Semiconductor apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018219543-A1
Application number	US-201615741873-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 8, 2016
Priority date	Jan 8, 2016
Publication date	Aug 2, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A current detection circuit ( 4 ) detects a device current flowing in the semiconductor device ( 1 ). A voltage detection circuit ( 5 ) detects a device voltage applied to the semiconductor device ( 1 ). A temperature calculation device ( 6 ) has a table collecting device temperatures of the semiconductor device ( 1 ) respectively corresponding to plural collector currents and plural collector voltages, and reads out a device temperature corresponding to the device current detected by the current detection circuit ( 4 ) and the device voltage detected by the voltage detection circuit ( 5 ) from the table.

First claim

1 . A semiconductor apparatus comprising:
a semiconductor device; a current detection circuit detecting a device current flowing in the semiconductor device; a voltage detection circuit detecting a device voltage applied to the semiconductor device; and a temperature calculation device having a table collecting device temperatures peculiar to the semiconductor device respectively corresponding to plural collector currents and plural collector voltages, and reading out a device temperature corresponding to the device current detected by the current detection circuit and the device voltage detected by the voltage detection circuit from the table.

2 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a driving circuit driving the semiconductor device,
wherein the temperature calculation device stops an operation of the driving circuit when the calculated device temperature exceeds a threshold value

3 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a driving circuit driving the semiconductor device; and a control circuit controlling a switching frequency when the driving circuit drives the semiconductor device according to the device temperature calculated by the temperature calculation device.

4 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an insulating substrate on which the semiconductor device is mounted; and a temperature detection device detecting temperature of the insulating substrate, wherein the temperature calculation device divides a difference between the device temperature and temperature of the insulating substrate by the device current and the device voltage to calculate thermal resistance.

5 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a case accommodating the semiconductor device; and a temperature detection device detecting temperature of the case, wherein the temperature calculation device divides a difference between the device temperature and temperature of the case by the device current and the device voltage to calculate thermal resistance.

6 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cooling unit cooling the semiconductor device; and a temperature detection device detecting temperature of the cooling unit, wherein the temperature calculation device divides a difference between the device temperature and temperature of the cooling unit by the device current and the device voltage to calculate thermal resistance.

7 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a driving circuit driving the semiconductor device; and a control circuit controlling a switching frequency when the driving circuit drives the semiconductor device according to thermal resistance calculated by the temperature calculation device.

8 .- 9 . (canceled)

10 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a driving circuit driving the semiconductor device; and a control circuit controlling a switching frequency when the driving circuit drives the semiconductor device according to thermal resistance calculated by the temperature calculation device.

11 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a driving circuit driving the semiconductor device; and a control circuit controlling a switching frequency when the driving circuit drives the semiconductor device according to thermal resistance calculated by the temperature calculation device.

12 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a driving circuit applying a gate voltage to the semiconductor device to drive the semiconductor device,
wherein the temperature calculation device causes the driving circuit to decrease the gate voltage when calculated thermal resistance exceeds a threshold value.

13 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a driving circuit applying a gate voltage to the semiconductor device to drive the semiconductor device,
wherein the temperature calculation device causes the driving circuit to decrease the gate voltage when calculated thermal resistance exceeds a threshold value.

14 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising a driving circuit applying a gate voltage to the semiconductor device to drive the semiconductor device,
wherein the temperature calculation device causes the driving circuit to decrease the gate voltage when calculated thermal resistance exceeds a threshold value.

15 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the device current is a collector current or a collector sense current.

16 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the device current is a collector current or a collector sense current.

17 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the device current is a collector current or a collector sense current.

18 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the device current is a collector current or a collector sense current.

19 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the device current is a collector current or a collector sense current.

20 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the device current is a collector current or a collector sense current.

21 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the device current is a collector current or a collector sense current.

22 . The semiconductor apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the device current is a collector current or a collector sense current.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• KOMO Hideo
• Saito Shoji
• Omaru Takeshi

Classifications

• H03K17/0828 Primary

  in composite switches · CPC title

• H03K2017/0806

  against excessive temperature · CPC title

• H03K17/145 Primary

  in field-effect transistor switches · CPC title

• H03K17/567

  Circuits characterised by the use of more than one type of semiconductor device, e.g. BIMOS, composite devices such as IGBT · CPC title