Overvoltage protection and short-circuit withstanding for gallium nitride devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10270239-B2
Application number	US-201615182696-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2016
Priority date	Jun 15, 2016
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed examples include methods, integrated circuits and switch circuits including a driver circuit and a silicon transistor or other current source circuit coupled with a gallium nitride or other high electron mobility first transistor, where the driver operatives in a first mode to deliver a control voltage signal to the first transistor, and in a second mode in response to a detected overvoltage condition associated with the first transistor to control the current source circuit to conduct a sink current from the first transistor to affect a control voltage to at least partially turn on the first transistor.

First claim

The following is claimed:

1. A circuit, comprising:
a first transistor, including a first drain terminal coupled with a first circuit node, a first source terminal, and a first control terminal;
a current source circuit coupled between the first source terminal and a second circuit node; and
a driver circuit operative in a first mode to deliver a first control voltage signal to the first control terminal and to control a second transistor providing the current source circuit to operate in a linear mode, and in a second mode in response to a detected overvoltage condition associated with the first transistor to control the second transistor providing the current source circuit to operate as in a saturated mode to conduct a sink current from the first source terminal to the second circuit node to affect a control voltage between the first source terminal and the first control terminal to at least partially turn on the first transistor.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the first transistor is a gallium nitride (GaN) field effect transistor (FET).

3. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the second transistor providing the current source circuit includes:
a second drain terminal coupled with the first source terminal,
a second source terminal coupled with the second circuit node, and
a second control terminal; and
wherein the driver circuit is operative in the second mode to deliver a second control voltage signal to the second control terminal to turn on the second transistor to conduct the sink current from the first source terminal to the second circuit node to limit a first current flowing in the first transistor.

4. The circuit of claim 3 , wherein the driver circuit is operative in the second mode to provide the second control voltage signal to the second control terminal according to an amount of overvoltage associated with the first transistor.

5. The circuit of claim 3 , wherein the second transistor includes multiple second control terminals; and wherein the driver circuit is operative in the second mode to provide multiple second control voltage signals to the second control terminals using digital control to turn on the second transistor according to an amount of overvoltage associated with the first transistor to turn on one or more subsections of the second transistor.

6. The circuit of claim 3 , wherein the driver circuit and the second transistor are fabricated in a silicon die, and wherein the first transistor is fabricated in a second die using gallium nitride (GaN).

7. The circuit of claim 6 , wherein the silicon die includes an overvoltage sense circuit to deliver an overvoltage detection signal to cause the driver circuit to operate in the second mode in response to detection of the overvoltage condition associated with the first transistor.

8. The circuit of claim 7 , wherein the overvoltage sense circuit includes:
a P-type doped region of a silicon substrate of the silicon die;
an N-type doped region at least partially surrounded by the P-type doped region of the substrate of the silicon die;
first and second resistors connected in series with one another between the first circuit node and the N-type doped region;
a comparator circuit including a first input to receive a sense signal representing a voltage of a node joining the first and second resistors, a second input to receive a threshold voltage signal, and an output to deliver the overvoltage detection signal to cause the driver circuit to operate in the second mode when the sense signal exceeds the threshold voltage signal.

9. The circuit of claim 7 , wherein the overvoltage sense circuit includes:
a varistor or Zener diode coupled between a first voltage node of the silicon die and an intermediate node;
a resistor coupled between the intermediate node and a second voltage node of the silicon die; and
a comparator circuit including a first input to receive a sense signal representing a voltage of the intermediate node, a second input to receive a threshold voltage signal, and an output to deliver the overvoltage detection signal to cause the driver circuit to operate in the second mode when the sense signal exceeds the threshold voltage signal.

10. The circuit of claim 7 , wherein the overvoltage sense circuit, the driver circuit, the second transistor and the first transistor are fabricated monolithically.

11. The circuit of claim 3 , wherein the driver circuit is operative in a third mode in response to a detected overcurrent condition associated with the first transistor to deliver a second control voltage signal to the second control terminal to operate the second transistor in a saturation mode to conduct the sink current from the first source terminal to the second circuit node to limit a first current flowing in the first transistor.

12. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the driver circuit is operative in a third mode in response to a detected overcurrent condition associated with the first transistor to control the current source circuit to conduct a sink current from the first source terminal to the second circuit node to limit a first current flowing in the first transistor.

13. A method of operating a switch circuit, the switch circuit including a first transistor connected to a first circuit node, and a current source connected between the first transistor and a second circuit node, the method comprising:
in a first mode, delivering a first control voltage signal to the first transistor according to a drive signal;
in the first mode, controlling a second transistor providing the current source to operate in a linear mode and provide a low impedance between the first transistor and the second circuit node; and
in a second mode, in response to detection of an overvoltage condition associated with the first transistor, controlling the second transistor providing the current source to operate in saturation to conduct a sink current from the first transistor to the second circuit node to at least partially turn on the first transistor.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising, in the second mode, controlling the current source according to an amount of overvoltage associated with the first transistor.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising, in the second mode, controlling the current source digitally to turn on one or more subsections of the second transistor.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising, in a third mode, in response to detection of an overcurrent condition associated with the first transistor, controlling the current source to conduct the sink current from the first transistor to the second circuit node to limit a first current flowing in the first transistor.

17. An integrated circuit to control a switch circuit, the integrated circuit comprising:
a first pad to electrically couple with a first source terminal of a first transistor of the switch circuit;
a second pad to deliver a first control voltage signal to a first control terminal of the first transistor;
an overvoltage sense circuit to deliver an overvoltage detection signal in response to detection of an overvoltage condition associated with the first transistor; and
a driver circuit operative in a first mode to deliver the first control voltage signal to the second pad to control the first transistor, and in a second mode in response to the overvoltage detection signal to control a current source circuit to conduct a sink current from the first source terminal to affect a control voltage between the first pad and the second pad to at least partially turn on the first transistor;
wherei

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Bahl Sandeep R

Classifications

• H02H7/1213 Primary

  for DC-DC converters · CPC title

• H03K17/0822

  in field-effect transistor switches · CPC title

• H02H1/0007

  concerning the detecting means (in general G01R or other subclasses of G01; reed switches H01H71/2445) · CPC title

• H02H9/04 Primary

  responsive to excess voltage (lightning arrestors H01C7/12, H01C8/04, H01G9/18, H01T) · CPC title

• H02M1/32

  Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection · CPC title