Rectifier circuit with a voltage sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9509228-B2
Application number	US-201314132026-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2013
Priority date	Aug 19, 2008
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

A rectifier circuit with a semiconductor element is disclosed. The semiconductor element includes at least one field effect transistor with a control electrode, and at least one driver. The driver cooperates with a voltage sensor, and controls the field effect transistor to a conducting state. The semiconductor element includes the voltage sensor insulated from the at least one field effect transistor. The voltage sensor includes a separate sensor electrode, and a sensor capacitance of the voltage sensor forms a non-linear voltage divider with a reference capacitance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rectifier circuit with a semiconductor element, the semiconductor element comprising:
at least one field effect transistor with a control electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode;
at least one driver, which cooperates with a voltage sensor being monolithically integrated in the semiconductor element and wherein the at least one driver controls the field effect transistor to a conducting state; and
wherein the semiconductor element comprises the voltage sensor insulated from the at least one field effect transistor, wherein the voltage sensor comprises a separate sensor electrode, and in which a sensor capacitance of the voltage sensor forms a non-linear voltage divider with a reference capacitance.

2. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the reference capacitance is an external capacitance.

3. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the reference capacitance is an internal capacitance.

4. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the field effect transistor is synchronously controlled.

5. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the sensor capacitance of the voltage sensor forms a high voltage tap of the non-linear voltage divider and an external voltage-independent capacitance forms a low voltage tap of the non-linear voltage divider.

6. The rectifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the sensor capacitance of the voltage sensor comprises a sensor cell region which is insulated from a cell field of the field effect transistor.

7. The rectifier circuit of claim 6 , wherein the sensor cell region is surrounded by a field plate trench.

8. The rectifier circuit of claim 6 , wherein a metallization of the sensor electrode of the sensor cell region is electrically connected to a trench gate structure.

9. The rectifier circuit of claim 6 , wherein the sensor capacitance comprises a gate oxide of the sensor cell region as dielectric.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Austria Ag

Inventors

• Deboy Gerald

Classifications

• H02M7/217 Primary

  using semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• H10D64/256

  for lateral devices wherein the source or drain electrodes are recessed in semiconductor bodies (source or drain electrodes of TFTs H10D30/673) · CPC title

• H10D64/117

  Recessed field plates, e.g. trench field plates or buried field plates · CPC title

• H10D84/676

  Combinations of only thyristors · CPC title

• H10D84/146

  the built-in components being Schottky barrier diodes · CPC title