IP Library Granted Patent US 12671018
Granted Patent B2
US 12671018 · App. 18/343,092 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Thermistor integrated with a bias resistor

Inventor: Mark Robert Visokay (Dallas, UT)
Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
H01C7/021H01C7/041H01C17/2416H10D84/204H10D84/209G01K7/24
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12671018
App. No.
18/343,092
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic device including a thermistor and a bias reference resistor in a voltage divider configuration integrated into a single die and a method of fabricating the same. In an example, the electronic device comprises a substrate including an n-well region, a thermistor formed in the n-well region, and a bias resistor connected in series to the thermistor, the bias resistor formed in a region of the substrate isolated from the n-well region.

Claims (33)

1 . An electronic device, comprising:

a substrate including an n-well region;

a thermistor formed in the n-well region; and

a bias resistor connected in series to the thermistor, the bias resistor formed in a region of the substrate isolated from the n-well region.

2 . The electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the thermistor comprises a well resistor in the n-well region having a dopant species comprising at least one of phosphorous and arsenic.

3 . The electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the bias resistor comprises a boron-doped polysilicon structure disposed over field oxide extending into the substrate.

4 . The electronic device as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a first plurality of fuses for tuning the thermistor and a second plurality of fuses for tuning the bias resistor.

5 . The electronic device as recited in claim 4 , wherein the first plurality of fuses for tuning the thermistor comprises a first subset of fuses spaced apart with a first pitch coupled to a first terminal of the thermistor and a second subset of fuses spaced apart with a second pitch greater than the first pitch and coupled to a second terminal of the thermistor.

6 . The electronic device as recited in claim 4 , wherein the second plurality of fuses for tuning the bias resistor comprises a first subset of fuses spaced apart with a first pitch coupled to a first terminal of the bias resistor and a second subset of fuses spaced apart with a second pitch greater than the first pitch and coupled to a second terminal of the bias resistor.

7 . The electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the thermistor has a positive temperature coefficient.

8 . The electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the thermistor has a negative temperature coefficient.

9 . The electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the n-well region extends into an epitaxial layer of the substrate.

10 . The electronic device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the bias resistor and the thermistor are disposed relative to each other in a stack having a dielectric layer formed therebetween.

11 . A method of fabricating an electronic device, comprising:

forming voltage divider over a semiconductor substrate, including:

forming a thermistor in an n-well region extending into the semiconductor substrate;

forming a bias resistor over a region of the semiconductor substrate conductively isolated from the n-well region; and

connecting the thermistor and the bias resistor in series between a first reference voltage rail of the electronic device and a second reference voltage rail of the electronic device.

12 . The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the thermistor comprises a well resistor in the n-well region having a dopant species comprising at least one of phosphorous and arsenic.

13 . The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the bias resistor comprises a boron-doped polysilicon structure disposed over a field oxide extending into the semiconductor substrate.

14 . The method as recited in claim 11 , further comprising forming a first plurality of fuses over the semiconductor substrate for tuning the thermistor and a second plurality of fuses for tuning the bias resistor.

15 . An integrated circuit, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate die;

a field dielectric layer on the substrate die;

an n-well region in the substrate die;

a first resistor including a polysilicon body formed on the field dielectric layer;

a second resistor formed in the n-well region; and

conductive interconnections that connect the first resistor and the second resistor in series between a first terminal and a second terminal.

16 . The integrated circuit as recited in claim 15 , further comprising a third terminal connected to a conductive circuit node between the first and second resistors.

17 . The integrated circuit as recited in claim 16 , further comprising a first fuse bank connected in a circuit path between the third terminal and the first resistor and a second fuse bank connected in a circuit path between the third terminal and the second resistor.

18 . The integrated circuit as recited in claim 17 , further comprising a third fuse bank connected in a circuit path between the first terminal and the first resistor and a fourth fuse bank connected in a circuit path between the second terminal and the second resistor.

19 . The integrated circuit as recited in claim 15 , wherein the first resistor has a first temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and the second resistor has a lesser second TCR.

20 . The integrated circuit as recited in claim 19 wherein the second TCR is in a range of ±100 ppm/° C.