Semiconductor switch devices having improved shorted emitter configurations

Claim 2

A semiconductor switching device comprising: a body of semiconductor material including a plurality of layers of successively opposite conductivity types to form a plurality of P-N junctions therein, electrodes attached to said body to provide an emitter and gate structure to enable use of said body as a switching device, and an array of closely spaced shorting columns of one conductivity type extending from an inner layer of said one conductivity through an outer layer having the opposite conductivity into contact with one of said electrodes, said shorting columns being of such diameter and spaced such that the centers of adjacent shorting columns are within the range of three-fifteen mils in order to effectively lower the beta over said emitter structure in a uniform manner to substantially increase the switching speed of said device.

Claim 3

The switching device of claim 1 wherein said device comprises an asymmetrical regenerative switch.

Claim 4

The switching device of claim 1 wherein said device comprises a symmetrical triac switch.

Claim 5

A Semiconductor controlled rectifier device having asymmetrical switching operation comprising: a body of semiconductor material having four layers of first and second conductivity types interleaved with one another to form a plurality of P-N junctions therein, an electrode contacting the surface of one of the exterior layers of said body having said first conductivity type to form emitter structure, a plurality of spaced apart discrete elongated areas of said second conductivity type extending through said exterior layer into contact with said electrode, said elongated areas being spaced over substantially the entire area of said exterior layer, and the centers of said elongated areas being spaced apart by a distance in the range of three-fifteen mils to effectively lower the beta over said emitter structure in a uniform manner, wherein the switching speed of said device is substantially increased.

Claim 6

A Semiconductor controlled rectifier device having asymmetrical switching operation comprising: a body of semiconductor material having four layers of first and second conductivity types interleaved with one another to form a plurality of P-N junctions therein, an electrode contacting the surface of one of the exterior layers of said body having said first conductivity type to form emitter structure, a plurality of spaced apart discrete elongated areas of said second conductivity type extending through said exterior layer into contact with said electrode, said elongated areas being spaced over substantially the entire area of said exterior layer, and the centers of said elongated areas being spaced apart by a distance in the range of three-fifteen mils to effectively lower the beta over said emitter structure in a uniform manner, wherein the switching speed of said device is substantially increased.

Claim 7

The rectifier device of claim 4 wherein said elongated areas have generally circular cross sections.

Claim 8

The rectifier device of claim 5 wherein the diameters of said elongated areas are approximately two mils.

Claim 9

The rectifier device of claim 4 wherein said exterior layer has a central aperture through which a portion of an interior layer extends to form a gate for said device.

Claim 10

A semiconductor triac switching device having symmetrical switching operation comprising: a body of semiconductor material having at least five layers of first and second opposite conductivity types, layers of said first conductivity type being interleaved with layers of said second conductivity type to form a plurality of P-N junctions, the two external layers of said body being of said first conductivity type, a first electrode in low resistance ohmic contact with the surface of one of said external layers of said body, a second electrode in contact with the surface of the second of said external layers, a plurality of closely spaced apart shorting columns of semiconductor material of said second conductivity type extending from intermediate layers thorugh each of said external layers into contact with said electrodes, the centers of said shorting columns being spaced apart by a distance in the range of three-fifteen mils in order that the switching current during the operation of said device is concentrated in the control region of said device and lateral currents through said external layers are reduced in order to substantially increase the switching speed of the triac switching device.

Claim 11

A semiconductor triac switching device having symmetrical switching operation comprising: a body of semiconductor material having at least five layers of first and second opposite conductivity types, layers of said first conductivity type being interleaved with layers of said second conductivity type to form a plurality of P-N junctions, the two external layers of said body being of said first conductivity type, a first electrode in low resistance ohmic contact with the surface of one of said external layers of said body, a second electrode in contact with the surface of the second of said external layers, a plurality of closely spaced apart shorting columns of semiconductor material of said second conductivity type extending from intermediate layers thorugh each of said external layers into contact with said electrodes, the centers of said shorting columns being spaced apart by a distance in the range of three-fifteen mils in order that the switching current during the operation of said device is concentrated in the control region of said device and lateral currents through said external layers are reduced in order to substantially increase the switching speed of the triac switching device.

Claim 12

The triac switching device of claim 8 wherein said external layers are generally triangular in cross section, with the exception of semicircular central portions which are free of said shorting columns. 10 A semiconductor switching device comprising: a body of semiconductor material including a plurality of layers of successively opposite conductivity types to form a plurality of P-N junctions therein, electrodes attached to said body to enable use of said body as a switching device, and an array of closely spaced shorting columns of one conductivity type extending from an inner layer of said one conductivity through an outer layer having the opposite conductivity into contact with one of said electrodes, said shorting columns having a generally circular cross section and spaced apart over substantially the entire area of said outer layer, the diameters of said shorting columns being approximately two mils and the distance between centers of adjacent zones of said shorting columns being ten mils or less, said columns substantially improving the switching speed of said device.

Claim 13

In a semiconductor switching device having a plurality of semiconductor material layers of one conductivity type interleaved with layers of the opposite conductivity type to form a plurality of P-N junctions and including electrodes connected to ones of said layers, the improvement comprising: an array of closely spaced elongated colUmns of one conductivity type extending from an inner P-N junction through an outer semiconductor layer having the opposite conductivity type, the diameters of said shorting columns being approximately two mils and the distance between centers of adjacent columns being ten mils or less.

Claim 14

In a semiconductor switching device having a plurality of semiconductor material layers of one conductivity type interleaved with layers of the opposite conductivity type to form a plurality of P-N junctions and including electrodes connected to ones of said layers, the improvement comprising: an array of closely spaced elongated colUmns of one conductivity type extending from an inner P-N junction through an outer semiconductor layer having the opposite conductivity type, the diameters of said shorting columns being approximately two mils and the distance between centers of adjacent columns being ten mils or less.

Claim 15

A semiconductor triac switching device having symmetrical switching operation comprising: a body of semiconductor material having at least five layers of first and second opposite conductivity types, layers of said first conductivity type being interleaved with layers of said second conductivity type to form a plurality of P-N junctions, the two external layers of said body being of said first conductivity type, a first electrode in low resistance ohmic contact with the surface of one of said external layers of said body, a second electrode in contact with the surface of the second of said external layers, a plurality of closely spaced apart shorting columns of semiconductor material of said second conductivity type extending from intermediate layers through each of said external layers into contact with said electrodes, the diameters of said shorting columns being approximately two mils and the distance between centers of adjacent columns being ten mils or less, wherein the switching speed of the triac switching device is substantially increased.

Claim 16

A semiconductor triac switching device having symmetrical switching operation comprising: a body of semiconductor material having at least five layers of first and second opposite conductivity types, layers of said first conductivity type being interleaved with layers of said second conductivity type to form a plurality of P-N junctions, the two external layers of said body being of said first conductivity type, a first electrode in low resistance ohmic contact with the surface of one of said external layers of said body, a second electrode in contact with the surface of the second of said external layers, a plurality of closely spaced apart shorting columns of semiconductor material of said second conductivity type extending from intermediate layers through each of said external layers into contact with said electrodes, the diameters of said shorting columns being approximately two mils and the distance between centers of adjacent columns being ten mils or less, wherein the switching speed of the triac switching device is substantially increased.