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US3852876A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

High voltage power transistor and method for making

Assignee: General Electric Co
•
Filing: 1973-10-05
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Granted: 1974-12-10
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Expires: 1993-10-05
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Abstract

Abstract High voltage power transistor and method for making in which a first or junction wafer, containing inner and outer collector layers surmounted by a base layer topped by spaced emitter regions, is bonded to a reinforcing substrate or carrier wafer, preferably with a metallic alloy bond. The junction wafer is then grooved between emitter regions to form mesas each containing a transistor collector, base, and emitter region, the grooves extending almost entirely through the lowermost collector layer but the carrier wafer preventing the junction wafer from collapsing. While supporting the grooved junction wafer by means of the carrier wafer, the sidewalls and bottoms of the grooves are simultaneously coated with a glass passivant, and the bonded wafers are then subdivided at the grooves to form a plurality of individual transistors.

Inventors

  • 👤 G Sheldon
  • 👤 P Shen

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-26 00:49
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P54/00; H10W; H10W99/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/028

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim 317 words
In a method of making power transistors, to steps of a. providing a junction wafer of monocrystalline silicon containing in stacked relation an outer collector layer of relatively low resistivity exposed at the bottom major face of said junction wafer, an inner collector layer of relatively high resistivity surmounting said outer collector layer, a base layer surmounting said inner collector layer and defining therewith a base-collector P/N junction, and an array of spaced emitter regions on said base layer and defining with said base layer the top major face of said junction wafer; b. stacking said junction wafer on a silicon carrier wafer with the opposed major faces of said wafers separated by a metallic alloy bonding layer, subjecting the resulting stack to a thermal treatment to form a metallic alloy bond uniting the opposed major faces of the junction wafer and carrier wafer; c. forming, between the emitter regions in the exposed top major face of the junction wafer, a family of grooves having a depth extending part way through said outer collector layer and defining a plurality of mesas in said junction wafer with each of said mesas including a portion of said outer collector layer surmounted by a portion of said inner collector layer topped by a base region and an emitter region; and d. providing a coating of glass passivating material on the sidewalls and bottoms of said grooves and covering the exposed edges of the interfaces between the base and inner collector region in each mesa and the inner collector and outer collector region in each mesa, whEreby said wafer stack may be subdivided into individual transistor bodies at separation faces extending generally normal to the major faces of said wafers along the bottoms of said grooves, said step of providing glass material comprising the substeps of depositing glass frit in said grooves and heating said stack to fuse said glass frit.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 317 words
In a method of making power transistors, to steps of a. providing a junction wafer of monocrystalline silicon containing in stacked relation an outer collector layer of relatively low resistivity exposed at the bottom major face of said junction wafer, an inner collector layer of relatively high resistivity surmounting said outer collector layer, a base layer surmounting said inner collector layer and defining therewith a base-collector P/N junction, and an array of spaced emitter regions on said base layer and defining with said base layer the top major face of said junction wafer; b. stacking said junction wafer on a silicon carrier wafer with the opposed major faces of said wafers separated by a metallic alloy bonding layer, subjecting the resulting stack to a thermal treatment to form a metallic alloy bond uniting the opposed major faces of the junction wafer and carrier wafer; c. forming, between the emitter regions in the exposed top major face of the junction wafer, a family of grooves having a depth extending part way through said outer collector layer and defining a plurality of mesas in said junction wafer with each of said mesas including a portion of said outer collector layer surmounted by a portion of said inner collector layer topped by a base region and an emitter region; and d. providing a coating of glass passivating material on the sidewalls and bottoms of said grooves and covering the exposed edges of the interfaces between the base and inner collector region in each mesa and the inner collector and outer collector region in each mesa, whEreby said wafer stack may be subdivided into individual transistor bodies at separation faces extending generally normal to the major faces of said wafers along the bottoms of said grooves, said step of providing glass material comprising the substeps of depositing glass frit in said grooves and heating said stack to fuse said glass frit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 28 words
The method defined in claim 1 wherein said grooves are formed by etching, whereby the sidewalls of the mesas formed by said grooves are outwardly and upwardly concave.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 14 words
The method defined in claim 2 wherein said metallic alloy bonding layer comprises aluminum.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 26 words
The method defined in claim 3 further comprising the step of subdividing said stack into a plurality of transistor bodies along the bottoms of said grooves.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 19 words
The method defined in claim 4 wherein said step of providing a coating of glass passivating material comprises electrophoresis.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 315 words
In a method of making power transistors, the steps of a. providing a junction wafer of monocrystalline silicon containing in stacked relation an outer collector layer of relatively low resistivity exposed at the bottom major face of said junction wafer, an inner collector layer of relatively high resistivity surmounting said outer collector layer, a base layer surmounting said inner collector layer and defining therewith a base-collector P/N junction, and an array of spaced emitter regions on said base layer and defining with said base layer the top major face of said junction wafer; b. stacking said junction wafer on a silicon carrier wafer with the opposed major faces of said wafers separated by an aluminum alloy bonding layer, subjecting the resulting stack to a thermal treatment to form an aluminum alloy bond uniting the opposed major faces of the junction wafer and carrier wafer; c. etching, between the emitter regions in the exposed top major face of the junction wafer, a family of grooves having a depth extending part way through said outer collector layer and defining a plurality of mesas in said junction wafer with each of said mesas including a portion of said outer collector layer surmounted by a portion of said inner collector layer topped by a base region and an emitter region; d. providing a coating of glass passivating material on the sidewalls and bottoms of said grooves and covering the exposed edges of the interfaces between the base and inner collector region in each mesa and the inner collector and outer collector region in each mesa, said step of providing glass material comprising the substeps of depositing glass frit in said grooves and heating said stack to fuse said glass frit; and e. subdividing said wafer stack into individual transistor bodies at separation faces extending generally normal to the major faces of said wafers along the bottoms of said grooves.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 315 words
In a method of making power transistors, the steps of a. providing a junction wafer of monocrystalline silicon containing in stacked relation an outer collector layer of relatively low resistivity exposed at the bottom major face of said junction wafer, an inner collector layer of relatively high resistivity surmounting said outer collector layer, a base layer surmounting said inner collector layer and defining therewith a base-collector P/N junction, and an array of spaced emitter regions on said base layer and defining with said base layer the top major face of said junction wafer; b. stacking said junction wafer on a silicon carrier wafer with the opposed major faces of said wafers separated by an aluminum alloy bonding layer, subjecting the resulting stack to a thermal treatment to form an aluminum alloy bond uniting the opposed major faces of the junction wafer and carrier wafer; c. etching, between the emitter regions in the exposed top major face of the junction wafer, a family of grooves having a depth extending part way through said outer collector layer and defining a plurality of mesas in said junction wafer with each of said mesas including a portion of said outer collector layer surmounted by a portion of said inner collector layer topped by a base region and an emitter region; d. providing a coating of glass passivating material on the sidewalls and bottoms of said grooves and covering the exposed edges of the interfaces between the base and inner collector region in each mesa and the inner collector and outer collector region in each mesa, said step of providing glass material comprising the substeps of depositing glass frit in said grooves and heating said stack to fuse said glass frit; and e. subdividing said wafer stack into individual transistor bodies at separation faces extending generally normal to the major faces of said wafers along the bottoms of said grooves.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3369290A Cited
US3416224A Cited
US3579815A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1977-12-09 1978-06-10 1978-12-10 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1981-12-09 1982-06-10 1982-12-10 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1985-12-09 1986-06-10 1986-12-10 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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