Power conversion device and semiconductor module suitable for use in the device

• US 5,731,970 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 03/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakata, Kiyoshi, Saito, Ryuichi, Mori, Mutsuhiro, Kimura, Shin, Horie, Akira, Koike, Yoshihiko, Sekine, Shigeki, Saitoo, Syuuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Sterrett, Jeffrey L.
• Application Number:
  US08/473,937
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 363/43, 363/98, 363/132
• US Class Current: 363/132
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45124 Aluminium (Al) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49111 the connectors connecting two common bonding areas, e.g. Litz or braid wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49113 the connectors connecting different bonding areas on the semiconductor or solid-state body to a common bonding area outside the body, e.g. converging wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/04 characterised by the shape of the container or parts, e.g. caps, walls
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/24 solid or gel at the normal operating temperature of the device H01L23/3135 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/45 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/49 of a plurality of wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/072 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01014 Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01015 Phosphorus [P]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01042 Molybdenum [Mo]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01055 : Cesium [Cs]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12032 : Schottky diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12036 : PN diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1301 : Thyristor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1305 : Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13055 : Insulated gate bipolar transistor [IGBT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 : Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/351 : Thermal stress
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 : Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/487 : Neutral point clamped inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/08148 : in composite switches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 257/925 : Bridge rectifier module

Abstract

An inverter device includes plural modules, each module being formed by a series circuit having a parallel circuit of a first switching device and a first diode, and a parallel circuit of a second switching device and a second diode, allowing a reduced size, high reliability, high frequency switching and low noise. Each module forms one arm portion of the inverter. Lifetimes of the diodes and the switching devices are set in a manner to equalize losses in the inverter. Preferably, insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) formed by diffusion are used as the switching devices since the lifetimes of these devices can easily be adjusted to optimize design of the inverter.

Claims

1. An inverter device comprising:

a pair of d.c. terminals;

a node at a potential intermediate between the potentials of said pair of d.c. terminals;

a.c. terminals as many as the number of phases;

a plurality of arms each connected between the d.c. terminal and the a.c. terminal, comprising two parallel circuits in series, each parallel circuit including a switching device and a diode opposite in polarity to said switching device; and

a plurality of diodes each connected between a node of the two parallel circuits of the arm and, said node at a potential intermediate between the potentials of said pair of d.c. terminals,

wherein each of said arms is formed by a single module.

2. An inverter device used to drive a vehicle on a trolley voltage of at least 1500 volt, comprising:

a pair of d.c. terminals;

a node at an intermediate potential between the potentials of said pair of d.c. terminals;

a.c. terminals as many as the number of phases;

a plurality of arms each connected between the d.c. terminal and the a.c. terminal, comprising two parallel circuit in series, each parallel circuit including an insulated gate bipolar transistor and a diode opposite in conducting direction to said insulated gate bipolar transistor, each of the parallel circuits connected between the d.c. terminal and the a.c. terminal; and

a plurality of diodes each connected between a node of said two parallel circuits of the arm and, said node at a potential intermediate between the potentials of said pair of d.c. terminals.

3. An inverter device comprising:

a pair of d.c. terminals;

a node at a potential intermediate between the potentials of said pair of d.c. terminals;

a.c. terminals as many as the number of phases;

a plurality of arms each connected between the d.c. terminal and the a.c. terminal, comprising two parallel circuits in series, each parallel circuit including a switching device and a diode opposite in polarity to said switching device; and

a plurality of diodes each connected between a node of the two parallel circuits of the arm and, said node at a potential intermediate between the potentials of said pair of d.c. terminals,

wherein a lifetime of the switching device close to the d.c. terminal and at least one of the devices forming the parallel circuit having the diode opposite in polarity to the device is different from that of device forming the parallel circuit close to the a.c. terminal.

4. An inverter device comprising:

a pair of d.c. terminals;

a node at a potential intermediate between the potentials of said pair of d.c. terminals;

a.c. terminals as many as the number of phases;

a plurality of arms each connected between the d.c. terminal and the a.c. terminal, comprising two parallel circuits in series, each parallel circuit including an insulated gate bipolar transistor and a diode opposite in polarity to said insulated gate bipolar transistor; and

a plurality of diodes each connected between a node of the two parallel circuits of the arm and, said node at a potential intermediate between the potentials of said pair of d.c. terminals,

wherein one of the insulated gate bipolar transistors and diode of the parallel circuit of each arm is formed on a semiconductor substrate produced by Czochralski method.

5. An inverter device comprising:

a pair of d.c. terminals;

a.c. terminals equal to the number of phases of the inverter device; and

a plurality of arms each connected between one of the d.c. terminals and one of the a.c. terminals, each arm comprising at least one parallel circuit, each parallel circuit including an insulated gate bipolar transistor and a diode opposite in conducting direction to said insulated gate bipolar transistor, each of the parallel circuits connected between the d.c. terminal and the a.c. terminal to which the corresponding arm is connected;

wherein in at least one of said parallel circuits said diode has a recovery current of which a peak-to-peak value is at most 0.55 times a rated current of the insulated gate bipolar transistor of said at least one parallel circuit, and a recovery time in which the recovery current is attenuated from the peak-to-peak value to one tenth thereof is at least 0.75 times a resonance period obtained from a wiring inductance and a parasitic capacitance of said insulated bipolar transistor and said diode of said at least one parallel circuit.

6. An inverter device according to claim 5, wherein said parallel circuits are set in modules.

7. An inverter device according to claim 5, wherein said diodes of said parallel circuits each have a pn-junction and a Schottky barrier.

8. An inverter device comprising:

a pair of d.c. terminals;

a.c. terminals equal to the number of phases of the inverter device; and

a plurality of arms each connected between one of the d.c. terminals and one of the a.c. terminals, each arm comprising at least one parallel circuit, each parallel circuit including an insulated gate bipolar transistor and a diode opposite in conducting direction to said insulated gate bipolar transistor, each of the parallel circuits connected between the d.c. terminal and the a.c. terminal to which the corresponding arm is connected;

wherein in at least one of said parallel circuits said diode includes a first semiconductor region of one conductivity type having one main surface, a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type extending from a plurality of selected portions of said main surface into the inside of said first semiconductor region, a third semiconductor region of the second conductivity type extending from said main surface into the inside of said first semiconductor region and across adjacent portions of said second semiconductor region, said third semiconductor region having a depth smaller than that of said second semiconductor region, a first electrode formed on said main surface so as to form an ohmic junction with said second semiconductor region and form a Schottky junction with said third semiconductor region, and a second electrode provided so as to form an ohmic junction with said first semiconductor region.

9. An inverter device according to claim 8, wherein said parallel circuits are set in modules.