words
A temperature compensated ZEner diode according to claim 6, wherein the base of each successive double emitter configurations are coupled to each other by means of an ohmic resistor and one end of ohmic resistors are arranged in the emitter lead-in conductors of the subsequently following single emitter transistor structures, the other end of said resistors being directly connected to the second one of said outer connecting terminals.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 36 words
A term temperature compensated Zener diode according to claim 6, wherein both the base and the forward diode emitter of each said double emitter configuration is coupled to each other by means of an ohmic resistor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 139 words
A temperature compensated Zener diode according to claim 6, wherein the base of each successive double emitter configuration is coupled to each other by means of an ohmic resistor and the base of the first of said double emitter configurations is coupled to the second of said outer connecting terminals by means of another ohmic resistor, each forward diode emitter of each double emitter configuration being coupled to the base of the preceding double emitter transistor by means of a further ohmic resistor, the forward diode emitter of said last double emitter configuration being coupled to the emitter of the last of said single emitter transistors by means of a still further ohmic resistor, and base and emitter of the first of said single emitter transistors is coupled to each other by means of another still further ohmic resistor.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 116 words
A temperature compensated Zener diode according to claim 1, wherein the emitter base diode of the first transistor of said chain is reversed biased beyond its Zener breakdown voltage upon the application of said positive signal to said first outer connecting terminal with respect to said second outer connecting terminal, the emitter terminal of the first transistor being connected to said first outer connecting terminal, and the emitter base diode of the last transistor of said chain is forward biased upon the application of said positive signal to said first outer connecting terminal with respect to said second outer connecting terminal, the emitter terminal of the last transistor being connected to said second outer connecting terminal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 82 words
A temperature compensated Zener diode according to claim 1, wherein the emitter base diodes of the respective first and last transistors of said chain are forward biased upon the application of said positive signal to said first outer connecting terminal with respect to said second outer connecting terminal, the base terminal of the first transistor being connected to said first outer connecting terminal, and the emitter terminal of the last transistor of said chain being connected to said second outer connecting terminal.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

No citation records indexed.

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1974-03-01 1974-08-31 1975-03-02 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1978-03-01 1978-08-31 1979-03-02 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1982-03-01 1982-08-31 1983-03-02 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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