High voltage rectifier and switching circuits
View Patent ↗According to one exemplary embodiment, a rectifier circuit includes a diode. A first depletion-mode transistor is connected to a cathode of the diode. Also, at least one second depletion-mode transistor is in parallel with the first depletion-mode transistor and is configured to supply a pre-determined current range to a cathode of the diode. A pinch off voltage of the at least one second depletion-mode transistor can be more negative than a pinch off voltage of the first depletion-mode transistor and the at least one second depletion-mode transistor can be configured to supply the pre-determined current range while the first depletion-mode transistor is OFF. Also, the pre-determined current range can be greater than a leakage current of the first depletion-mode transistor.
1. A rectifier circuit comprising:
a diode;
a first depletion-mode transistor connected to a cathode of said diode;
at least one second depletion-mode transistor in parallel with said first depletion-Mode transistor and configured to supply a pre-determined current to said cathode of said diode when said rectifier circuit is in reverse blocking mode;
wherein a sum of a leakage current of said first depletion-mode transistor and said pre-determined current of said at least one second depletion-mode transistor is greater than a leakage current of said diode in said reverse blocking mode.
2. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein a pinch off voltage of said at least one second depletion-mode transistor is more negative than a pinch off voltage of said first depletion-mode transistor.
3. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said at least one second depletion-mode transistor is configured to supply said pre-determined current while said first depletion-mode transistor is OFF.
4. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 ; wherein said pre-determined current is greater than said leakage current of said first depletion-mode transistor.
5. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said first depletion-mode transistor has a larger gate periphery than said at least one second depletion-mode transistor.
6. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said first depletion-mode transistor and said at least one second depletion-mode transistor have a common substrate.
7. The rectifier circuit of claim 6 , wherein said common substrate comprises silicon.
8. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said first depletion-mode transistor, said at least one second depletion-mode transistor and said diode have a common substrate.
9. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said diode is in parallel with at least one enhancement-mode transistor.
10. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said diode is a body diode of an enhancement-mode transistor.
11. The rectifier circuit of claim 10 , wherein said first depletion-mode transistor, said at least one second depletion-mode transistor, said diode and said enhancement-mode transistor have a common substrate.
12. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said diode is a Schottky diode.
13. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said diode is a PN junction diode.
14. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said first depletion-mode transistor comprises a Schottky gate.
15. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said first depletion-mode transistor and said at least one second depletion-mode transistors have respective first gate dielectric thickness and second gate dielectric thickness.
16. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said first depletion-mode transistor and said at least one second depletion-mode transistors have respective first barrier layer thickness and second barrier layer thickness.
17. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said first depletion-mode transistor is isolated from said at least one second depletion-mode transistor.
18. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein said first depletion-mode transistor and said at least one second depletion-mode transistor comprise III-nitride high electron mobility transistors.