Power conversion system, power module, and semiconductor device with diode coupling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10069439-B2
Application number	US-201615376374-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2016
Priority date	Dec 22, 2015
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

A power conversion system has a first coupling circuit including a wire between a controller and a high-side circuit and a second coupling circuit including a wire between the controller and a low-side circuit. The first coupling circuit has a diode having an anode coupled to a wire from the controller and a cathode coupled to a wire from the high-side circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power conversion system comprising:
a high-side circuit and a low-side circuit;
a controller communicating with the high-side circuit and the low-side circuit;
a first coupling circuit including a wire between the controller and the high-side circuit; and
a second coupling circuit including a wire between the controller and the low-side circuit,
wherein the high-side circuit includes:
a high-side switch coupled between a first power supply terminal to which a first power supply voltage is supplied using a reference power supply voltage as a reference and a load drive terminal, the high-side switch supplying power to a load via the load drive terminal; and
a high-side driver driving the high-side switch,

wherein the low-side circuit includes:
a low-side switch coupled between a reference power supply terminal to which the reference power supply voltage is supplied and the load drive terminal, the low-side switch supplying power to the load via the load drive terminal; and
a low-side driver driving the low-side switch,

wherein the first coupling circuit includes a diode having an anode coupled to the wire from the controller and a cathode coupled to the wire from the high-side circuit,
wherein the high-side circuit includes a first temperature detection diode formed in a semiconductor chip where the high-side switch is formed, the first temperature detection diode detecting a temperature of the high-side switch and having a cathode coupled to the load drive terminal, and
wherein the first coupling circuit includes:
a first diode having a cathode coupled to an anode of the first temperature detection diode;
a second diode having a cathode coupled to the cathode of the first temperature detection diode;
a first current source to which a second power supply voltage lower than the first power supply voltage is supplied, the first current source flowing a forward current to the first temperature detection diode via the first diode;
a second current source to which the second power supply voltage is supplied, the second current source flowing a forward current to the second diode; and
a first differential amplifying circuit detecting a differential voltage between an anode of the first diode and an anode of the second diode and transmitting the detection result to the controller.

2. The power conversion system according to claim 1 , wherein the first differential amplifying circuit detects the forward voltage of the first temperature detection diode via the first diode and the second diode in a period in which the high-side switch is in an OFF state and the low-side switch is in an ON state.

3. The power conversion system according to claim 1 , wherein the diode transmits a signal from the controller to the high-side circuit in a period in which the high-side switch is in an OFF state and the low-side switch is in an ON state.

4. The power conversion system according to claim 1 , wherein the diode transmits a signal from the high-side circuit to the controller in a period in which the high-side switch is in an OFF state and the low-side switch is in an ON state.

5. The power conversion system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the low-side circuit includes a second temperature detection diode formed in a semiconductor chip where the low-side switch is formed, the second temperature detection diode detecting a temperature of the low-side switch and having a cathode coupled to the reference power supply terminal, and
wherein the second coupling circuit includes:
a third current source flowing a forward current to the second temperature detection diode; and
a second differential amplifying circuit detecting a differential voltage between an anode and the cathode of the second temperature detection diode and transmitting the detection result to the controller.

6. The power conversion system according to claim 3 , wherein the first coupling circuit includes a pulldown switch coupled between the cathode of the diode and the load drive terminal.

7. The power conversion system according to claim 3 , further comprising:
an insulating element converting a voltage level of an output signal of the controller into a voltage level of an input signal of the high-side circuit,
wherein the insulating element transmits an ON/OFF signal of the high-side switch transmitted from the controller to the high-side circuit.

8. The power conversion system according to claim 4 , wherein the first coupling circuit includes a current source supplied with a second power supply voltage lower than the first power supply voltage and flowing a forward current to the diode.

9. A power module configured as a single package, the power module comprising:
a first power supply terminal to which a first power supply voltage is supplied using a reference power supply voltage as a reference;
a reference power supply terminal to which the reference power supply voltage is supplied;
a load drive terminal;
a high-side circuit and a low-side circuit;
a first terminal transmitting or receiving a signal to or from the high-side circuit;
a second terminal transmitting or receiving a signal to or from the low-side circuit;
a first coupling circuit including a wire between the first terminal and the high-side circuit; and
a second coupling circuit including a wire between the second terminal and the low-side circuit,
wherein the high-side circuit includes:
a high-side transistor coupled between the first power supply terminal and the load drive terminal, the high-side transistor supplying power to a load via the load drive terminal; and
a high-side driver driving the high-side transistor,

wherein the low-side circuit includes:
a low-side transistor coupled between the reference power supply terminal and the load drive terminal, the low-side transistor supplying power to the load via the load drive terminal; and
a low-side driver driving the low-side transistor,

wherein the first coupling circuit includes a diode having an anode coupled to the wire from the first terminal and a cathode coupled to the wire from the high-side circuit,
wherein the high-side transistor is formed in a first semiconductor chip,
wherein the low-side transistor is formed in a second semiconductor chip, and
wherein the high-side driver, the low-side driver, and the diode are formed in a third semiconductor chip.

10. The power module according to claim 9 ,
wherein, in the first semiconductor chip, a first temperature detection diode detecting a temperature of the high-side transistor and having a cathode coupled to the load drive terminal is formed, and
wherein, in the third semiconductor chip:
a first diode having a cathode coupled to an anode of the first temperature detection diode is formed,
a second diode having a cathode coupled to the cathode of the first temperature detection diode is formed,
a first current source flowing a forward current to the first temperature detection diode via the first diode is formed,
a second current source flowing a forward current to the second diode is formed, and
a first differential amplifying circuit detecting a differential voltage between an anode of the first diode and an anode of the second diode and transmitting the detection result to the first terminal is formed.

11. The power module according to claim 9 , wherein the diode transmits a signal received at the first terminal to the high-side circuit in a period in which the high-side transistor is in an OFF state and the low-side transistor is in an ON state.

12. The power module according to claim 10 ,
wherein, in the second semiconductor chip, a second temperature dete

Assignees

• Renesas Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Yokoi Yoshihiko
• Ojima Yusuke
• Yamazaki Koichi

Classifications

• H10W90/756

  between a chip and a stacked lead frame, conducting package substrate or heat sink · CPC title

• H10W90/753

  between laterally-adjacent chips · CPC title

• H10W72/5366

  the bond wires having kinks · CPC title

• H02M7/5387 Primary

  in a bridge configuration · CPC title

• H03K17/0828

  in composite switches · CPC title