Switching circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9729122-B2
Application number	US-201615384904-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2016
Priority date	Feb 18, 2015
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

In one embodiment, a switching circuit includes a first switch comprising one or more transistors operably coupled in series with a first terminal, wherein each of the one or more transistors has a corresponding diode, a drain of each of the one or more transistors being operably coupled to a cathode of the corresponding diode; and a second switch comprising one or more transistors operably coupled in series with a second terminal, wherein each of the one or more transistors has a corresponding diode, a drain of each of the one or more transistors being operably coupled to a cathode of the corresponding diode; wherein a source of the one or more transistors of the first switch is operably coupled to a source of the one or more transistors of the second switch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A switching circuit comprising:
a first switch comprising one or more transistors operably coupled in series with a first terminal, wherein each of the one or more transistors has a corresponding diode, a drain of each of the one or more transistors being operably coupled to a cathode of the corresponding diode; and
a second switch comprising one or more transistors operably coupled in series with a second terminal, wherein each of the one or more transistors has a corresponding diode, a drain of each of the one or more transistors being operably coupled to a cathode of the corresponding diode;
wherein a source of the one or more transistors of the first switch is operably coupled to a source of the one or more transistors of the second switch.

2. The switching circuit of claim 1 wherein:
a drain of the one or more transistors is operably coupled to the first terminal; and
a drain of the one or more transistors is operably coupled to the second terminal.

3. The switching circuit of claim 2 wherein:
the one or more transistors of the first switch comprise a plurality of transistors coupled source-to-drain; and
the one or more transistors of the second switch comprise a plurality of transistors coupled source-to-drain.

4. The switching circuit of claim 1 wherein:
the one or more transistors of the first switch comprise two transistors; and
the one or more transistors of the second switch comprise two transistors.

5. The switching circuit of claim 1 wherein:
the one or more transistors of the first switch comprise three transistors; and
the one or more transistors of the second switch comprise three transistors.

6. The switching circuit of claim 1 wherein each of the transistors of the first switch and the second switch have a corresponding resistor operably coupled in parallel to the corresponding diode.

7. The switching circuit of claim 1 further comprising:
a monitoring circuit configured to:
receive an indication that a switching circuit voltage exceeds a predetermined amount and, in response, reduce a power provided to the driving switch; or
receive an indication that a switching circuit current exceeds a predetermined amount and, in response, reduce a power provided to the driving switch.

8. The switching circuit of claim 7 wherein:
the indication that the switching circuit voltage has exceeded a predetermined amount is provided by a voltage sensing circuit, the voltage sensing circuit comprising (a) a first transformer operably coupled to the second terminal and (b) a first diode operably coupled to the monitoring circuit; and
the indication that the switching circuit current has exceeded a predetermined amount is provided by a current sensing circuit, the current sensing circuit comprising (a) a second transformer operably coupled to the second terminal and (b) a second diode operably coupled to the monitoring circuit.

9. A method of switching a circuit, the method comprising:
providing a first switch comprising one or more transistors operably coupled in series with a first terminal, wherein each of the one or more transistors has a corresponding diode, a drain of each of the one or more transistors being operably coupled to a cathode of the corresponding diode;
providing a second switch comprising one or more transistors operably coupled in series with a second terminal, wherein each of the one or more transistors has a corresponding diode, a drain of each of the one or more transistors being operably coupled to a cathode of the corresponding diode;
operably coupling a source of the one or more transistors of the first switch to a source of the one or more transistors of the second switch;
driving the first and second switches simultaneously ON; and
driving the first and second switches simultaneously OFF.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein:
a drain of the one or more transistors is operably coupled to the first terminal; and
a drain of the one or more transistors is operably coupled to the second terminal.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein:
the one or more transistors of the first switch comprise a plurality of transistors coupled source-to-drain; and
the one or more transistors of the second switch comprise a plurality of transistors coupled source-to-drain.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein:
the one or more transistors of the first switch comprise two transistors; and
the one or more transistors of the second switch comprise two transistors.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein:
the one or more transistors of the first switch comprise three transistors; and
the one or more transistors of the second switch comprise three transistors.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein each of the transistors of the first switch and the second switch have a corresponding resistor operably coupled in parallel to the corresponding diode.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
receiving an indication that a switching circuit voltage exceeds a predetermined amount and, in response, reducing a power provided to the driving switch; or
receiving an indication that a switching circuit current exceeds a predetermined amount and, in response, reducing a power provided to the driving switch.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein:
the indication that the switching circuit voltage has exceeded a predetermined amount is provided by a voltage sensing circuit, the voltage sensing circuit comprising (a) a first transformer operably coupled to the second terminal and (b) a first diode operably coupled to the monitoring circuit; and
the indication that the switching circuit current has exceeded a predetermined amount is provided by a current sensing circuit, the current sensing circuit comprising (a) a second transformer operably coupled to the second terminal and (b) a second diode operably coupled to the monitoring circuit.

17. A method of fabricating a semiconductor, the method comprising:
placing a substrate in a plasma chamber configured to deposit a material layer onto the substrate or etch a material layer from the substrate;
energizing plasma within the plasma chamber by coupling RF power from an RF source into the plasma chamber to perform a deposition or etching; and
while energizing the plasma, carrying out an impedance match by an impedance matching network coupled between a load and an RF source, wherein the impedance matching network comprises:
a first variable component providing a first variable capacitance or inductance; and
a second variable component providing a second variable capacitance or inductance; and
wherein each of the first variable component and the second variable component has a plurality of switching circuits configured to provide the first variable capacitance or inductance and the second variable capacitance or inductance, respectively, each of the plurality of switching circuits comprising:
a first switch comprising one or more transistors operably coupled in series with a first terminal, wherein each of the one or more transistors has a corresponding diode, a drain of each of the one or more transistors being operably coupled to a cathode of the corresponding diode; and
a second switch comprising one or more transistors operably coupled in series with a second terminal, wherein each of the one or more transistors has a corresponding diode, a drain of each of the one or more transistors being operably coupled to a cathode of the corresponding diode;
wherein a source of the one or more transistors of the first switch is operably coupled to a source of the one or more tr

Assignees

• Reno Tech Inc

Inventors

• Mavretic Anton

Classifications

• H10P50/283

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H10P50/242

  of Group IV materials · CPC title

• H10P14/6336

  in the presence of a plasma [PECVD] · CPC title

• H10D62/8503

  Nitride Group III-V materials, e.g. AlN or GaN · CPC title

• H01L21/31116

  Electricity · mapped topic