1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a voltage regulator circuit and particularly to a power transistor chip with built-in enhancement mode metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (enhancement mode MOSFET) and an AC/DC voltage converter using the power transistor chip.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Due to the semiconductor technology being developed progressively, the digital products such as the computer and the peripherals thereof are capable of being upgraded continuously. The fast change of the manufacturing process for the semiconductor results in a variety of demands for the power source of the integrated circuit (IC) employed in the computer and the peripherals thereof. Hence, various combinations of voltage regulators using such as the boost converter and the buck converter to meet the need of different power sources of the integrated circuit become one of the most important factors to offer versatile digital products. The AC/DC voltage converter is widely taken as the primary stage circuit of the voltage regulator circuit because it is capable of converting the AC power input to the needed steady direct power output.
Referring to
When the AC/DC voltage converter 10 initiates the work thereof, the output end of the bridge type rectifying circuit 11 sends a rippling direct power to enter the pulse width modulation circuit 13 via the resistance in the start-up circuit 14 for operating the pulse width modulation circuit 13. Then, the pulse width modulation circuit 13 performs the normal job thereof afterward according to the magnitude of the feedback voltage of the output direct power Vo and produces the modulated PWM signal such that the time duration of ON and OFF of the power transistor can be controlled for outputting a steady direct power Vo. The working power circuit 17, which is connected to the transformer circuit 15, supplies more steady working power for the pulse width modulation circuit 13 performs the job thereof much steadily after the AC/DC voltage converter 10 is started up and outputs the steady direct power Vo.
Although the preceding way allows the AC/DC voltage converter to work normally, the start-up circuit 14 keeps in a state of supplying the power to the pulse width modulation circuit 13 unnecessarily. In order to improve the deficiency, the depletion metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (Depletion MOSFET) 221, 331 are employed instead to output a start-up signal st via the pulse width modulation circuit 23 or 33 to turn off the operation of the depletion metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors 221, 331 respectively for conserving the power consumption.
The difference between
Besides, although the preceding different integrations of AC/DC voltage converter circuit such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,972,971, 5,014,178 and 5,285,369 are able to comply with different design needs to integrate the start-up circuit, the pulse width modulation circuit and the power transistor, and etc. into a system chip with single chip circuit or two chip circuits, it is incapable of offering the brown-out detection for the pulse width modulation circuit.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a power transistor chip and an AC/DC voltage converter circuit using the power transistor chip, which utilizes an enhancement mode metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (enhancement mode MOSFET) in association with a voltage divider circuit such as two series connected resistors to act as a start-up circuit for the AC/DC voltage converter circuit and the enhancement mode MOSFET is built in the power transistor chip such that not only no additional masks and processes are needed so as to simplify the entire manufacturing process with the economical production cost but also the brown-out detection can be performed as well.
In order to achieve the preceding object, the power transistor chip with an enhancement mode metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor adaptable to an AC/DC voltage converter circuit according to the present invention comprises a first pin, a second pin, a third pin, a fourth pin, a fifth pin, a power transistor and an enhancement mode metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (enhancement mode MOSFET); wherein, the power transistor acts as a power switch of the AC/DC voltage converter circuit and has a first source/drain, a second source/drain and a power transistor gate with the first source/drain coupling with the first pin, the second source/drain coupling with the second pin and the power transistor gate coupling with the third pin; and the enhancement mode MOSFET acts as a start-up circuit of the AC/DC voltage converter circuit, and has a third source/drain, a fourth source/drain and an enhancement mode MOSFET gate with the third source/drain coupling with the first pin, the fourth source/drain coupling with the fourth pin, the enhancement mode MOSFET gate coupling with the fifth pin.
Further, the AC/DC voltage converter circuit according to the present invention is capable of converting the AC power input to the steady DC power output and further comprises a rectifying circuit, a voltage divider circuit, a pulse width modulation circuit, a transformer circuit, a filtering and feedback circuit and a working power circuit in addition to the preceding power transistor chip with the built-in enhancement mode MOSFET.
Wherein, the rectifying circuit is a bridge type rectifying circuit, which has a power input end for receiving the AC power input, and a rectifying output end; the voltage divider circuit includes a first resistor and a second resistor with two ends of the first resistor coupling with the rectifying output end and the enhancement mode MOSFET gate respectively and two ends of the second resistor coupling with the enhancement mode MOSFET gate and the ground of the direct current power output from the bridge type rectifying circuit; the transformer circuit has a primary coil, a secondary coil and an auxiliary coil with the primary coil having an end coupling with the rectifying output end and another end coupling with the first pin of the power transistor chip, i.e., coupling with the first source/drain of the power transistor and the third source/drain of the enhancement mode MOSFET.
The pulse width modulation circuit has a start-up power control end, a working power end, a pulse width modulation signal output end and a current detecting end with the start-up power control end coupling with the fifth pin of the power transistor chip, i.e., the enhancement mode MOSFET gate to control “ON” and “OFF” of the enhancement mode MOSFET and performing the brown out detection via the division voltage offered by the voltage divider circuit, the working power end coupling with the fourth pin of the power transistor chip, i.e., the forth source/drain of the enhancement mode MOSFET to receive a start-up power sent out by the enhancement mode MOSFET, the pulse width modulation signal output end coupling with the third pin of the power transistor chip, i.e., the power transistor gate to output a pulse width modulation signal for modulating the DC power according to the magnitude of a feedback voltage, and the current detecting end coupling with the second pin of the power transistor chip, i.e., the second source/drain of the power transistor, for detecting a current passing through the power transistor.
The working power circuit couples with the auxiliary coil and the working power end of the pulse width modulation circuit to keep supplying the power needed by the pulse width modulation circuit after the start-up power output by the enhancement mode MOSFET being cut off by the pulse width modulation circuit; and the filtering and feedback circuit couple with the secondary coil to filter and output the steady DC power and supply a feedback voltage needed by the pulse width modulation circuit.
In addition, a power transistor chip with enhancement metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor adaptable to an AC/DC voltage converter circuit according to the present invention further comprises a first type semiconductor base, a first type drain contact zone disposed under the first type a 1st second type well disposed on the first type semiconductor base, a 1st second type well contact zone disposed on the 1st second type well, a 1st first type source zone disposed on the 1st second type well, which is at a lateral side of the 1st second type well contact zone, a 2nd second type well disposed on the first type semiconductor base, which is at a lateral side of the 1st second type well; a 2nd second type well contact zone disposed on the 2nd second type well, a 2nd first type source zone disposed on the 2nd second type well, which is at a lateral side of the 2nd second type well contact zone, a 1st gate zone disposed on the first type semiconductor base, which is between the 1st second type well and said 2nd second type well, a 3rd second type well disposed on the first type semiconductor base, a 3rd second type well contact zone disposed on the 3rd second type well, a 3rd first type source zone disposed on the 3rd second type well, which is at a lateral side of the 3rd second type well contact zone, a 4th second type well disposed on the first type semiconductor base, which is at a lateral side of the 3rd second type well, a 4th second type well contact zone disposed on the 4th second type well, a 4th first type source zone disposed on the 4th second type well, which is at a lateral side of the 4th second type well contact zone; and a second gate zone disposed on the first type semiconductor base, which is between the 3rd second type well and the 4th second type well.
In short, a power transistor chip with built-in enhancement mode metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor and application circuit thereof provides an enhancement mode metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor in association with a voltage divider circuit such as two series connected resistors to act as a start-up circuit for the AC/DC voltage converter. The start-up circuit can be shut off after the pulse width modulation circuit of the AC/DC voltage converter circuit works normally and still capable of offering a function of brown out detection for the pulse width modulation circuit as well. Besides, the enhancement mode metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor is built in the power transistor chip without additional masks and processes during the power transistor chip being fabricated such that the entire manufacturing process is simplified substantively with the economical production cost.
The detailed structure, the applied principle, the function and the effectiveness of the present invention can be more fully understood with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to
The power transistor chip 42 shown in
Although the power transistor 426 and the enhancement mode MOSFET 427 are exemplified with N-type metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor and N-type enhancement mode MOSFET, and the gate resistor 428 in the power transistor 426 is built in the power transistor chip 42, persons skilled in the art realize different type transistors such as the P-type MOSFET or P-type enhancement mode MOSFET can be adopted as well. Further, the built-in resistor 428 can be optionally integrated in a chip with the pulse width modulation circuit 43 instead of being included in the power transistor chip 42.
Wherein, the power transistor 426, which is a power switch of the AC/DC voltage converter circuit 40, has the first source/drain coupling with the first pin 421, the second source/drain coupling with the second pin 422 and the power transistor gate coupling with the third pin 423 via the resistor 428. The enhancement mode MOSFET 427 has a third source/drain to couple with the first pin 421, a fourth source/drain to couple with the fourth pin 424, and a gate of the enhancement mode MOSFET 427 to couple with the fifth pin 425.
Besides, the voltage divider circuit 44, which is composed of the two resistors 48, 49, obtains a division voltage from the rectifying output end 412 and supplies the division voltage to the gate of the enhancement mode MOSFET 427. The gate of the enhancement mode MOSFET couples with the series end of the resistors 48, 49. Another end of the resistor 48 couples with the rectifying output end 412 of the bridge type rectifying circuit 41, and another end of the resistor 49 couples with the ground end of the direct current power output by the bridge type rectifying circuit 41.
When the AC/DC voltage converter circuit 40 is initiated to work, the bridge type rectifying circuit 41 receives the AC power input Vin from the power source end 411 thereof and rectifies the full wave of the AC power input Vin such that a rippling direct current power is output from the bridge type rectifying circuit 41 to the first pin 421 of the power transistor chip, i.e., the third source/drain of the enhancement mode MOSFET 427 and the first source/drain of the power transistor 426, via a main coil 451 of the transformer circuit 45, wherein an end of the main coil 451 is connected to the rectifying output end 412 and another end of the main coil 451 is coupled to the first pin 421 of the power transistor chip 42.
In order to supply the power to operate the pulse width modulation circuit 43, the working power end 432 of the pulse width modulation circuit 43 couples with the fourth pin 424 of the power transistor chip 42, i.e., the fourth source/drain of the enhancement mode MOSFET 427. The start-up power control end 431 of the pulse width modulation circuit 43 is coupled to the fifth pin 425 of the power transistor chip 42, i.e., the gate of the enhancement mode MOSFET. At this time, the start-up power control end 431 of the pulse width modulation circuit 43 is not pulled down to the low reference level such that the enhancement mode MOSFET 427 is driven by the division voltage of the series connected resistors 48, 49 to become a ON state to transmit the ripple direct current power output by the bridge type rectifying circuit 41 to the fourth source/drain of the enhancement mode MOSFET 427.
Thus, the pulse width modulation circuit 43 obtains the power for initiating the work thereof by means of the working power end 432 thereof coupling with the fourth source/drain of the enhancement mode MOSFET 427. In addition, the pulse width modulation circuit 43 produces the modulated PWM signal and sends the PWM signal to the PWM signal output end 433 in accordance with the magnitude of the feedback voltage of the direct current power Vo output by the AC/DC voltage converter circuit 40. Then, the modulated PWM signal is transmitted to the gate of the power transistor of the power transistor chip 42 via the resistor 428 and the third pin 423 of the power transistor chip 42 to control the time durations of “ON” and “OFF” of the power transistor 426. The second pin 422 of the power transistor chip 42 is coupled to the current detecting end 434, which is used to detect the current passing through the power transistor 426, for adjusting the pulse width of the PWM signal and allowing the AC/DC voltage converter circuit 40 being able to output the direct current power Vo steadily.
When the pulse width modulation circuit 43 initiates to work, the secondary coil 452 of the transformer circuit 45 is induced a voltage, and then the voltage is filtered by the filtering and feedback circuit 46, which couples with the secondary coil 452, to output the steady direct current power Vo. A reference feedback voltage needed by the pulse width modulation circuit 43 is obtained by means of the isolated detection of a light emitting diode 461 of the filtering and feedback circuit 46 and an optical transistor 435 in the pulse width modulation circuit 43.
In addition, an auxiliary coil 453 of the transformer circuit 45 produces an induced voltage simultaneously to be filtered and transmitted to the working power end 432 by the working power circuit 47, which couples with the auxiliary coil 453. Under this circumstance, the steady working power supplied by the working power circuit 47 has already been able to supply much steadier working power needed by the pulse width modulation circuit 43 such that the pulse width modulation circuit 43 pulls down the potential of the start-up power control end 431 to a level sufficient to turn off the enhancement mode MOSFET 427 and to offer the function of the brown-out detection of the pulse width modulation circuit 43. In this way, the start-up power transmitted by the enhancement mode MOSFET 427 can be shut off through the operation of the enhancement mode MOSFET 427 being turned off. Meanwhile, the brown-out detection can be performed through the lowered division voltage of the series connected resistors 48, 49. Hence, the direct current power Vo sent by the AC/DC voltage converter circuit 40 being unable to reach the required specification even if the pulse width modulation circuit 43 works with full time can be avoided. Afterward, the steady working power can be supplied by the working power circuit 47 to offer the power required by the pulse width modulation circuit 43 for saving the power consumption of the AC/DC voltage converter circuit 40.
Referring to
The power transistor chip 42 as shown in
Wherein, the second type well 52 is disposed at the lateral side of the second type well 51, the second type well 54 is disposed at the lateral side of the second type well 53. Each of the second type wells 51, 52, 53, 54 is disposed with a second type well contact zone 511, 521, 531, 541 respectively. The first type source zones 512, 522, 532, 542 is disposed on the second type wells 51, 52, 53, 54 respectively, which are disposed at the lateral sides of the second well contact zone 511, 521, 531, 541 respectively to act as the source of the power transistor 426 or the enhancement mode MOSFET 427. Besides, on the first type semiconductor base 50 between the second type wells 51, 52 is disposed with a gate zone 56, and on the first type semiconductor base 50 between the second type wells 53, 54 is disposed with a gate zone 57. The gate zones 56, 57 each are consisted with multiple crystal silicone conductors for constituting the gate of the power transistor 426 and the enhancement mode MOSFET 427.
It is appreciated that the power transistor chip 42 with built-in enhancement mode metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor according to the present invention has the enhancement mode MOSFET 427 being built in the power transistor chip 42 and a similar doped structure is provided between the enhancement mode MOSFET 427 and the power transistor 426 such that both the transistors 427, 426 are fabricated with the same manufacturing process without the additional masks and processes. The objects of simplifying the manufacturing process and saving the cost can be achieved substantively. Further, Due to the enhancement mode MOSFET in association with the voltage divider circuit composed of two series connected resistors acting as the start-up circuit, the function of brown-out detection of the pulse width modulation circuit can be performed even if the operation of the enhancement mode MOSFET is cut off after the AC/DC voltage converter circuit works steadily such that response to the voltage Vin of the AC power being in a state of insufficiency can be obtained promptly.
While the invention has been described with referencing to the preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that modifications or variations may be easily made without departing from the spirit of this invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
98113946 A | Apr 2009 | TW | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
6125046 | Jang et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
6781194 | Baliga | Aug 2004 | B2 |
6807075 | Miermans | Oct 2004 | B2 |
7129544 | Hadizad | Oct 2006 | B2 |
7723972 | Balogh | May 2010 | B1 |
7843017 | Cheng et al. | Nov 2010 | B2 |
8169803 | Huang et al. | May 2012 | B2 |
20100177542 | Huang | Jul 2010 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20100271850 A1 | Oct 2010 | US |