Electronic switching element and integrated sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9768766-B2
Application number	US-201414330837-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2014
Priority date	Jul 14, 2014
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A circuit may comprise an electronic switching element, an integrated sensor, and a low-impedance path from one of the terminals of the sensor to one of the terminals of the electronic switching element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A circuit comprising:
an electronic switching element,
an integrated temperature sensor that is arranged in the vicinity of the electronic switching element and that comprises a series connection of at least two diodes and an additional diode that is connected anti-parallel across the series connection of the at least two diodes, and
a low-impedance path from one of the terminals of the integrated temperature sensor to one of the terminals of the electronic switching element.

2. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the integrated temperature sensor is part of the electronic switching element.

3. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic switching element and the integrated temperature sensor are arranged on a single chip.

4. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic switching element and the integrated temperature sensor are arranged on a single chip and are separated by at least one dielectric medium, wherein the at least one dielectric medium comprises at least one dielectric layer.

5. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic switching element is a vertical element comprising
a control terminal,
a first terminal, and
a second terminal,
wherein the first and the second terminal are electrically coupled via a signal applied to the control terminal.

6. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic switching element comprises at least one of the following:
a transistor;
a MOSFET;
an IGBT;
a JFET;
a diode; or
a vertical element.

7. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the integrated temperature sensor further comprises a barrier layer connecting at least two conductive elements, and
the barrier layer has a positive temperature coefficient.

8. The circuit according to claim 7 , wherein the barrier layer comprises at least one of the following:
nickel;
aluminum;
iron;
permalloy;
beryllium;
titanium;
titanium-nitride;
tungsten;
titanium-tungsten;
tantalum;
tantalum-nitride; or
copper.

9. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the low-impedance path is provided via one terminal of the integrated temperature sensor being connected to an emitter or a source of the electronic switching element.

10. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the low-impedance path is provided via one terminal of the integrated temperature sensor being connected to an emitter or a source of the electronic switching element via an additional circuitry the series connection of at least two diodes and additional diode that is connected anti-parallel across the series connection of the at least two diodes.

11. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the low-impedance path is provided via an ohmic resistance.

12. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the low-impedance path is provided via at least one additional electronic switching element.

13. The circuit according to claim 12 ,
wherein one of the terminals of the integrated temperature sensor is connected to an emitter or to a source of the additional electronic switching element,
wherein the other of the terminals of the integrated temperature sensor is connected to a base or a gate of the additional electronic switching element, and
wherein a collector or drain of the additional electronic switching element is connected to a collector or drain of the electronic switching element.

14. The circuit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the low-impedance path is provided via a first additional electronic switching element and via a second additional electronic switching element,
wherein one of the terminals of the integrated temperature sensor is connected to an emitter or to a source of the first additional electronic switching element and to a base or gate of the second additional electronic switching element,
wherein the other of the terminals of the integrated temperature sensor is connected to a base or a gate of the first additional electronic switching element and to a emitter or source of the second additional switching element, and
wherein a collector or drain of the first additional electronic switching element and a collector or drain of the second additional switching element are connected to a collector or drain of the electronic switching element.

15. The circuit according to claim 5 , wherein the electronic switching element comprises a transistor, and wherein the control terminal comprises a base of the transistor, the first terminal comprises an emitter of the transistor, and the second terminal comprises a collector of the transistor.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Austria Ag

Inventors

• Willkofer Stefan
• Langguth Gernot
• Roesner Wolfgang
• Grassmann Andreas

Classifications

• H03K17/0828 Primary

  in composite switches · CPC title

• H03K2017/0806

  against excessive temperature · CPC title