Method and electronic circuit for driving a transistor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10693456-B2
Application number	US-201816194013-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2018
Priority date	Nov 23, 2017
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A method and an electronic circuit are disclosed. The method includes driving a transistor device in an on-state by applying a drive voltage higher than a threshold voltage of the transistor device to a drive input, and adjusting a voltage level of the drive voltage based on a load signal that represents a current level of a load current through the transistor device, wherein the current level is an actual current level or an expected current level of the load current.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
driving a transistor device in an on-state by applying a drive voltage having a voltage level higher than a threshold voltage level of the transistor device to a drive input;
adjusting the voltage level of the drive voltage based on a load signal that represents a current level of a load current through the transistor device; and
determining that the current level of the load current exceeds a threshold current level,
wherein adjusting the voltage level of the drive voltage comprises increasing the voltage level of the drive voltage in the on-state causing a reduction in conduction losses in the transistor device in response to determining that the current level of the load current exceeds the threshold current level, and
wherein the current level is an actual current level or an expected current level of the load current.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the voltage level comprises selecting the voltage level from a voltage level range ranging from a minimum voltage level to a maximum voltage level.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein selecting the voltage level comprises selecting one of at least two discrete voltage levels.

4. The method of claim 2 ,
wherein each of the minimum voltage level and the maximum voltage level is associated with a statistical lifetime of the transistor device, and
wherein the statistical lifetime associated with the maximum voltage level is less than 10% of the statistical lifetime associated with the minimum voltage level.

5. The method of claim 4 ,
wherein the statistical lifetime is associated with a failure rate, and
wherein the failure rate associated with the lifetime is selected from between 10 −1 and 10 −6 .

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the statistical lifetime associated with the minimum voltage level is greater than 10 years, greater than 50 years, or greater than 100 years.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein a difference between the maximum voltage level and the minimum voltage level is greater than 5V, greater than 10V or greater than 15V.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transistor device is selected from the group consisting of:
a silicon (Si) MOSFET;
a silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET; and
an IGBT.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transistor device has a voltage blocking capability higher than 400V, higher than 600V, or higher than 800V.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining the load signal based on measuring at least one of the current through the transistor device or the voltage across a load path of the transistor device.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving the load signal from a load circuit connected to the transistor device.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein a load path of the transistor device is connected between a power source and a load circuit.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein driving the transistor device in the on-state comprises driving the transistor device in the on-state based on a control signal.

14. An electronic circuit comprising a drive circuit, wherein the drive circuit is configured to:
generate a drive voltage at a drive output configured to have a drive input of the transistor device connected thereto, wherein a voltage level of the drive voltage is higher than a threshold voltage level of the transistor device;
adjust the voltage level of the drive voltage based on a load signal that represents a current level of a load current through the transistor device; and
determine that the current level of the load current exceeds a threshold current level,
wherein the drive circuit is configured to adjust the voltage level of the drive voltage by increasing the voltage level of the drive voltage in the on-state causing a reduction in conduction losses in the transistor device in response to determining that the current level of the load current exceeds the threshold current level, and
wherein the current level is an actual current level or an expected current level of the load current.

15. The electronic circuit of claim 14 , further comprising the transistor device.

16. The electronic circuit of claim 14 , wherein the drive circuit is configured to adjust the voltage level by selecting the voltage level from a voltage level range ranging from a minimum voltage level to a maximum voltage level.

17. The electronic circuit of claim 16 ,
wherein each of the minimum voltage level and the maximum voltage level is associated with statistical lifetime of the transistor device, and
wherein the statistical lifetime associated with the maximum voltage level is less than 10% of the statistical lifetime associated with the minimum voltage level.

18. The electronic circuit of claim 17 ,
wherein the statistical lifetime is associated with a failure rate, and
wherein the failure rate associated with the lifetime is selected from between 10 −1 and 10 −6 .

19. The electronic circuit of claim 17 , wherein the statistical lifetime associated with the minimum voltage level is greater than 10 years, greater than 50 years, or greater than 100 years.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein increasing the voltage level of the drive voltage in the on-state causes the reduction in the conduction losses comprises reducing an on-resistance of the transistor device.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Roessler Werner
• Mauder Anton

Classifications

• H03K17/063 Primary

  in field-effect transistor switches · CPC title

• H03K2217/0081

  Power supply means, e.g. to the switch driver · CPC title

• H03K2217/0036

  Means reducing energy consumption · CPC title

• H03K2217/0027

  Measuring means of, e.g. currents through or voltages across the switch · CPC title

• H03K17/687

  the devices being field-effect transistors · CPC title