Current sensor device having a sense resistor in a re-distribution layer

• US 10,295,570 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2015
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Beer, Gottfried, Furtner, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Haidong
• Application Number:
  US14/837,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20160084887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/203 Resistors used for electric measuring, e.g. decade resistors standards, resistors for comparators, series resistors, shunts resistors in general H01C; microwave or radiowave terminations H01P1/26; coupling devices H01R
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/146 Measuring arrangements for current not covered by other subgroups of G01R15/14, e.g. using current dividers, shunts, or measuring a voltage drop if no voltage isolation is involved G01R1/203 or G01R19/0092
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/0092 measuring current only all subgroups of G01R19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/32 Compensating for temperature change
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/11 Manufacturing methods

Abstract

The electronic device for sensing a current comprises a semiconductor chip comprising a main face, an electronic circuit integrated in the semiconductor chip, a redistribution metallization layer disposed above the main face of the semiconductor chip, a current path formed in the redistribution metallization layer, the current path forming a resistor that is connected at two resistance defining end points to the electronic circuit for sensing a current flowing through the current path, and external contact elements connected with the redistribution metallization layer for feeding a current to be sensed into the current path.

Claims

1. An electronic device for sensing a current, comprising:

a semiconductor chip comprising a main face;

an electronic circuit integrated in the semiconductor chip, wherein the electronic circuit is connected with contact pads disposed on the main face of the semiconductor chip;

a redistribution metallization layer disposed above the main face of the semiconductor chip;

a current path formed in the redistribution metallization layer, the current path forming a resistor that is connected at two resistance defining end points;

external contact elements connected with the two resistance defining endpoints of the resistor for feeding a current to be sensed into the current path;

sense lines formed in the redistribution metallization layer and connected with the two resistance defining endpoints, each sense line connected between one of the two resistance defining endpoints and one of the contact pads that is connected with the electronic circuit, the electronic circuit sensing a current flowing through the current path.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the contact pads connected with the sense lines are disposed vertically below the current path or the external contact elements.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the contact pads connected with the sense lines are disposed laterally displaced below the current path or the external contact elements.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the external contact elements are disposed laterally outside or inside of the semiconductor chip boundaries.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

two or more external contact elements, wherein one or more external contact elements are disposed above each one of opposing sides of the current path.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein

the number of external contact elements at the opposite sides are identical or not identical.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the current path is substantially rectangular in shape.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the current path is substantially formed of parallel lines.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the semiconductor chip is embedded in one of an encapsulation material and a substrate material.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the external contact elements are comprised of solder bumps, solder balls or solder lands.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature sensor disposed in the semiconductor chip, in particular below the current path.

12. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic circuit is configured to determine the current flowing through the current path based on a potential difference sensed between the two resistance defining end points.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein

the electronic circuit comprises a first analog-to-digital converter for inputting values of the electrical potential of the two resistance defining end points, a second analog-to-digital converter for inputting temperature values of the temperature sensor, a data processing unit for inputting output values of the first and second analog-to-digital converters, and a non-volatile memory for storing temperature dependent resistance value data.

14. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising additional external contact elements for data transfer.

15. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic device is connected with the external contact elements to a motherboard.

16. A current sensor device, comprising:

a semiconductor chip comprising a main face and contact pads disposed on the main face;

a redistribution metallization layer disposed above the main face of the chip and connected to at least two of the contact pads;

at least two external contact elements disposed above the redistribution metallization layer;

a current path connected with the at least two external contact elements, the current path being integral to said redistribution metallization layer, the current path comprising two end points, each one of the two end points being connected through the redistribution metallization layer with at least one of the at least two of the contact pads; and

an electronic circuit integrated in the semiconductor chip and connected with the at least two of the contact pads that are connected with the two end points, the electronic circuit sensing a current flowing through the current path,.

17. A current sensor device, comprising:

a substrate;

contact pads disposed on a main face of the substrate;

a redistribution layer disposed above the main face of the substrate and connected with at least two of the contact pads;

at least two external contact elements disposed above the redistribution layer;

a shunt line connecting the at least two external contact elements and being formed in the redistribution layer;

two sense lines, each one of the two sense lines formed in the redistribution layer and connecting one of the at least two of the contact pads with one of two end points of the shunt line; and

an electronic circuit integrated in the substrate and connected with the at least two of the contact pads connected with the two sense lines, the electronic circuit sensing a current flowing through the shunt line.