Memory systems and devices with source plate discharge circuits (and associated methods) are described herein. In one embodiment, a memory device includes (a) a plurality of memory cells, (b) a source plate electrically coupled to the plurality of memory cells, and (c) a discharge circuit. The discharge circuit can include a bipolar junction transistor device electrically coupled to the source plate and configured to drop a voltage at the source plate by, for example, discharging current through the bipolar junction transistor device. In some embodiments, the bipolar junction transistor device can be activated using a low-voltage switch or a high-voltage switch electrically coupled to the bipolar junction transistor. In these and other embodiments, the bipolar junction transistor device can operate in an avalanche mode while discharging current to drop the voltage at the source plate.

Structures for a bipolar junction transistor and methods of forming a structure for a bipolar junction transistor. The structure includes an emitter having a raised portion, a collector having a raised portion, and a base having a base layer and an extrinsic base layer stacked with the base layer. The base layer and the extrinsic base layer are positioned in a lateral direction between the raised portion of the emitter and the raised portion of the collector, the base layer has a first width in the lateral direction, the extrinsic base layer has a second width in the lateral direction, and the second width is greater than the first width.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a lateral bipolar transistor structure with an emitter/collector (E/C) contact to a doped semiconductor well and related methods. A bipolar transistor structure according to the disclosure may include a doped semiconductor well over a semiconductor substrate. An insulative region is on the doped semiconductor well. A base layer is on the insulative region, and an emitter/collector (E/C) layer on the insulative region and adjacent a first sidewall of the base layer. An E/C contact to the doped semiconductor well includes a lower portion adjacent the insulative region and an upper portion adjacent and electrically coupled to the E/C layer.

A lateral transistor tile is formed with first and second collector regions that longitudinally span first and second sides of the transistor tile; and a base region and an emitter region that are between the first and second collector regions and are both centered on a longitudinal midline of the transistor tile. A base-collector current, a collector-emitter current, and a base-emitter current flow horizontally; and the direction of the base-emitter current is perpendicular to the direction of the base-collector current and the collector-emitter current. Lateral BJT transistors having a variety of layouts are formed from a plurality of the tiles and share common components thereof.

Disclosed is a semiconductor structure including at least one bipolar junction transistor (BJT), which is uniquely configured so that fabrication of the BJT can be readily integrated with fabrication of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices on an advanced silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. The BJT has an emitter, a base, and a collector laid out horizontally across an insulator layer and physically separated. Extension regions extend laterally between the emitter and the base and between the base and the collector and are doped to provide junctions between the emitter and the base and between the base and the collector. Gate structures are on the extension regions. The emitter, base, and collector are contacted. Optionally, the gate structures and a substrate below the insulator layer are contacted and can be biased to optimize BJT performance. Optionally, the structure further includes one or more CMOS devices. Also disclosed is a method of forming the structure.

A semiconductor device (300) comprising: a doped semiconductor substrate (302); an epitaxial layer (304), disposed on top of the substrate, the epitaxial layer having a lower concentration of dopant than the substrate; a switching region disposed on top of the epitaxial layer; and a contact diffusion (350) disposed on top of the epitaxial layer, the contact diffusion having a higher concentration of dopant than the epitaxial layer; wherein the epitaxial layer forms a barrier between the contact diffusion and the substrate.

Structures including III-V compound semiconductor-based devices and silicon-based devices integrated on a semiconductor substrate and methods of forming such structures. The structure includes a substrate having a device layer, a handle substrate, and a buried insulator layer between the handle substrate and the device layer. The structure includes a first semiconductor layer on the device layer in a first device region, and a second semiconductor layer on the device layer in a second device region. The first semiconductor layer contains a III-V compound semiconductor material, and the second semiconductor layer contains silicon. A first device structure includes a gate structure on the first semiconductor layer, and a second device structure includes a doped region in the second semiconductor layer. The doped region and the second semiconductor layer define a p-n junction.

The present disclosure relates to semiconductor structures and, more particularly, to lateral bipolar transistors and methods of manufacture. The structure includes: an extrinsic base comprising semiconductor material; an intrinsic base comprising semiconductor material which is located below the extrinsic base; a polysilicon emitter on a first side of the extrinsic base; a raised collector on a second side of the extrinsic base; and sidewall spacers on the extrinsic base which separate the extrinsic base from the polysilicon emitter and the raised collector.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a lateral bipolar transistor structure with a marker layer for emitter and collector terminals. A lateral bipolar transistor structure according to the disclosure includes a semiconductor layer over an insulator layer. The semiconductor layer includes an emitter/collector (E/C) region having a first doping type and an intrinsic base region adjacent the E/C region and having a second doping type opposite the first doping type. A marker layer is on the E/C region of the semiconductor layer, and a raised E/C terminal is on the marker layer. An extrinsic base is on the intrinsic base region of the semiconductor layer, and a spacer is horizontally between the raised E/C terminal and the extrinsic base.

Disclosed is a semiconductor structure including a device, such as a lateral heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT), made up of a combination of at least three different semiconductor materials with different bandgap sizes for improved performance. In the device, a base layer of the base region can be positioned laterally between a collector layer of a collector region and an emitter layer of an emitter region and can be physically separated therefrom by buffer layers. The base layer can be made of a narrow bandgap semiconductor material, the collector layer and, optionally, the emitter layer can be made of a wide bandgap semiconductor material, and the buffer layers can be made of a semiconductor material with a bandgap between that of the narrow bandgap semiconductor material and the wide bandgap semiconductor material. Also disclosed herein is a method of forming the structure.